ipad media station

2025.03.26
Victoria, B.C.

An Ipad2 is laying on its side, held up by its magnetic cover(which is folded up into a shape resembling an extruded triangle, forming a stand). On screen, an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine is playing, with Captain Holt in his office.
A camera connector with an SD card inserted into its slot is lying nearby.

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In the summer at anchor, we usually use Rek's main work computer, a Macbook Air 2011, as a media station, but watching movies drains the battery a lot, eating into Rek's work time, so we decided it was time to set up a dedicated media station.

A few years ago, we used a Chromebook for this purpose, but we had to charge it through the inverter(nowadays our laptops are all DC-powered, see charging electronics). We looked into buying some kind of small monitor, which we could wire into our DC system, and watch movies by connecting an external hard drive. Unfortunately, much of the 12V monitors we looked at were very expensive, or too cheap.

Then we realized we already had the perfect screen on hand: an Ipad2(purchased in 2012)

We used it to draw, play games, but it is now no longer possible to update it past iOS 9.3.5 — for an Apple device, that is a death sentence. We've kept it around this whole time, but weren't using it.

An Ipad really is an ideal screen...

24.6 cm(9.7 in), 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch
Works on a 12 V system
Draws little little power(max 2 A)
We already own it!

The only problem was that getting files onto an Ipad, without jailbreaking it, is difficult. Most file-managing apps(like the Files App), require a later iOS version. In all though, we prefer to not have to install apps.

a hand is holding a 30-Pin Male to SD card camera connector, with an SC card inserted

We found a camera connection kit on Ebay (30-pin male to SD card and a 30-pin male to USB) that we can use to transfer videos onto the Ipad.

It is important to note that the Ipad2's 30-pin dock connector can only handle 20ma of current.

Back in 2011, with the release of iOS 4.2, Apple crippled the Camera Connection Kit by implementing a software limitation that dropped the power output of the CCK to 20mA from 100mA.

a 32gb usb stick plugged into a usb hub which is in turn connected to a 30-pin adapter and finally, into an ipad2. A video file is visible on screen

Plugging a 32GB flash drive results in the Ipad complaining that the accessory is "using too much power".

Using a flash drive is possible, but make sure it doesn't require more than 20ma to power, or connect an unpowered USB hub inline(I've tested it with a 32GB flash drive, it works). The USB hub likely dampens the flash drive's initial start-up spike in current, keeping it under the threshold, which doesn't triggers the "too much power" warning.

How To Format a Video to Play on an Ipad2

For a video to work on an Ipad, it must be encoded in a supported codec and video format.

Supported Video Compression Codecs: H.264, H265, and MPEG-4.
Supported Video Container Formats: .mov, .mp4, and .m4v.
Supported Resolution and Bitrate: Videos with resolutions up to 1080p, 30 FPS, are compatible, but if the resolution or bitrate is too high, the Ipad will have difficulty playing it(or won't at all).

All of our video files were scaled down, compressed and converted into .mp4s using ffmpeg with the following command:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -profile:v main -level 3.1 -preset medium -crf 23 -x264-params ref=4 -acodec copy -vf "scale=-2:540:flags=lanczos" -movflags +faststart output.mp4

To batch render all of the videos files in a directory named "converted":

for f in *.mkv;
do ffmpeg -i "$f" -vcodec libx264 -profile:v main -level 3.1 -preset medium -crf 23 -x264-params ref=4 -acodec copy -vf "scale=-2:540:flags=lanczos" -movflags +faststart "converted/${f%.*}.mp4"; 
done

You can also use VLC to make conversions. It's possible to auto-select profiles, or to enter your own.

Audio

For the audio to work on Ipad, the file format needs to be aac, otherwise it may not work. To find the format(aac, dts, or other) for the audio stream that we want to extract:

ffprobe video.mkv

To select a specific audio track when converting a video, include:

-map 0:v:0

0:v:0 would select the first listed audio stream, 0:v:1 would select the second, etc.

If you want to extract the audio from the file:

ffmpeg -i input-video.avi -vn -acodec copy output-audio.aac

Sometimes, it is easier to strip the audio and to combine it again later using VLC:

ffmpeg -i input_file.mkv -c copy -an output_file.mkv

Subtitles

You won't be able to choose a subtitle track from the Ipad, so we chose to hardcode them.

For files that have a separate .srt file:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -profile:v main -level 3.1 -preset medium -crf 23 -x264-params ref=4 -acodec copy -vf "scale=-2:540:flags=lanczos, subtitles=file.srt" -movflags +faststart output.mp4

For movie files that don't have a separate .srt file, you can first extract it using ffmpeg:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:s:0 input.srt

-i: Enter the file path
-map: Choose one or more input streams as a source for the output file
s:0: Select the subtitle stream

0:s:0 will use the first subtitle track listed, 0:s:1 will use the second, 0:s:2 will use the third, etc, etc.

If the subtitles are .ass format:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:s copy subtitles.ass

Re-combine them using:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -profile:v main -level 3.1 -preset medium -crf 23 -x264-params ref=4 -acodec copy -vf "scale=-2:540:flags=lanczos, ass=subtitles.ass" -movflags +faststart output.mp4

If you want to remove subtitles entirely, process the video as you normally would but include the following command:

-sn

Filenames

The Ipad won't read files on an SD card, or on a USB flash drive, that doesn't follow the folder structure that is created when the card is used in a camera. We used a card that already had that folder structure, and deleted all existing photo media.

The folder structure on our card looks like like this(Yours may well be different):

DCIM > DSC03012

The media file itself also needs a name that is 8-digits long, with sequential numbers and/or letters for the Ipad to see it:

DCM10596.mp4

The video then appears in Photos, and is watchable from there.

It's kinda weird and hacky, but it works, and we get to give an older device a purpose. Compressing videos en-masse also helped us save space on our external harddrives.

Note that converting videos takes a lot of time, a film that is 90 minutes long may take 45 minutes to complete. I started this process in late March on a computer dedicated to this purpose(while we're connected to shore power).

After-thoughts

We used the Ipad2 as a media station in the summer 2025. The biggest issue we faced wasn't with the transfer of files, but with the file codecs. For files to work on Ipad, they the audio codec needs to be AAC.

2026.06.11
Melanie Cove, BC, Canada

This month, our little media station developed a bad issue. It started with the screen having a constant blue hue, now it's beautifully and terminally glitchy. A very impressive descent into complete unusability. I'm glad we got to repurpose it for a little while, but we can no longer use it to watch media. At this point we have to guess where things are, and it is difficult to discern what is happening when watching a film. We are not sure if it is possible to fix this issue... but we cannot take care of it this summer.

We plan to use the little ipad mini we have for the same purpose. More on that soon.

2026.07.20
Cortes Bay, BC, Canada

Since the Ipad2 is kaput, we are now using our Ipad mini 4 via the VLC app. The Ipad isn't as old and so it was possible to install applications. With the VLC app, it is possible to put movies onto the Ipad via the charging cable. It is fast, very easy and doesn't require an internet connection. We are very grateful for VLC, we can now watch movies again!