“In an undisclosed and largely unnoticed update to its QuickTime video playback and conversion software, Apple has quietly added an “Export to Apple TV” feature capable of creating high-definition videos viewable on the Apple TV accessory. Unlike Export to iPod, which currently creates sub-DVD-quality 640 by 480 videos, Export to Apple TV creates not only full DVD-quality 720 by 404 videos, but also 1280 by 720 videos. These videos are viewable in iTunes, but cannot be transferred directly via iTunes to an fifth-generation iPod,” Jeremy Horwitz reports for iLounge.
Horwitz reports, “The 1280 by 720 pixel resolution, also known as 720p, is one of several high-definition video formats supported by current televisions. Using the H.264 video compression codec, Apple TV supports 720p playback at 24 frames per second – the frame rate used by movies, not TV shows – at substantially higher bit rates than prior iPod- and iTunes-created videos.”
Full article here.
Mark Wilson writes for Gizmodo, “While Apple has not yet announced 720p iTunes downloads, this update certainly supports the theory that they will begin offering HD content soon.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV specs:
• Video formats supported: H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile. MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV
• Photo formats supported: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG
• Enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen TVs capable of 1080i 60/50Hz, 720p 60/50Hz, 576p 50Hz (PAL format), or 480p 60Hz
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Yes, however there are no options for the Export to Apple TV feature. There is no fine tuning of the quality of the picture and audio codec.
Of course the next question is, what about 1080i?
It’s never enough, is it?
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how come you didn’t say 1080p? i’m curious!
What about surround sound? Dolby digital anyone?
1080i – blah blah blah.
1080p – blah blah blah.
HD – blah blah blah.
More nosie, less quality.
in relation to FTA broadcast.
Each to their own.
What about surround sound? Dolby digital anyone?
When you choose Export to Apple TV you get no options as is customary with all the other Export options. So who knows what kind of sound is being included with the export.
Presumably, if your source had Surround, your output will have Surround. Why is this an issue?
I’ve got a fat HD and I’m running out of space with the low-res video content I have. Dunno where you douches are gonna store 50 GB HD video files at.
@it’s true
More nosie? More nosie? WTF? Nosie?
Nosie. Yes. More nosie…
What about 3D?
<i>”24 frames per second – the frame rate used by movies, not TV shows”<i>
This statement is incorrect, scripted drama have been shot on film since the 1950s. So CSI, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, 24, etc are all 24 frames per second.
Therefore Apple TV is capable of displaying 720p24 versions of all most high quality television shows.
It’s studio based shows (e.g. cheap sitcoms, news, etc) and sports that are video based and need 60 fields per second.
720p24 is the format Microsoft uses for Xbox 360 Live Marketplace movie and television downloads in “HD” format.
If Apple were to offer similar service the only video difference would be that Microsoft use their VC-1 codec whereas Apple would use H.264 (otherwise known as AVC).
Apple offering 720p versions over iTunes is certainly an attractive option.
PS: darn tags. :$
I just wanna know, does this mean the stock’s goin up??
Holy Shinoli!
Apple just gave me a clue!
They also gave me an idea as to what they are up to…
I love it when Apple ‘quietly’ does stuff. Gets people all in a tizzy.
I wish they’d quietly decide to ship my AppleTV order.
People who end sentences with “at” sound like idiots.
‘People who end sentences with “at” sound like idiots.’
I also hate when people end a sentence with “at”.
“Dunno where you douches are gonna store 50 GB HD video files at.”
It’s in the bag, Tommy Boy. And the files are scented for that running through the meadows, extra fresh feeling.
No one should end a sentence with “at”. It makes it seem like they don’t know the proper place in a sentence in which to put “at”. Grammar, good grammar is all that separates us from the apes (and other fools) who have no idea how to write an effective sentence with “at.”
MW: plans. We need to have plans for these things, people!
You should all know what prepositions are for.
