How to enjoy media files on iPhone without using iTunes (and using Dropbox instead)

I have to assume this works for most smartphones and tablets.

You will need

• a free Dropbox account* 
• an iPhone or similar
• the Dropbox iPhone app installed on your iPhone
• wifi connectivity

*or you can use my referrer link and give me extra space which is always nice
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTQwMDAxMDQ5?src=global9 - note that this shares your email address with me, so think about your own privacy too, possibly it shares my email address with you as well!

Instructions

• Save the media file into your Dropbox folder on your computer
• open up the Dropbox app on your iPhone, navigate to the file and play it
  (you'll need the wifi to synchronise with the Dropbox server and to maintain playback - however if you favourite the file you can probably listen to it offline).

I've been listening to mp3s on my iPhone via Dropbox since November 2010 as I find it easier to handle files via Dropbox than iTunes. I just save them in Dropbox and when I open the iPhone app there they are and they play fine.

Yesterday I was rather pleased to discover that it also works for video files and I managed to play a 700mb .avi file as well as a 176mb .wmv file (it's the same programme but the larger one is nearer to broadcast quality).

Not surprisingly the first time I tried to play the larger file it kept cutting out every 10 seconds and seemed to be not working very well at all but a bit of patience was all that was needed. The iPhone did something to it to 'optimise it for mobile playback' no idea what but about 10 minutes later it played all the way through.

Dropbox's own help pages have a list of files that will play including music and video:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/80/en and they also have a more advanced page for trickier filetypes and how to convert them https://www.dropbox.com/help/83/en (they suggest Handbrake - I've only used Zamzar and Real Player).

Media filetypes that I've successfully played on my iPhone via Dropbox

• .avi
• .flv
• .m4a (these are meant for iTunes, but work fine)
• .mp3
• .wmv 

Music files listed on Dropbox help files that should work: .mp3, .aiff, .m4a, .wav
Video files listed on their help files that should work: .mov, .mp4, .m4v

Filetypes that I've not had much luck with

• .m4r - ring tones, but these can be converted to .mp3 files via http://www.zamzar.com (I've just tried it, works fine)

How to transfer downloaded videos to iPhone

I found this page to be a really useful guide on how to do this. Probably that page is all anyone would need, but to add a bit to it I've included some screen shots of the system I use, which I hope are helpful.

If you've already got the files on your computer, jump to Bullet Point 7.

My computer is running Windows XP and I downloaded RealPlayer SP from Real which includes the RealPlayer SP Converter.

RealPlayer SP enables you to download any video that is either playing, or ready to play on the screen (a little pop up window appears giving you the opportunity to 'download now').

RealPlayer SP Converter can convert the downloaded video into a range of media, including .m4v files suitable for playing on an iPhone.

So the first step would be to download RealPlayer SP....

Once downloaded, pick a video you want to watch - for the benefit of nostalgia I chose the last ever outing of the ITV Schools Rotomotion logo from YouTube.

1. The 'Download this video' option appears ... highlighted in orange


2. Clicking the 'Download this video' link brings up the downloader, which looks like this

(Note that 'Convert All...' , to the left of Pause, is greyed out until the video finishes downloading.)

3. Once the video is downloaded, the programme will give you the option to convert it to a different filetype - that page looks like this - I've already selected the Apple iPhone option and where I want to store the video.


4. Because I've used it before it's already set to 'Convert to:' Apple iPhone / h.264 but there are other options, some examples of which are below


5. OKing the green Start button (in 3) starts the conversion process.


6. Once the file is converted you're given the option to save it to iTunes by clicking 'Add converted files to my iTunes library'.


7. If you've already got files on your computer and want to add them to the iTunes library, follow Step One of this page. iTunes does have its own converter - select a media file from within your library, right click and choose the option highlighted in red below.

8. To get the video onto your iPhone, connect it to your computer and wait for it to be recognised. Click on the battery icon that comes up next to the DEVICES menu (highlighted in green in the screen capture below) and this will bring up everything that's on your phone. Click the 'Movies' tab (highlighted in blue), tick the check box for your video (in orange), then apply (purple).

The phone will probably automatically sync, but if not, click File / Sync 'your phone'. Open he iPod icon on your phone, let the library update and your file should now be there.


I've heavily edited some of the screenshots so let me know if they're less useful than I think they are and I'll upload the full size versions to Flickr.