Your iPhone is obnoxiously sensitive when it comes to playing video files, and only supports a very slim range of options even though our Palm Pilot was happy to play anything we threw at it more than 10 years ago. Is there a way around this perplexing issue? Of course there is, dear reader — but it involves using some third party applications. Here is a selection of some of our favourite: Video Player Apps Every week another one appears on the App Store, so you've got plenty of choice when it comes to installing an app that can play AVI, Divx, MPEG, MKV, WMV and other popular video formats, and offer additional functions like SRT and SUB subtitle support. We've looked at a number of these here on KYM in the past, but here's a brief rundown of some of our favourites. BUZZ Player A feature rich app that offers almost everything, including pretty solid playback of HD videos in the MKV format, which is no small feat in and of itself. It's one for the experts, as its computer-like interface demonstrates, but there's very little that it can't play. TTPlayer Another robust player, this relative newcomer is a playback powerhouse that can handle almost any format you can think of. It's great with subtitles, supports multi-stream audio and has some excellent gesture controls that make playback a doddle. It's Playing Great-looking playback of all the popular formats, wrapped up in a very simple interface. This makes the app very easy to navigate for the non-technically inclined, but still delivers on the important multimedia features. OPlayer Another one for the experts, this has every feature you could think of, and full support for all types of file. It's also got a very nice set of controls during playback, making it just as usable for the newcomer. Movie Player Loads of formats and a unique, great-looking library interface are at the heart of this app. It even supports Dropbox, for access to new files while you're away from the computer, and has excellent file management for staying organised. Transferring Videos to Your iPhone So, you've got your video player app. That means your iPhone can now play any digital video file without the need to convert it into an iOS-compatible format. Here's how to load up your vids onto the iPhone. The videos are transferred to the app immediately via USB cable. Web Interface A lot of these video player apps have a web interface, which is a simple transfer method, but can be a bit slow depending on the state of your , and the device's battery takes a hit. You might want to put the iPhone on charge if it's a big file. And there you have it. No more converting files, or resorting to renting a film from iTunes that you already own on DVD.
