LOVEFiLM Player for iPad

LOVEFiLM Player for iPad Review

by on November 4, 2011

Like iPlayer, there’s been a frustrating wait to get the LOVEFiLM Player app on the iPad, but it’s arrived at last, bringing the service’s ‘Watch online’ feature to iPad. Well, sort of. Though the full range of films that are included in the streaming packages are available in the app, most of the television shows aren’t, and the pay-per-view movies are also missing. You’ll need to be signed up with a LOVEFiLM paid account (or at least a free trial) to watch anything, and how much you can watch will vary depending on the tier you choose.

With those caveats out of the way, though, you can delve right into what’s on offer. The main screen is a carousel of featured films, with a grid displaying a lot more at the bottom. Tap a button and the grid takes over the screen, so you can quickly flick through the films. You can choose to see that week’s picks, the most popular films, highest rated, and more. There is, of course, a search option, so you can find something specific quickly.

Tapping on a film brings up its page, with more information, including the cast and director. If you tap on one of these, you can see more films they’ve been involved with, which is a nice option. You can also watch a trailer for a film, choose to rent it by post, see user reviews, and actually watch it, of course.

Films start streaming pretty much instantly, and the quality is very high, with smooth playback if you’ve got a decent internet connection. We found that films didn’t tend to drop out, or need to buffer half way through – no interruptions. If you start watching a film but have to stop, it’ll even remember where you watched up to.rnrnThat’s not to say it’s perfect, though.

The app is rated 12+, but some of the films are rated 15 or 18, with no additional parental controls to stop kids from playing them. The reduced content compared to the website is a little frustrating, and it would be good to have the option of subtitles. We’d also love to see an option to cache a film offline for watching on the train.rnrnHowever, those are relatively small issues. There’s still a good range of films that play instantly at high quality, making the app an excellent addition to your iPad.

Download this app: LOVEFiLM Player for iPad

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Review courtest of Tap!