Trent Strong
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All the new iPad needs now is a keyboard and trackpad. Hiyo!!
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Apple Media Event - 1080p AppleTV, 4G/LTE 2048x1536 iPad, same price, Mar 16th
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blahblah...blah
Member
Can AppleTV be used to stream non-iTunes .mp4s from my MacBook to my TV? Now that...ahem...content is more commonly being uploaded in .mp4 format, it might make sense to get one if it does.
blahblah...blah
Member
Good man.
I'm not sure I understand the question. .mp4s I have made or acquired from elsewhere have always worked on the Apple products I own, and have been able to be streamed to them using iTunes Home Sharing. Is there something about your non-iTunes .mp4s that make them peculiar or are they too high of quality?
Truly hate bumping this thread but we don't really have an AppleTV thread.
Before AppleTV3 - i used to encode all of my blu ray movies to 720p. Last night I encoded Toy Story using the AppleTV2 preset in handbrake but changing the size from 1280x720 to 1920x1080.
Since AppleTV3 is Profile 4 instead of 4.1 (appletv2 is 4 as well) it should be just fine.
So the first thing that I found interesting was that the movie played on AppleTV2 (with new update) just fine. Yea AppleTV2 only displays at 720p but at least it didn't yell at me. I didn't watch the whole movie - just the first 5 minutes or so but no stuttering or anything.
The other thing that shocked me was the file size. My original encode of Toy Story 2 at 720p was around 1.5gb or so. 1080p version (again...this is profile 4) was around 3.2 or 3.5gb at most. I'm at work so can't double check exact size but it definitely was under 4gb.
Toy Story only has an English DTS track which AppleTV can't handle - so I'll try to find a blu ray that I own and just try remuxing instead of re-encoding.
Really looking forward to The New AppleTV
Before AppleTV3 - i used to encode all of my blu ray movies to 720p. Last night I encoded Toy Story using the AppleTV2 preset in handbrake but changing the size from 1280x720 to 1920x1080.
Since AppleTV3 is Profile 4 instead of 4.1 (appletv2 is 4 as well) it should be just fine.
So the first thing that I found interesting was that the movie played on AppleTV2 (with new update) just fine. Yea AppleTV2 only displays at 720p but at least it didn't yell at me. I didn't watch the whole movie - just the first 5 minutes or so but no stuttering or anything.
The other thing that shocked me was the file size. My original encode of Toy Story 2 at 720p was around 1.5gb or so. 1080p version (again...this is profile 4) was around 3.2 or 3.5gb at most. I'm at work so can't double check exact size but it definitely was under 4gb.
Toy Story only has an English DTS track which AppleTV can't handle - so I'll try to find a blu ray that I own and just try remuxing instead of re-encoding.
Really looking forward to The New AppleTV
Gary Whitta
Member
It's out, I downloaded it last night.
AppleTV 2 always had the capability to play 1080p (just not output it) as long as the encode was the right profile and the bandwidth was low enough.
How do you plan on remuxing it when blu ray's use High Profile 4.1 ... and higher bandwidth than it can handle?
I'm kind of curious about this. Not the remuxing part, but the fact that the device is limited to High Profile 4. If the Single Core A5 is using a SGX543 based GPU it should automatically get 4.1 for free shouldn't it (unless they went and spent money removing features from the chip)? That could make this a software limitation that in the future could change.
No one even has one yet, maybe it does support 4.1 but for some reason are not reporting it, or cut and paste the data form the old page and only changed 720p to 1080p. I guess we will find out in a few days when it goes on sale.
Not being intimately familiar with the A series of SoC's, are you sure the GPU is the main decoder? There may be dedicated silicon? Probably not. But even assuming the SGX543 does do it, who's to say a dual-core isn't necessary in order to do the decode? I'd suspect it's either the single-core, or potentially the lack of sufficient RAM causing the issue?
Of course this is before considering whether it actually can handle the necessary bitrates (very doubtful) ... or the fact it can't bitstream any of the high res audio codecs apparently.
Either way, the idea it's a SW issue seems weird. It's a derivative of iOS, and logically shares many of the same libraries. If this had the HW to do it, the idea the SW isn't ready would be surprising given it's already supported on iPad.
I could maybe buy the idea there was a cut & paste error ... purposely not reporting it though makes no sense.
When you specify the maximum level supported, aren't you stating the maximum values (bit rate, resolution) that your hardware can support for that level?
For example, the only difference between 4.0 and 4.1 that I can find is that the former supports a max of 25 mbps and the latter 61 mbps. I've played videos that specified Level 4.1 in their header but were still under 25 mbps on an ATV2 and they played fine. This was on XBMC and Plex.
