Are there apps to stream video from PC to iPad?

Factual Questions
1

I’m trying to convince a friend to get an Apple TV as a means of streaming video from her computer to her TV using her iPad as the conduit.

My setup is a Mac with plenty of room that streams video to my iPad which can then be watched on my TV via my AppleTV. I do this with 3rd party software that has a server application on the Mac and a client application on the iPad. (Air Video is my preferred, but I have also used VLC and a few others)

My friend has an iPad but she is PC…are there apps that will work the same way with the PC as the Mac apps do, and can you tell me what they are?

2

Plex Media Server will do the job. If you set things up right, you can watch your home media from any hotel room via wifi.

They have servers for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and you can watch it via a web browser or dedicated apps on multiple platforms.

There is a Plex app for iPad that works nicely.

3

I’m pretty sure Air Video has both a Mac and a PC client. If the content’s in iTunes (and it can be ripped or imported videos, doesn’t have to be stuff you got from iTunes Store), you can also skip the iPad step and stream straight from the computer to the Apple TV via home sharing. I do that all the time; seems to give me better results than AirPlay, but that might be a quirk of my network.

ETA: Yes, Air Video can serve from Windows: http://www.inmethod.com/air-video/download.html

4

That’s what I was going to post. I have Plex servers on both my PC and my Mac Mini, and Plex player apps on my Samsung Galaxy Tab and my iPod Touch. And I can watch the programs I have on either server anywhere I am.

The servers are free, and the clients are cheap.

5

There is a Plex app for Roku that works nicely, and has the advantage of letting you stream directly from a Mac or PC without needing a “middleman”. Roku can also play video directly from a USB hard drive or flash drive, even Mac formatted drives.

And why would you go iMac to iPad to Apple TV when you can stream directly from iMac to Apple TV? Piggybacking off the iPad is bound to cause a hit in video quality.

6

To be specific, the Plex server converts the material to optimum resolution for each client, so the iPod Touch doesn’t try to display a 1080 stream.

And yeah, I forgot Plex on the the Roku I have. Though it is very limited compared to the clients on the other devices. And I also forgot to mention just how useful the Plex client is on the hosting device. I have an old single processor Intel Mac Mini and the Plex app is the best interface I’ve ever used for home theater.

Oh, and I’ve installed the Plex App on an AppleTV - though you have to Jaibreak it because Apple is a bunch of fascist jerks.

What’s we’re saying here is that you really, really, REALLY need to download the Plex server and app. It’s exactly what you need, and you’ll thank us.

7

Well, depending on which version you get. The cheapest version doesn’t have a USB port. But you can use Plex to watch those videos from your computer, so it’s no big deal.

Heck, Plex was the reason I finally pulled the switch on a device like the Roku. Without it, Roku is limited to mostly paid services and shovelware–they don’t even have a YouTube app.

Still, it would be nice if they’d update their network apps–only CBS and NBC work now. If I want to watch something from the other networks, well…