TuawFaceoff
Latest
TUAW Faceoff: Streaming video on the iPad with Air Video and StreamToMe
In the few days that I've had an iPad, I've found a favorite way to demo it for friends, family, and people I stop at random in the hallways: fire up the Netflix app and start streaming Wargames. I can't say why this particular movie works well, but it just looks and sounds so good. "That's coming over the Internet?" they ask, and jaws drop. It's delightful -- even though I may have to switch movies now that Wrath of Khan is on the list. The iPad's bona fides as a video-watching device are undeniable, but managing your media for synchronization isn't fun, even in iTunes. On the 16GB model, you may find yourself shuffling movies and TV shows in and out of the sync list on a frequent basis. Wouldn't it be nicer if you could simply stream any video file from your Mac or PC and have it play back instantly on your iPad, anywhere in the house? Good news, then, that there are two solid options to accomplish this handy trick. Our contenders today, both weighing in at US$2.99 plus a helper app on the desktop... in the left corner, the veteran Air Video, along with the free Air Video Lite, and in the right corner, the fast-punching StreamToMe. Which of these apps can make your videos fly? Let's dispense with one quick caveat: neither of these apps will stream FairPlay-protected content, such as iTunes Store purchased/rented movies or network TV shows. Videos that you create or convert from DVD, however, will work just fine. %Gallery-90251%