So what I'm thinking is that they're saying that the Apple TV will only handle videos up to 25 mbps, while the iPad and iPhone can support up to 61?
The real problem is that there's no native DTS pass through. You need to jailbreak and install XBMC for that.
For example, the only difference between 4.0 and 4.1 that I can find is that the former supports a max of 25 mbps and the latter 61 mbps. I've played videos that specified Level 4.1 in their header but were still under 25 mbps on an ATV2 and they played fine. This was on XBMC and Plex.
So what I'm thinking is that they're saying that the Apple TV will only handle videos up to 25 mbps, while the iPad and iPhone can support up to 61?
The real problem is that there's no native DTS pass through. You need to jailbreak and install XBMC for that.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Maybe this is a good place to ask, but is anyone who's buying a new AppleTV looking to sell their 720p version from last year, just PM me.
RubxQub
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Looks like you just get a single entry. I did this with Terminator II...think I may have actually bought it 3 times and complained to Apple that it blows that you can't upgrade from SD > HD > Extras
Bought T2 in SD. Later it came out in HD and got it again. THEN extras were released and I may have bought it yet a third time...or I held off because it was lunacy that I had to buy a movie 3 times.
...but either way I just have a single entry for T2 in my iCloud.
Big Chungus
Member
How does the AppleTV movie marketplace compare to the Zune Video Marketplace?
Are movies cheaper?
Are movies cheaper?
Hmmm...I can't think of a good way to uninstall the latest update to test it but I think you are half right and i'm half right. Meaning - yeah, I think you are right that it would play a 1080p file but everything i tried choked to death after either a minute or 2. Sometimes it would even hard reboot the appletv.
I remuxed Star Trek (the jj abrams one) Blu Ray using MP4tools. Feeding this remuxed 1080p file (30+gb) across the most ghetto setup streamed fine:
A hardwired Mac Mini running iTunes and home sharing to a hard wired appleTV2 - the mac mini was talking wireless to my iMac which had the 30+gb file on it. So basically it was streaming this file not only wirelessly but in one of the worst situations as well.
I tried Remuxing using Subler and for some reason no matter what I convert or how I convert it - i end up with a broken file that nothing reads.
MP4tools also lets me convert the audio to both 2 channel and 5.1
With all that being said - sure I have the space to store 30+gb file but I really don't want to. So I think when I get my appleTV3 I'm still going to run the files through Handbrake and covert them to a 1080p file.
giga said:
Apple seems to always downplay their hardware specs a little bit. I think they do this to cover their bases type of thing. I really don't blame them.
AppleTV1 definitely played 720p files just fine and AppleTV2, at least as of now can play 1080p files (output at 720P) just fine.
When I remuxed Star Trek (which is 4.1 and you are right about the difference between 4.0) it still played it just fine.
Again - i think you are right about the differences between AppleTV3 / iPad but without either being released yet, hard for me to test. The A5X chip seems better and I'm guessing they can't produce enough A5X chips to put in AppleTV as well - if I were apple I'd put them all in the iPad as well.
As much as I love DTS - I like my files to be as 'generic' as possible so I convert them all to 5.1 so that I can throw them on my iPad/iphone without thinking before traveling or whatever.
So I've been doing my own little comparison between HD 1080P redownloads and the older HD files I purchased off iTunes.
I don't have any pics, but just some anecdotal stuff.
- There's no indication you have already purchased a movie on iTunes on the movies themselves, at least not for me. You have to go to the "Purchased" pane and download them there (I didn't want to risk being charged again).
- Make sure you have set 1080P purchases in your iTunes Preferences, or it will download the 720P version. Clicking on download ONLY downloads that version - not SD versions. They will however, redownload iTunes xtras, which appear no different (videos in them still appear to be 720P).
- If you download a 1080P version, it does not replace any version you already have. In fact, they sit happily in the same folder as your 720P, and SD versions (file will be called XXXX (1080P) HD.m4v).
- Quality, ok, so I'm sure it depends. But the file size and bitrate are ~ 15% larger. What, you say? at over double the number of pixels? Well, supposedly the compression algorithm has been improved. I compared Tangled 720P vs 1080P. from what I saw, there's definite improvement in sharpness and clarity just due to resolution - that's when blowing both UP to 1080P. Viewing both at ~720P, they both seem about the same. It would seem, whether you'll get any benefit really depends on what you're viewing them on.
I do note that some detail is actually lost in the 1080P version. In the 720P, there's an intricate kind of embossed look to Rapunzels dress in certain scenes, that is kind of dampened in the 1080P version. The colour in the 1080P version is also a bit warmer or something - just a bit better 'rounded'.
I also note that the iTunes extra "Dug's Mission" is now missing from the new redownload.
