Infuse 3 Review – Pushing the boundaries of mobile media playback

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On October 28, 2014

App Type: Apps, iPhone Apps, Reviews

Infuse 3 Review – Pushing the boundaries of mobile media playback

Our rating:

By: FireCore

Version #: 3.0

Date Released: 2014-10-21

Developer: FireCore

Price: Free

User Rating:
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infuse-3

It’s been over a year since Ruben had his hands on Infuse and dubbed it as the ‘Swiss army knife of video playing.’ Later, Infuse shed the skeuomorphic skin and became flat as a pancake with its iOS 7-optimized Infuse 2, which I reviewed at Apple TV Hacks. I tagged it as ‘one of the best video players I’ve used’ and here is a summary of the great features which lead me to say so.

Key features

  • Play a wider range of video formats such as MKV, MP4, MTS, AVI, and many others.
  • Browse videos in a visually engaging layout with auto-added artwork and movie info.
  • Stream videos to the big screen using robust multi-format AirPlay.
  • Stream content from most any Mac, PC, network drive, and UPnP/DLNA app.
  • Transfer videos using a standard web browser, no iTunes required.
  • Enjoy videos with enhanced mobile surround sound, powered by Dolby® and DTS®.
  • Download and add subtitles with ease.
  • Connect with trakt to sync watched history
  • Add videos from Dropbox, Google Drive, iTunes, email attachments and more.
  • Much, much more!

Of course, we knew that there would be an iOS 8 update to this great video player, but we never thought it would be so huge as to add one to the suffix and become Infuse 3.

As expected, Infuse 3 is not just a brushed up, refined version of 2.0. Instead, it brings a whole new array of features, some of which have been unheard of in the iOS app industry till now.

One of the highlights is the addition of certified DTS and DTS-HD audio support, and Infuse 3 boasts to be the first and only app to do so. If you have some Blu-ray movies and a 5.1 system at home, you’re going to be blown away by this update.

infuse-3-dts

Another major addition is the support for popular WiFi storage services like AirStash, Sandisk Connect, Seagate Wireless Plus, Lacie Fuel, and others.

Infuse 3 also picks up support for the Morphie space pack which acts as a battery case for your iPhone 5/5S while adding up to 64 GB of storage to it.

So if you have a huge library of movies and TV shows but only a 16 GB iPhone, Infuse might be the media player of choice to be used with one of these WiFi hard drives.

Personally, I don’t watch Blu-ray movies over AirPlay or connect my iPad to the surround system, nor do I own any wireless drives. So for me, the rest of the update (about 30 new features) which comes packed inside infuse 3 is what matters more and I’m pretty sure, the same is true for many of you guys too.

My favorite feature would be the automatic collection of TV shows. Just like before, Infuse tracks down the media you have in your device and downloads all their metadata, to create a pleasing ticket menu of videos. But with Infuse 3.0, this is taken a step further and TV shows get automatically sorted into seasons. You can choose the episodes from a single season ticket, which makes the experience really neat and seamless.

IMG_2415.PNG

Also, all your media files (expect those purchased via iTunes) now shows a Share button with an AirDrop option. And that means, you can now send even large movies to iFriends near you at WiFi speeds, with just a tap. This again is something which comes in really handy and one, I am going to use very often.

Since a lot of Infuse users have network devices, FireCore has brought many specific improvements for them. “Streamers” can now favorite folders for quick access, stream content directly from the home screen, download in the background and even stream over 4G/LTE.

Of course, Infuse 3.0 is now optimized for both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The update also makes the streaming feature available to free users, which kind of makes me jealous, but surely is a huge deal for freebie lovers.

Also, the new Dark mode theme looks way better than the super bright one in my opinion.

IMG_2421.PNG

Besides the above mentioned features, there are many minor tweaks and performance improvements in Infuse 3 which further adds to the overall experience.

– Use your own folder artwork (folder.png or folder.jpg)
– Mark movies and shows as watched/unwatched
– 2-way trakt watched history sync
– Sort files by name or date
– Tap ticket artwork to start video playback
– Manual movie/show title search
– Transfer files via Wi-Fi when iPhone is acting as a hotspot

The Infuse Pro app is available for $9.99 from the AppStore. But those who want to try out the app first, can get the Infuse 3 app for free and upgrade to Pro via an in-app purchase.

All existing Pro licenses will transfer over to Infuse 3. More details can be found here.

To conclude, Infuse 3 is undoubtedly a huge improvement over the past iterations in terms of features and stability. If you are a power user who consumes a lot of videos on your iPhone and iPad, Infuse is probably the best option to go with. It has been my go-to video player for the past one n’ half years and after upgrading to Infuse 3, I don’t see that changing any time soon.

Quick Take

Value:High.

Would I Buy Again:Without doubt.

Learning Curve:NA

Who Is It For:Power users with a lot of media usage.

