How does VLC work on Apple iPad?

[Sushubh]

Warning: I have very little idea about how iPads and iTunes work.
So, an uncle bought himself an iPad Mini and I am sort of his IT guy. I was able to handle the basic stuff about the tablet today… With some help from Pankaj… One of the queries was how to get movies to play on the iPad. Now from what I remember, you convert the video to a format compatible with the iPad before loading it to your iPad through the iTunes app right? I noticed VLC on the Apple App Store today. Does it play all kinds of video formats like the desktop app? Or it is just another video player that only play videos supported by the iTunes/iPad officially?
TLDR How do I get videos in different formats on the iPad for playing without the annoying conversion process?

 

[mhsabir]

https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/vlc-for-ios/id650377962?mt=8

It does say

VLC for iOS is a port of the free VLC media player to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
It can play all your movies and shows in most formats directly without conversion.
It allows file synchronization with Dropbox, GDrive, iTunes, direct download and through an embedded upload web server as well as streaming from UPnP media servers.
VLC on iOS is completely free and open source.

 

[Sushubh]

So how do you get files on to the iPad that are not officially supported by the iTunes?

 

[mhsabir]

VLC for iOS is a port of the free VLC media player to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
It can play all your movies and shows in most formats directly without conversion.
It allows file synchronization with Dropbox, GDrive, iTunes, direct download and through an embedded upload web server as well as streaming from UPnP media servers.

Maybe this route?

 

[Sushubh]

through an embedded upload web server?

what the freaking fuck lol.

 

[mhsabir]

Maybe you should not put those files because Apple has not supported it. So the format must be baaaad.

 

[Sushubh]

no i mean. i want to know if it is officially possible to use the ipad as a storage device for files not supported by the ipad out of the box... like a storage device or whatever.

 

[mhsabir]

From what I read before, Mr.Apple aka Jobs was not keen on it. So, not sure if jailbreak or something would be required.

 

[Sushubh]

Things have changed a lot from the olden days. I remember doing the conversion manually so that iTunes can detect the video to load it on an iPod Touch. Same with Microsoft Zune.