When it was first released, many called the Apple iPad, "a big iPod touch." That's debatable, but it does describe one of the best things about the iPad: its big, bright 9.7-inch screen makes it ideal for movie and TV watching. Throw in the iPad's robust battery life and obvious portability, and you've got a top-notch on-the-go entertainment device.
Plenty of developers and media companies have figured this out, so there has been a steady stream of new ways to watch TV and movies on your iPad that don't involve iTunes. Some, like Netflix and Hulu, are apps that you download, while others are iPad-optimized sites that help you find and watch the best TV and movies the Web has to offer. If you want to watch TV and movies from your own collection, there are apps for that, and there are even products that let you watch live TV on your tablet.
We've tried many of these solutions, and below you'll find the top 10 ways to bring TV and movies to your iPad.
Hulu Plus
Price: $9.99 per month
Hulu Plus subscribers get access to back catalogs of TV shows, and access to free apps for the iPhone and iPad. Hulu has a huge collection of shows from a variety of networks, streams in 720p HD, and will even sync your spot in the show with the Hulu Web site so you can pick up right where you left off when you're back at your computer.
Netflix
Price: Free for DVD-plan subscribers subscribers ($7.99 per month for streaming-only plan)
The grand poobah of streaming movies, Netflix is also one of the best and most complete iPad video applications. The constantly growing library has full seasons of TV shows like Friday Night Lights and Mythbusters, and a huge collection of movies ranging from mob dramas like The Godfather to light-hearted animated films like Up. The app also lets you manage your DVD and Watch Instantly queue, and syncs your progress to the Web so you can pick up on a bigger screen when you get home.
Network TV Sites
Price: Free
Many network shows can be viewed with the Hulu Plus app, but many of the networks have more complete solutions, with lots of extra material and information. ABC has a free app with plenty of recent episodes of its shows, as well as the ABC TV schedule and information about its lineup. The CBS site is iPad-optimized, so you can watch episodes, clips and more right from Mobile Safari. Bravo has an iPad app for streaming full episodes, and TBS has one with more limited functionality. Other networks are beginning to support the iPad, too, either through dedicated apps or with sites that don't use Flash for video (since the iPad doesn't currently support it).
Clicker
Price: Free
Some of the best video on the Web doesn't come from television networks. It comes from YouTube, Vimeo, and companies like Revision3, and blip.tv. Clicker is a Web site that acts as a TV Guide for all the Web's video (including the network stuff), and if you visit it from the iPad, you'll get all iPad-compatible video. Whether you're looking for shows like The Guild or the latest from ESPN, it's all on Clicker.
Air Video
Price: $2.99 in the App Store
Air Video takes the video on your computer, and streams it to your iPad. It converts unsupported files on the fly, and plays almost any file type you throw at it. You set up an Air Video server on your computer (it's easier than you think), and then connect it to Air Video. Getting Air Video to stream when you're not on the same wireless network, which you can do from anywhere over Wi-Fi or 3G, isn't as simple, but it is doable.
Elgato EyeTV
Price: $99.95 (EyeTV One); $4.99 (app)
Watching live TV on your iPad is a pretty compelling idea, and a surprisingly easy one. The Elgato EyeTV One is a $99.95 dongle for your Apple computer that displays and records live TV, turning your Mac into a television and a DVR. The EyeTV can stream that high-definition TV programming from your Mac to your iPad with the $4.99 EyeTV app. You can also schedule or watch recorded shows right from your iPad. You'll need both the dongle and the app to get the TV onto your iPad, but it's a very complete solution.
Plex
Price: $4.99
Plex is more than just a way to stream video-it's a free, full-fledged media system for your Mac (and for new LG TVs). It streams content from the Web, as well as from your computer, and it connects to your iPad with an app that lets you stream everything from your local music and movie collection to video from sites like Hulu, The Daily Show, and I Can Has Cheezburger, right to your iPad.
StreamToMe
Price: $2.99
StreamToMe doesn't do anything particularly unique, but it gets big points for simplicity-its interface was one of my favorites to use. Once you've installed the iPad app and the corresponding Mac or PC software, this app streams your music and video from your computer to your iPad, auto-converting files as necessary. And if you've got the right cable, you can also play content from your iPad on your HDTV. It works at DVD-quality over local Wi-Fi, but can also stream remotely over 3G and Wi-Fi.
Slingplayer
Price: $29.99 (app), $179.99 (Slingbox)
The Slingbox has been around for a while-doing the same thing really well. This gadget plugs in to your cable box, and broadcasts your programming to the Internet. With a Web browser, you can access your own cable box from anywhere, and watch your own TV without being at home. The Slingplayer iPhone app ($29.99) makes it incredibly easy to watch TV from the Web-anything you can watch at home, you can watch on your iPad via Slingbox. The app isn't currently designed for the iPad, but, according to the company, full support is in the works, and video already looks good in enlarged mode on the iPad.