Great news. 720P is awesome. Just for the record, 720P is superior to 1080i. Been in the video production business for over a decade and, while there’s bickering by those who are protecting their respective companies, there’s no comparison. “i” stands for interlaced (which is a two-part image) and “P” stands for progressive (which is a full-frame image). You can scale up a progressive signal in post to about 200% in post and still be able to work with the footage (not always, but most times). Blow up an interlaced signal more than 15% and it looks terrible – which severely limits your options in post. I’m only pointing this out because I hear novices (and sometimes even pros) claim that 1080i is better than 720P, which is a joke. Any serious video professional would notice the difference in a heartbeat.
1080P? All I can say is “Wow” – but it’s not coming to iTunes in this decade. The file sizes would be astronomically huge. Not even remotively possible to do with today’s hard drive options and wireless streaming standards.
@@at
way to give’m a ‘what for’.
@ mudflapper: “Of course the next question is, what about 1080i? It’s never enough, is it? wink”
@ question for mudflapper: “how come you didn’t say 1080p? i’m curious!”
In both cases, supporting another and/or higher spec would have incurred more hardware development costs than is necessary.
When it comes to 1080i vs 720p, the numerical values are totally misleading re: the quality of the image you are seeing – it’s the letters that tell you more. The “i” = interlaced, which means that you get alterating ‘flashes’ of half the total lines of resolution at any one time. So with 1080i, you actually only see 540 LOR per flash (image/blank/image => then => blank/image/blank). The total image size being sent is 1080 LOR, but interlacing it saves on the amount of bandwidth being used at any one time, and the assumption/hope is that the alternating ‘flashing’ happens so fast that you don’t notice the degraded image quality.
The “p” on the other hand = progressive scan, which means you see the total LOR in one ‘flash’. So 720p is really showing you 720 LOR at any given moment. And yes, this does tend to render a noticably sharper image. For general viewing, 720p and 1080i are pretty indistinguishable. Yet for any video images consisting of fast motion & action, 720p really comes into its own (which is why ESPN/ABC & FOX – both sports oriented channels – are using it). So Apple propably looked at it thus; if 720p has that advantage in action scenes, and there’s really no difference in everything else, why waste time with 1080i?
As for 1080p, there you have the best of all worlds so it would seems stupid for Apple not to be supporting it. Right? Of course you would also have to ask yourself why M$ and NONE of the broadcasters are supporting it either … there must be something more to it.
That “something more” is that 1080p is too damn big broadcast. The government’s new digital channel specs /theoretically/ accomodate a signal carrying a 1080p image, but realworld atmospheric effects (sunspots, temperature/pressure changes, lightning, etc …) make it a rare day when a 1080p signal can actually be sent without frequent drops on the receiving end. When you add in the networks’ desire to send MORE than just image (like time/date, production info, ratings, etc …), you basically can expect to never see 1080p as a broadcast standard.
But movie players hooked directly up to your new HDTV don’t have to worry about any of that. HDMI supports 1080p no problem. So why do so many TVs and media players (XBox) /still/ not support 1080p? This time its because of screen size; any HDTV that’s less than 50″ is not likely to show a 1080p image in any greater clarity than a 720p image, simply b/c there isn’t enough screen real estate to take advantage of all that extra image. The farther away you get from 50″, the more irrelevant 1080p vs 720p becomes. And, as you may have guessed, the vast majority of HDTVs sold are in the sub-50″ catagory (due to cost more than anything). So here again, Apple (and others) look at the situation and say, ‘Why spend the time/money developing more expensive hardware that supports both 1080p & 720p, if the vast majority will never be able to tell the difference between the two anyway?’
Apple is actually being very practical here. While most consumers may think ‘bigger is better’ when it comes to the numbers, in fact this is (as usual) mostly marketing hype designed to get you to spend more money than you really need to. If you are getting a 50+” HDTV or projection system installed in your home, 1080p is worth it. But keep in mind A] it will probably never be adopted as a broadcast standard, and B] even for HD-DVD/BluRay movies, at the sub-50″ size only the most eagle-eyed among us would notice any qualitative difference when compared to 720p.
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And we know what a flexible interface is for?
Skins.