How to copy large videos to ipad without itunes?

Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
My ipad was setup without itunes, which is fine for what I do. However, I'm now trying to copy a large video to my ipad.

I connect to itunes and it doesn't recognize it. There doesn't seem to be a way to make itunes see the ipad without restoring it.


Any ideas? I generally use icloud, so everything is backed up, and I don't want to restore it just to get it to sync with itunes.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
There're apps that do that sort of thing, the one I use is AirVideoHD. Not sure how long it will take to transfer the file though.

Are both the iPad and iTunes running the latest versions? I've been able to copy music, apps, videos, whatever from my friend's computer to my iPad without having to wipe it.
 

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
If you're jailbroken, you can SSH into your iPad using FileZilla.

I've also used a program called i-FunBox which lets you view your iDevice's file system and transfer files without jailbreaking.

If iTunes doesn't recognize the video, it might be in a format the default video player can't handle. Try downloading VLC for iOS. It's back on the app store.
 
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
Discovered that you can use the 'camera connector', then copy the file over on a usb stick.

.........But doing it through windows is not allowed. o_O
 
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
It worked... Had to create a "DCIM" folder on the usb drive, then make the filenames 8 characters.

Also my newer 32gb usb drive didn't work, "device consumes too much power". An older 1gb drive worked fine.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
It worked... Had to create a "DCIM" folder on the usb drive, then make the filenames 8 characters.

Also my newer 32gb usb drive didn't work, "device consumes too much power". An older 1gb drive worked fine.

Yea, there's a lot of restrictions. When you play solely in the ecosystem, it mostly runs together nice and neat (except for AirDop not working between iOS & OS X... sigh), but when you want to do things outside of that... be prepared for headaches.
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
50,710
6,748
136
My ipad was setup without itunes, which is fine for what I do. However, I'm now trying to copy a large video to my ipad.

I connect to itunes and it doesn't recognize it. There doesn't seem to be a way to make itunes see the ipad without restoring it.


Any ideas? I generally use icloud, so everything is backed up, and I don't want to restore it just to get it to sync with itunes.

PhotoSync, $3:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photosync-wirelessly-transfers/id415850124?mt=8

More info:

http://www.photosync-app.com/

You can transfer your videos to:

1. A computer (Mac or Windows PC) via Wifi (network or hotspot) or Bluetooth (using their free PhotoSync Companion program)

2. A NAS via (S)FTP or WebDAV (Synology NAS, Owncloud, iUSBPort, CloudFTP, Seagate Wireless Plus)

3. A cloud account (Dropbox, Google Drive, Flickr, Facebook, 500px SkyDrive, SmugMug, SugarSync, Zenfolio)

Pretty good for three bucks. I have a Qi wireless charging case on my iPhone now, so I never plug it in to sync anymore (although there is iTunes Wi-Fi sync, but with PhotoSync you can just pick & choose what you want to copy easily).
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
126
I've also used a program called i-FunBox which lets you view your iDevice's file system and transfer files without jailbreaking.

Yep, I've used iFunbox too. It works well, only complaint is that from what I can tell you have to watch movies from within the iPad based app. It won't bring them up in the normal "movie" app native to the device.