ZumoCast
Price: Free
Zumocast software does essentially what the Slingbox does, but with your computer instead of your cable box. On your PC, you designate folders you want to share (like your music and movies), and then with a username and password you can log in and access all the files over the Internet. You can view documents, along with image, video, and music files right from your iPad, and you can even download them so you can access them when you're offline. ZumoCast can stream remotely over 3G and Wi-Fi, and will play any file format you throw at it.
Price: $9.99 per month
Hulu Plus subscribers get access to back catalogs of TV shows, and access to free apps for the iPhone and iPad. Hulu has a huge collection of shows from a variety of networks, streams in 720p HD, and will even sync your spot in the show with the Hulu Web site so you can pick up right where you left off when you're back at your computer.
Netflix
Price: Free for DVD-plan subscribers subscribers ($7.99 per month for streaming-only plan)
The grand poobah of streaming movies, Netflix is also one of the best and most complete iPad video applications. The constantly growing library has full seasons of TV shows like Friday Night Lights and Mythbusters, and a huge collection of movies ranging from mob dramas like The Godfather to light-hearted animated films like Up. The app also lets you manage your DVD and Watch Instantly queue, and syncs your progress to the Web so you can pick up on a bigger screen when you get home.
Network TV Sites
Price: Free
Many network shows can be viewed with the Hulu Plus app, but many of the networks have more complete solutions, with lots of extra material and information. ABC has a free app with plenty of recent episodes of its shows, as well as the ABC TV schedule and information about its lineup. The CBS site is iPad-optimized, so you can watch episodes, clips and more right from Mobile Safari. Bravo has an iPad app for streaming full episodes, and TBS has one with more limited functionality. Other networks are beginning to support the iPad, too, either through dedicated apps or with sites that don't use Flash for video (since the iPad doesn't currently support it).
Clicker
Price: Free
Some of the best video on the Web doesn't come from television networks. It comes from YouTube, Vimeo, and companies like Revision3, and blip.tv. Clicker is a Web site that acts as a TV Guide for all the Web's video (including the network stuff), and if you visit it from the iPad, you'll get all iPad-compatible video. Whether you're looking for shows like The Guild or the latest from ESPN, it's all on Clicker.
Air Video
Price: $2.99 in the App Store
Air Video takes the video on your computer, and streams it to your iPad. It converts unsupported files on the fly, and plays almost any file type you throw at it. You set up an Air Video server on your computer (it's easier than you think), and then connect it to Air Video. Getting Air Video to stream when you're not on the same wireless network, which you can do from anywhere over Wi-Fi or 3G, isn't as simple, but it is doable.
Elgato EyeTV
Price: $99.95 (EyeTV One); $4.99 (app)
Watching live TV on your iPad is a pretty compelling idea, and a surprisingly easy one. The Elgato EyeTV One is a $99.95 dongle for your Apple computer that displays and records live TV, turning your Mac into a television and a DVR. The EyeTV can stream that high-definition TV programming from your Mac to your iPad with the $4.99 EyeTV app. You can also schedule or watch recorded shows right from your iPad. You'll need both the dongle and the app to get the TV onto your iPad, but it's a very complete solution.
Plex
Price: $4.99
Plex is more than just a way to stream video-it's a free, full-fledged media system for your Mac (and for new LG TVs). It streams content from the Web, as well as from your computer, and it connects to your iPad with an app that lets you stream everything from your local music and movie collection to video from sites like Hulu, The Daily Show, and I Can Has Cheezburger, right to your iPad.
StreamToMe
Price: $2.99
StreamToMe doesn't do anything particularly unique, but it gets big points for simplicity-its interface was one of my favorites to use. Once you've installed the iPad app and the corresponding Mac or PC software, this app streams your music and video from your computer to your iPad, auto-converting files as necessary. And if you've got the right cable, you can also play content from your iPad on your HDTV. It works at DVD-quality over local Wi-Fi, but can also stream remotely over 3G and Wi-Fi.
Slingplayer
Price: $29.99 (app), $179.99 (Slingbox)
The Slingbox has been around for a while-doing the same thing really well. This gadget plugs in to your cable box, and broadcasts your programming to the Internet. With a Web browser, you can access your own cable box from anywhere, and watch your own TV without being at home. The Slingplayer iPhone app ($29.99) makes it incredibly easy to watch TV from the Web-anything you can watch at home, you can watch on your iPad via Slingbox. The app isn't currently designed for the iPad, but, according to the company, full support is in the works, and video already looks good in enlarged mode on the iPad.
ZumoCast
Price: Free
Zumocast software does essentially what the Slingbox does, but with your computer instead of your cable box. On your PC, you designate folders you want to share (like your music and movies), and then with a username and password you can log in and access all the files over the Internet. You can view documents, along with image, video, and music files right from your iPad, and you can even download them so you can access them when you're offline. ZumoCast can stream remotely over 3G and Wi-Fi, and will play any file format you throw at it.
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