Most people use the iPad for two things: internet browsing and media consumption.
With the stunning Retina display, the new iPad 3 has the best video playback qualitywe've seen from
the tablet range so far. Users have a wholeslew of choices
when it comes to watching videos on the new iPad tablet, including watching movies online through
iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, transferring local movies to iPad, encoding MKV/AVI/WMV to iPad
compatible video, turning DVD and Blu-ray into iPad movies, and processing iPad video streaming.
Which is right for you? Let's explore your options.

Watch Movies Online

Use iPad Built-in Apps to Watch Online Movie

The new iPad comes up with 2 built-in apps for you to enjoy free YouTube movie and shop for online streaming movie & TV shows as long as your iPad is in connection with Internet via WiFi or your carrier's cellular network.

Open the iTunes app to shop for thousands of HD movies and TV shows up to 1080p HD. While you're there, pick up any movie or song you like. There are over 20 million to choose from. And iCloud lets you access your iTunes purchases from iPad.

YouTube on iPad makes videos easier to find and more fun to watch. With the new iPad, you can gape in shock or laugh in fits at a YouTube video in HD.

Get More iPad Movie and TV Apps from App Store

You may find that the iPad doesn't do that much on its own. But that's not a big deal, because there are tons of movie apps that you can get from the App Store. We've put up top iPad Movie and TV Apps for your reference:

Crackle
Crackle shoots to the top of the list for one very simple reason: it's free. Not only is it a free download, but it also doesn't take a subscription fee to watch premier movies and television.

Netflix
With a great collection of movies and TV, Netflix is sure to keep you entertained. The streaming-only subscription cost for Netflix is $7.99.

Movies by Flixster
The #1 app for movie reviews, trailers, and showtimes. The most downloaded movies app of all time

Hulu Plus
The Hulu Plus lets you enjoy unlimited instant streaming of current hit TV shows. It takes some flack for both requiring a subscription cost ($7.99 a month) and having commercials within the video playback.

Transfer Local movies to iPad for watching

How to put local movies to iPad?
1. Install iTunes latest version (iTunes download)
2. Add local movies to iTunes
3. Sync iTunes movie to iPad

4. Limitations ( picky format ) & Problems (unsupported format)
You can rent movies in standard-definition or high-definition format from the iTunes Store and watch them on iPad. But you may meet problems when adding materials acquired from other sources. To watch movies in iTunes and iPad unacceptable formats, please refer to the following sections.

Encode MKV/AVI/WMV to iPad compatible video

1. Knowing about iPad Compatible Video Formats - The First Step You Get and Watch Free Movies on iPad
New iPad/iPad 3 Supported TV and Video File Types
  • Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format.
  • AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) at 720p
  • AirPlay video streaming to Apple TV (3rd generation) at up to 1080p and Apple TV (2nd generation) at up to 720p
  • Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
  • Video out support at 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cable sold separately)
iPad 2 Supported TV and Video File Types
  • Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
  • AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p
  • Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
  • Video out support at 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

The Best Video Converter for iPad 3/iPad 2

Why you should get one:
  • It converts AVI, MKV, WMV, TiVo, etc. to iPad compatible MP4 video
  • It exports H.264 video both in 1080p and 720p
  • It compresses big file to smaller file so that your iPad holds more movies
  • It keeps Dolby Digital 5.1 audio for iPad to pass-through surround sound
  • It also features templates for Apple TV, iPhone, iPod Touch and more devices

2. Convert Incompatible Video to Best Format for iPad

Windows Solutions

TiVo to iPad  AVI to iPad 3 MKV to iPad 3 Amazon WMV to iPad 3 

Mac Solutions

TiVo to iPad on Mac      AVI to iPad 3 on Mac
MKV to iPad 3 on Mac  VOB to iPad 3 on Mac

Bigger Screen, Better Effect - iPad Video Mirroring and Streaming

 

Fell like watching the iPad movies on a bigger screen like your HDTV or projector? Wanna enjoy multi-channel surround sound? Check more iPad video streaming solutions below.

Useful iPad Tips and Tricks