Of course you can play videos in your browser. But if you have a collection of movies on your NAS, a more advanced video player is a must. If only because it supports many more file formats. We list the best video players for iOS and iPadOS for you.
By default, Apple focuses mainly on its own videos sold through the iTunes store that are played in the iTunes app. What content that comes from elsewhere is not very flexible. Fortunately, there are several good video players in the app store. Unfortunately also a lot of rubbish, so we have made a selection of the (in our opinion) best ones. Many have been in use here for years. In fact, you only have to buy one and not everything. Ignore the completely free copies (often), that’s just as often a sea of advertising. A positive exception in that regard is VLC Media Player. And we will start with that right away. The players are not in a ‘report order’, they are all equally useful.
VLC
VLC is a veteran from the desktop PC. In a mobile form, it actually has everything you need on board. First, a video player that supports a variety of file formats. Where you have a range of fine-tuning options via settings. If you happen to have a somewhat older iPad or iPhone, it is worthwhile to dive into those settings and play with filters and the like. Bottom line, that may produce a slightly less beautiful image, but a film that plays without faltering. That’s also worth something.
Apart from the video player, VLC also features a dedicated music player. You can play movies (and music) uploaded locally to your iPad, but also – ideally – stream movies via DLNA from your NAS. In short: an extensive free media player. The only ‘downside’ is the somewhat more spartan user environment, no bling here, but mostly old school text menus. Which, in our opinion, is actually nothing wrong with.
It’s Playing
Another great video player is It’s Playing; the Pro version costs – via an in-app upgrade – about ten euros. Like VLC, it supports a variety of file formats, but this time features a user interface that’s just a bit more suited to a modern app. Also practical is the support network shares, so that videos on your NAS can also be easily played.
During playback, you can adjust the brightness and contrast as desired (although you have to be careful not to overdrive the matter), and also adjusting the playback speed is an option. All via sliders. In the settings you can specify whether you want to use a hardware or software decoder. The first works excellently nowadays, in the past, switching to software could result in slightly better image quality in a single go. And a rapidly depleting battery.
AVPlayerHD
AVPlayerHD is a veteran who has been around for years. The player supports Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus, among others, always handy. The only annoying problem is that after – probably – the most recent update DLNA no longer works. At least: that is now a matter of hit-and-miss, unfortunately. Sometimes DLNA servers appear and sometimes they don’t. And when they are found, connecting and trying to open files invariably leads to a crash. Too bad, because the app always worked well. Fortunately, it is regularly maintained, so just wait for a new update. Normally it is a pleasant app with many features and an extensive range of supported file formats.
Infuse Pro
Infuse Pro is a more modern media player that is also – completely legal, which is not the case with many other constantly disappearing media players – and armed with licensed Dolby decoders. DTS and DTS HD are also available. And – if we do have to point out a winner in this list – that makes this app a must have for film lovers. The point is that this app is also relative to the price: about € 30. But you do get an app with it that, from a legal point of view, everything is perfectly fine. Nothing beats the original, so to speak.
Furthermore, it just works as it should. Includes things like DLNA support. Naturally, extensive support for a mountain of file formats is also available. It must be very strange if you now find something that is not playable.
Another nice thing about Infuse Pro is that it supports the mini-player that was introduced with iOS 14 (say picture-in-picture). For example, you can watch a movie with half an eye while filling a boring spreadsheet with data. Definitely recommended if you have the money (left) for it. The app has already reached the sixth version.
You can also download the non-Pro version of Infuse first. This is subscription-based, with costs starting at € 0.99 per month. If you like the app, you can possibly purchase a lifetime license. But then you pay an amount of no less than € 74.99, a lot more expensive than a ‘separate’ version. On the other hand, you will then be provided with new versions for the rest of your life at no extra cost. As long as the app persists that is.
NPlayer
Okay, we actually lied a bit above. There is another player that can do almost the same as Infuse Pro, including an officially licensed version of DTS, DTS HD and DTS Headphone: X. DLNA and the like are also included, as well as an extensive set of setting options. What nPlayer – because that’s what we’re talking about – what makes it special is the price tag: for the full version of the app you only pay just over € 5. No hassle with subscriptions and other additional hidden costs. In short: if you want to be in ringside for the well-known dime, this is the paid player to start with. Chances are it will be a keeper forever.
What did not go well during our playback session was the mini video playback from iOS 14. This may have been due to the file format used. The app is kept up to date by the maker, so there will probably be a solution for that.