What I Like:The dark theme, AirDrop sharing and TV show sorting.

What I Don't Like:None so far.

Final Statement:You couldn't ask for anything more.

Read the Developer's Notes:
** All-new version 3 includes fully licensed and certified DTS® and DTS-HD® audio! **

Ignite your video content with Infuse – the beautiful way to watch almost any video format on your iPhone or iPad. No need to convert files! Infuse is optimized for iOS 8, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with powerful streaming options, trakt syncing, and unmatched AirPlay & subtitle support. Gorgeous interface. Precise controls. And 1080p silky-smooth playback.

? PLAY MORE VIDEO TYPES
Play just about anything, including the standard MP4, M4V and MOV…plus MKV, AVI, WMV, MTS, FLV, OGM, OGV, ASF, 3GP, DVR-MS, WebM and WTV. Includes fully certified Dolby® Digital Plus (AC3/E-AC3), DTS® and DTS-HD® audio.

? STREAM FROM OTHER DEVICES
Browse and play videos stored on a Mac, PC, NAS, Wi-Fi hard drive or from UPnP/DLNA apps like Plex, Kodi (XBMC) and WMC…no syncing required.

? MORE POWERFUL AIRPLAY
Stream a wide variety of videos types such as MKV, MP4, M4V, AVI and others over AirPlay with full surround sound and subtitles.

? TRAKT 2-WAY SYNC
Connect with trakt to sync watched history, submit ratings and post comments.

? OPTIMIZED SUBTITLES POWERED BY OPENSUBTITLES
Bring your own subtitles, or download them on the fly (for free) in virtually any language.

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“Looks great, plays anything you throw at it.”
-Lifehacker

“The best media player for iPhone and iPad.”
-Cult of Mac

“I can't give the UI high enough praise. It's great.”
-9to5Mac

“I see no reason whatsoever to remove Infuse from my Home screen anytime soon.”
-iDownloadBlog

“Superior to VLC.”
-Alex Heath, Cult of Mac

“A beautiful UI.”
-trakt co-founder

“A mini XBMC!”
-Infuse user

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Are you looking for a flexible video player that plays more formats? Infuse is the only video player app that bridges the gap between your iTunes and other content – so you can watch virtually anything you want, no matter the format. Yup, that means you can say ta-ta to wasting hours of precious movie-watching time converting your files.

Even better? The Infuse interface is jaw-droppingly sexy. It’s truly a beautiful way to complement the visual appeal of your favorite films, music videos and TV shows.

After all, you want to ENJOY watching your videos, don’t you – instead of struggling with an ugly interface, a clunky UX or the limitations of the standard video player?

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MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE

? Play more video formats (MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV, NTS, M4V, MOV, FLV, OGM, OGV, ASF, 3GP, DVR-MS, WebM, WTV)
? Stream from a Mac, PC, NAS or Wi-Fi enabled hard drive
? Connect with Plex, Kodi (XBMC), WMC and most other UPnP/DLNA servers
? Silky-smooth hardware decoding (plays full 1080p)
? Beautiful layout with quick access to video info
? Artwork and metadata added automatically
? Subtitles (SRT, SSA, SUB, SMI, DVDSub, PGS, XSUB, Timed Text, VobSub, DVB)
? Multiple audio tracks
? Chapters
? Gesture controls
? 3 zoom options (normal, crop, stretch)
? Continuous playback
? 2-way trakt syncing
? One-click subtitle downloads from OpenSubtitles
? Drag and drop uploads via web browser
? Import from iTunes, Dropbox, email and other apps
? Download videos from networked devices
? TV out via HDMI or VGA adapter
? Expand iPhone 5 and 5s onboard storage with mophie space pack
? Optimized for iOS 8, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus

UPGRADE TO INFUSE PRO TO GET EVEN MORE!

? Play even more video formats
? Enjoy Dolby® Digital Plus (AC3/E-AC3), DTS® and DTS-HD® mobile surround sound
? Stream a wide variety of video types over AirPlay

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Note: DRM-protected movies & TV shows purchased from the iTunes store are not supported.

Metadata and artwork displayed by Infuse provided by TMDb and TheTVDB, which are community maintained movie and TV show databases.

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Handcrafted by FireCore in Denver, Colorado.

Learn more at: firecore.com/infuse

Drop us a note at [email protected] or @InfuseApp on Twitter with any issues or suggestions.

Article By

From the first iPod Touch till the new iPad Mini, Roshan has loved each of his iDevices and has been busy tweaking and getting the most out of them. As a Med student from India, he splits his time between studying corpse and writing about his iOS passion. When not on the web, you could find him glued to TV Shows, movies or the bed! Recently, he has taken upon the role of an appreneur and is currently working on a revolutionary new app, Cyan for Facebook.

roshan has written 204 awesome app reviews.

You can read other great content from roshan at https://www.spicyi.com