- 1080P is not supported for the iPad 1. They drop off the homesharing menu once you remove the 720P versions.
I don't have any pics, but just some anecdotal stuff.
- There's no indication you have already purchased a movie on iTunes on the movies themselves, at least not for me. You have to go to the "Purchased" pane and download them there (I didn't want to risk being charged again).
- Make sure you have set 1080P purchases in your iTunes Preferences, or it will download the 720P version. Clicking on download ONLY downloads that version - not SD versions. They will however, redownload iTunes xtras, which appear no different (videos in them still appear to be 720P).
- If you download a 1080P version, it does not replace any version you already have. In fact, they sit happily in the same folder as your 720P, and SD versions (file will be called XXXX (1080P) HD.m4v).
- Quality, ok, so I'm sure it depends. But the file size and bitrate are ~ 15% larger. What, you say? at over double the number of pixels? Well, supposedly the compression algorithm has been improved. I compared Tangled 720P vs 1080P. from what I saw, there's definite improvement in sharpness and clarity just due to resolution - that's when blowing both UP to 1080P. Viewing both at ~720P, they both seem about the same. It would seem, whether you'll get any benefit really depends on what you're viewing them on.
I do note that some detail is actually lost in the 1080P version. In the 720P, there's an intricate kind of embossed look to Rapunzels dress in certain scenes, that is kind of dampened in the 1080P version. The colour in the 1080P version is also a bit warmer or something - just a bit better 'rounded'.
I also note that the iTunes extra "Dug's Mission" is now missing from the new redownload.
- 1080P is not supported for the iPad 1. They drop off the homesharing menu once you remove the 720P versions.
Read my post above, I just did it. I redownloaded 1080P versions for my 720P movies I purchased from iTunes.
Note, I probably got those movies with 10.6, but I don't think that matters. It's associated with your iTunes account. Note, it likely only works if you bought the HD version of movies.
Also, don't try via the movie page itself - check your "Purchased" pane for your account.
And currently, Fox and Universal haven't finalised their licenses, so some stuff isn't available for redownload just yet.
shira
Member
Yes, this confused me.
I don't think so, and it's bullshit. Just like how it took months for multitouch gestures to come to the iPad 1 last iOS update. It will come eventually, I think.
Software Diversity.
Depends on what you have.
Camera slider.
Japanese Siri.
Camera button on iPad moved.
Podcast rewind reinstated (yes!).
Among a few of the changes.
You still use iTunes for podcasts?
Marty Chinn
Member
It shows up in my car while other sandboxes don't.
StopMakingSense
Member
Instacast, Downcast, etc.
Quite a few much better podcasting solutions for iOS. I LOVE instacast.
iTunes?
I meant for iPad.
And on that I home share to my iTunes on my mac.
The music app is one of the biggest cluster-mess that Apple has done in a software redesign in a while.
What's better about Instacast?
I have tried Stitcher Radio and thought it was garbage. I couldn't see how to delete stuff, I couldn't trust it not to eat up my 3G, and it did a pretty shitty job of remembering playback position when I returned to a show.
Instacast + AirServer = the best
iOS5 for iPad.
The rejiggered the music app and removed a ton of features.
Just off the top of my head:
They removed the rewind feature for podcasts.
They removed the variable speed playback for podcasts.
They removed the 'shuffle' option from a list of songs (you have to start a song playing, then hit the shuffle button - and if you do a search for a song, it will actually just shuffle from the search, even if you clear it).
They removed list view for everything besides all songs, making general navigation kind of nightmarish.
They removed the ability to edit the tabs (albums, songs, podcasts etc) - or at the very least, they limited it such that podcasts are permanently off the list, hidden in a "more" menu.
They shrank a bunch of the ui elements, making it near impossible to scrub - this is the frigging iPad. It has a large screen! and you're making things smaller?!
But I have hopes they will fix it. After all they added back the top two things on this list.
Crazymoogle
Member
I'm instacast convert. There's a setting you can flip if you want it to download over 3G (by default it will only stream). It tends to go back a minute or so if you haven't listened in awhile, it has an easy twitter style pulldown to update all of your podcast feeds, it doesn't affect your music-side stuff, and there's tons of other nice-to-have bits like auto-deleting podcasts with a right swipe (you're setting it to listened to, basically)
I did enjoy when the default Music/iPod app was a semi-reasonable podcast container but it's just nowhere near what Instacast has now.
I did enjoy when the default Music/iPod app was a semi-reasonable podcast container but it's just nowhere near what Instacast has now.
Marty Chinn
Member
Instacast can auto delete when done playing it. My problem with Instacast is the interface. It bugs me that they have one too many click through to play your content.
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