MacMost Now 908: Transferring Videos From an SD Card To Your iPad
You can store videos on an SD card and then transfer them to your iPad using a simple adapter. This allows you to store videos to watch externally and put them on your iPad when you are ready to watch them. It is useful if you are traveling and have limited space on your iPad. However, you need to know how to trick the iPad into thinking the video comes from a camera, and then you need to use the Photos app to watch the video, not the Videos app.
Comments: 13 Responses to “MacMost Now 908: Transferring Videos From an SD Card To Your iPad”
Don
11 years ago
Gary, That's a pretty cool hack, but have you tried using the VLC app for iOS? In the VLC app just choose the VLC pylon button in the upper left-hand corner and turn on Wi-Fi upload. Then from your browser and navigate to the address listed on the VLC app. Finally, drag the movie file from Finder to the open browser window.
No need to use the VLC app for that. You can use lots of sharing apps for that. Or, just transfer the video the normal way with iTunes. The technique I describe in the video is for when you don't have a network, or your Mac, for that matter.
Lance Jensen
11 years ago
Will this work for a MP4 file - a theatrical release that has been downloaded and converted to the standard for movies?
After you have the video in the right format, you still have to put it in the right place. Watch the video and I explain that.
Nick
11 years ago
Nice video, Gary. However, I don't understand how it is helpful if you have limited space if you still have to import the video from the card to the iPad. Hang on, I think I just answered my question. You're suggesting perhaps you have space for one video but not, say, the ten you'd like to bring with you. Sorry for the slow pick up.
Cool! I can take my collection of MacMost videos with me!
Kendall
11 years ago
This is sort of on topic (in that it has to do with watching video on the ipad from external storage media). Is there a way to store a video on a USB drive and connect it to an ipad via the lightning to USB adapter and play the video?
The movies taken on my camera are not transferred to my iPad. If my camera has an incompatible video format (which I assume is the reason for this), how can I convert them so that they can be stored on my iPad? I am on 5 week trip and do not have my laptop with me.
Gary, That's a pretty cool hack, but have you tried using the VLC app for iOS? In the VLC app just choose the VLC pylon button in the upper left-hand corner and turn on Wi-Fi upload. Then from your browser and navigate to the address listed on the VLC app. Finally, drag the movie file from Finder to the open browser window.
No need to use the VLC app for that. You can use lots of sharing apps for that. Or, just transfer the video the normal way with iTunes. The technique I describe in the video is for when you don't have a network, or your Mac, for that matter.
Will this work for a MP4 file - a theatrical release that has been downloaded and converted to the standard for movies?
As long as it is using a format that works on the iPad -- "mp4" could contain anything. Easy enough to test it...
Couldn't you just drag and drop it from its folder to the SD card?
After you have the video in the right format, you still have to put it in the right place. Watch the video and I explain that.
Nice video, Gary. However, I don't understand how it is helpful if you have limited space if you still have to import the video from the card to the iPad. Hang on, I think I just answered my question. You're suggesting perhaps you have space for one video but not, say, the ten you'd like to bring with you. Sorry for the slow pick up.
Exactly.
Cool! I can take my collection of MacMost videos with me!
This is sort of on topic (in that it has to do with watching video on the ipad from external storage media). Is there a way to store a video on a USB drive and connect it to an ipad via the lightning to USB adapter and play the video?
I don't believe so, no.
The movies taken on my camera are not transferred to my iPad. If my camera has an incompatible video format (which I assume is the reason for this), how can I convert them so that they can be stored on my iPad? I am on 5 week trip and do not have my laptop with me.
Without a computer, you can't convert them. You'll need to transfer them to your computer and use software there to convert, then sync to your iPad.