playing .ts files with azul

Eyetv.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to play back 1080p TS files natively on the iPad - the CPU power is just too low for the software decoding.

BTW, can you provide a link to these 1080p files (one small, say, 1-minute-long recording would suffice)? If they're broadcast in H.264 (as opposed to MPEG-2), it's highly possible you ca just remux them into .mp4 files in some minutes only for even hour-long programs. There're several TS remuxer tools for both the Mac and Windows; see for example ProjectX (see http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/tips-editing-and-playing-back-dvb-aka-mpeg-tra nsport-stream-ts-files-and-other-tips ).

All ota stuff in US is mpeg-2, 1080i.

That's why he can't find a card-it would have to transcode it on the fly.

Over seas the broadcasters support DTS-this allows tv tuner dongle into iPad.

Not supported by broadcasters in the States, do no dongle.

He will have to just convert the stuff.

mpeg-2, 1080i? Some players might be able to play it (decoding MPEG-2 is far easier than H.264).

Could anyone provide a URL to a test TS sample so that I can test it in all the iOS multimedia players and give a definite answer? Preferably one with a lot of movement (not a static or slowly-moving stuff)

Avplayerhd played an episode of Community I had recorded, handled it pretty well.

Thanks, started testing it, will report back soon.

Unfortunately, none of the existing players have managed to play the file properly (without visible / annoying stuttering or other problems), incl. AVPlayerHD. Will later post a more detailed answer and some comparative demo videos of two iPads playing back the same video.

The CPU in the iPad is just too weak for decoding such stuff.

I'll play a bit with the best transcoding parameters in Handbreak and also report on it.

The best (most fluent / least stuttering) results were produced by VM Player HD http://itunes.apple.com/app/vm-player-hd/id445667199?mt=8 (the trial version may be worth a quick test: it's not very restricted – just an ad continuously displayed and it's unable to stream files over 500M, but for quick testing purposes like this it'll work just fine: http://itunes.apple.com/app/vm-player-hd-lite/id499291265?mt=8 )

HOWEVER, it plays back the content at a much lower resolution than the other (much more stuttering, but hi-res) players. That is, ONLY use it if you don't watch the content from close but from at least 30" (1m).

So, my detailed player-specific breakdown is as follows (I only list players that play back the file with so-so performance; the other players are even worse):

1, NONE of the players play back the CC track

2, the following player doesn't support scrubbing (repositioning): AcePlayerhttp://itunes.apple.com/app/aceplayer/id463242636?mt=8 ,

The other players with adequate speed:

AVPlayerHD by EPLAYWORKS.Co.Ltd. http://itunes.apple.com/app/avplayerhd/id407976815?mt=8

GPlayer by Ginkgo Tech http://itunes.apple.com/app/gplayer/id438402174?mt=8

Oplayer HD by olimsoft http://itunes.apple.com/app/oplayer-hd/id373236724?mt=8

EC Player http://itunes.apple.com/app/ec-player/id442154538?mt=8

It's worth pointing out that, while ProPlayer ( http://itunes.apple.com/app/proplayer-the-video-player/id454180376?mt=8 ), generally, has the same video decoder as AVPlayerHD, this doesn't seem to be the case with these 1080i MPEG2 TS videos – its playback performance is way inferior to that of AVPlayerHD.

Again, if you don't mind the low-res playback, give a try to VM Player HD http://itunes.apple.com/app/vm-player-hd/id445667199?mt=8 first, it's the fastest.

NP. Let me know if you'd like to know how to save / convert the CC track or multiple audio tracks when converting the videos to H264 MP4's.

iPad 2, not iPad.