iPhone/iPad App Review: Air Video – Stream Video From Your Computer

iPhone (and iPad) does a good job at playing video and music content from your iTunes library, once it has been synchronized. But getting the content into iTunes in the first place can be tricky since iTunes is very strict when it comes to supported formats. In most cases, you’ll have to convert your content first and this will take some time, depending on the speed of your computer.

With Air Video for iPhone or iPad, you can now stream most video formats and codecs directly to your handheld iDevice.

Simply install the Air Video server which you download from Air Video’s website. You can configure the server software to define which folders you want to share with your device and if you want to support Internet streaming as well (remember to set up a password).

On the iPhone or iPad, you can download Air Video Free or Air Video (paid) from App Store. The free version only displays 3 items to be played back while the paid version doesn’t have any limitations. Try the free version first to make sure it runs as expected and it works on your network. The Air Video app is very easy to use, no need to read through the instructions (if they even exist). On your local network, Air Video will automatically find your Air Video server and you can start playing your content. If you want Internet streaming you just need to add your server by entering a small code and your selected password – that’s it.

As for playback, if the file is already in an iPhone-supported format, you can stream it instantly. If it’s in another format, you’ll have to select “play with live conversion”. What this does, is that it makes your computer convert the video on-the-fly and stream it to you at the same time. You’ll only have to buffer for maybe a second or two and it’ll start to play. Obviously this requires some computer processing power, Air Video recommends at least Core 2 Duo processor but, depending on the quality of your video, a Core Duo processor might be enough.

Air Video (paid) is just a few bucks in the App Store, but as mentioned, you should try out Air Video Free first.

6 thoughts on “iPhone/iPad App Review: Air Video – Stream Video From Your Computer”

  1. Pingback: Bryan Foster
  2. this new initiative from app stote for giving a try before you buy , its really great . will save a lot of bucks from the fraudsters …

    Reply
  3. Air Video is Excellent yet powerful video streaming paid application works perfectly and have great compatibility with my I phone. Thanks for sharing great review

    Reply
  4. It would be quit interesting as @Namanh said but still do we have to wait long for this to develop fully for games? Cuz I can’t wait for such a thing to come in my hand..

    Reply
  5. I have been thinking of what is this app for. So, appreciated your great review on this app. I will download the free version to try it out prior to purchase the full version as mentioned. I will certainly comment again once I have had try it out in the next few days. Thanks for your sharing.

    Reply
  6. I have had tried the free version. Yeahh, it is so cool but I’m still struggling whether to buy the full version or not. I’m saving money for the iPad now. I think using this app in iPad will be far more cool than iPhone.

    Reply

Leave a Comment