I'm planning on getting a new iPad Pro but I'm not sure what storage option to go for. I have no problem storing things on the cloud but the issue is I travel a lot and the wifi on the planes I fly on usually sucks so I need to store movies and shows locally. I was thinking maybe 512 would be enough but I'm not sure. I will likely have 50-100ish movies and shows on my iPad.
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iPad Pro What size storage to go with?
- Thread starter kreasonos
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My iPad is 128GB. But it really depends on your usage. If you’re going to be away for a long time then possibly 512 is your best option, otherwise you can consider 256 as well.
Where will you be getting the shows and do you need the absolute best quality?
I've found iTunes offers the best quality among the various services but that comes at a cost. Most iTunes HD movies I have tend to run between 6-12GB (9-12 is usually with HDR).
I used to have all Game of Thrones s1-7 episodes on my iPad and those ran around 2-2.5GB per episode.
Amazon Prime Video downloads tend to be smallest and it shows. Worst quality among the various streaming services with visible blurring and artifacts. Still, I find the quality acceptable enough for staving off boredom.
I've found iTunes offers the best quality among the various services but that comes at a cost. Most iTunes HD movies I have tend to run between 6-12GB (9-12 is usually with HDR).
I used to have all Game of Thrones s1-7 episodes on my iPad and those ran around 2-2.5GB per episode.
Amazon Prime Video downloads tend to be smallest and it shows. Worst quality among the various streaming services with visible blurring and artifacts. Still, I find the quality acceptable enough for staving off boredom.
512GB or 1TB model If you plan to store a lot of videos in it. Even for consumption that’s kind of overkill esp in the advent of fiber and 5G internet.
I’d rather set up a PLEX/Media server with that money and stream any content on my local network than having all that junk (my opinion) in only one device.
512/1TB devices are usually for people who edit large files like 4K videos and RAW photos locally. To each his own though.
I’d rather set up a PLEX/Media server with that money and stream any content on my local network than having all that junk (my opinion) in only one device.
512/1TB devices are usually for people who edit large files like 4K videos and RAW photos locally. To each his own though.
I’ll admit that I’ve only watched downloaded amazon video content on my iPad while on flights but the quality seemed ok to me to be honest. They’re just normal 1080p content isn’t it?
Like the OP, I also plan to store a number of movies on my iPad 13”. However, I’d rather lose on quality and smaller files than pay extra for storage. That’s why I went for 256GB. If I could I would go for the base storage to save even more money but 128 would fit my today’s needs and I plan to keep the device for e couple of years. I am one of those non-pro users who just want the bigger screen
I have a Plex Server: desktop+20TB NAS for home, laptop+4TB USB HDD for long vacations.
If you travel overseas, internet speeds are not guaranteed. On a 16-hr trans-Pacific flight? Internet's pretty much guaranteed to be crappy.
On the app, 720p with fairly low bitrates. Not too bad on the medium-sized iPads. Pretty obvious on 12.9. Still very watchable for me.
Settings - General - iPad Storage
Amazon Downloads (Best)
Avengers 1.25 GB
Avengers: Endgame 1.38 GB
Batman Begins 1.18 GB
Tangled 766.5 MB
iTunes 1080p
Avenger 6.65GB
Avengers: Endgame 7.56 GB
Batman Begins 9.27 GB (HDR, iirc)
Tangled 4.72 GB
It's like this:
iTunes: You'd be hard pressed to notice artifacts unless you're examining frames and specifically looking for them.
Amazon: OK for the most part but you're likely to see occasional artifacts while watching normally.
Mind, the only reason I even compared file sizes in the first place is because I noticed artifacts and blurring on Amazon videos.
That said, thank goodness for Movies Anywhere. You'll note I only have movies on MA listed as those are the only ones I have on multiple platforms. Kinda wish all studios were on the program.
Yes! Exactly, I travel from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia so it's over 14 hrs of travel and the internet is not good on planes. Also when I travel to Algeria the internet is typically about 5mbps download speed. It's really slow. So that's why i need to store entertainment locally for those trips in particular.
To be honest, transfering loads of movies to the iPad directly from my NAS is too slow for me (iPad OS still sucks for transfering large files) so I want to put them on an external SSD first anyway and just move over what I need or watch directly from the drive. Had 256 GB before but didn’t use it due to it being a pain in the ass, so got 128 GB this time and will use my 500 GB SSD if I need more.
i understand where you’re coming from. it’s really a self assessment as this point since you know your reality better than any of us. for me it’s downloading shows before a flight from Netflix or Amazon‘S catalogue then deleting it after. I have PLEX as well but it’s for local streaming only for most of my use case.
I also download a ton of content to my iPad for trips. I prefer not to use data and some places I go don’t have WiFi. I also have all my playlists downloaded and have large games. Even with all that, it’s probably overkill to have the 1TB that I got but now I don’t have to manage storage at all. My last iPad was 256 and I’d occasionally run out of space.
Aren't Prime downloads the same as streaming with their app - 720p? On Safari on the website, you can get 1080p.
These suggest otherwise at least as far as bitrates are concerned. Dunno if there's a difference in resolution.
Still considering buying an iPad Pro and stuck on the capacity. Can I download movies from Prime, Vudu, etc to an external SSD? If I could do that I could easily get away with a smaller capacity. If it’s only for my own content creation then not so much...
I don't believe you can download to external storage with those apps - they end up in on-board app local memory.
I used to be more mindful of the $ savings you realize with less storage but I think my next iPad will have as much as I can stuff in there. The upfront cost is higher but, well, you've taken the guesswork out of it. The only way I wouldnt go big is if I knew the device would be upgraded really soon as in you're the type to buy new iPads every 12-18 months. I keep mine a while so big storage makes sense for me and likely others.