Does playback to TV work?

[burbly]

I've just got an ipad and VLC is working beautifully for playing high bitrate mkv files -- thank you for a very neat piece of software! I'd like to play the files on my TV, so I was thinking of getting a Lightning Digital AV Adaptor -- but they're rather expensive, so I wanted to ask whether this works before splashing out...

thanks,
M.

[burbly]

Just found this comment on amazon, which suggests that it's not going to work...

As the Ipad only has a USB output, then the actual conversion of the video stream to HDMI has to be accomplished with a ARM chip inside this box - plus all the usual apple security paranoia. It works OK for the IPAD's default video app - giving full HD, but any other third party app (I.e the useful ones that play MKV, m2ts and the like) only manage to achieve video that falls short of the full HD 1920 x 1080, in that they can't avoid bypassing all the overscan black borders around the screen. Come on, in this day and age - who uses CRT technology? Unlike Android, where you can just attach a mini-HDMI to a tablet and everything just works, this is another expensive apple-monopoly overpriced piece of kit. But hey, welcome to the apple ECO system! Having had a whinge, I have to say it does work to a fashion, but won't pass security with all the video online providers, so you may have to settle for less than full HD. Huh! Forget 4K res we're in apple land now

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RL87OJX0IQYVE

(But I'd love to be corrected!)

[fkuehne]

Well, this is actually supported, but indeed, from what I've heard, current Lightning to HDMI connectors are limited to 720p instead of 1080i. If this actually a big issue, is up to you to decide. On my screen, this isn't overly visible as long as you are more than one or two feet away.

[hammad506]

i'd want to know if the devs. managed to "bypass all the overscan black borders around the screen" and play vlc .mkv video on external displays using 16:9 resolution.

only then would i choose to buy lightning av adapter
i have recently bought an ipad air

[fkuehne]

As far as I know and seeing the reviews on the App Store, this seems to work. I just don't have such a plug to try, so I can't say for sure.

[burbly]

It works!