MultiChannel AAC in Quicktime?

[MacRumors]

Afterdark.com (http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/4227.cfm) references a 3ivx.com thread (http://forums.3ivx.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=15&topic=30) as well as their own sources, indicating that the next version of Quicktime (6.4d37 bundled with Panther) includes support for 5.0 and 5.1 encoded multi-channel AAC files.

These features were detailed in Apple's Quicktime State of the Union (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/stateoftheunion03/)

[Pete_Hoover]

Sweet. Does this mean that if you are watching a concert in quicktime, you can get surround sound?

[MrMacMan]

Hm... sounds cool.

[kb9000]

3ivx is the best

[ghutchis]

I'm not going to pour through the whole WWDC presentation from the QuickTime "State of the Union," but I'm quite certain I remember this being announced as well. They showcased how the channels were named things like right, left, "right surround," "left surround," etc.

Here's the webcast:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/stateoftheunion03/

-Geoff

[sfoalex]

Didn't the QuickTime State of the Union keynote already specifically show this as well as QuickTime 6.4?

You can watch it yourself at Apple's QuickTime page.

[evolu]

so then apple puts out an iTunes for video - opens an iVids Store modelled after the iTunes Store, and we watch The Hulk in 5.1 via Pixlet coded video off our iTablet (which runs on fuel cells).

Panther is so futuristic.

[farblue]

Anyone who is interested, the quicktime keynote is streaming at:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/stateoftheunion03/

and gives a quite comprehensive outline of many of quicktime's coming features. Among them is a demonstration of 5.1 surround support for ACC and PCM audio and 5.1 surround AAC as part of an mpeg4 stream :)

This would be another good reason for optical output on the G5 - so you can plug it into a surround decoder :)

all looks very impressive :)

[P-Worm]

wow, well I think that hthis is great news. Quicktime needs to keep pushing the envelope.

P-Worm

[farblue]

Originally posted by evolu
so then apple puts out an iTunes for video - opens an iVids Store modelled after the iTunes Store, and we watch The Hulk in 5.1 via Pixlet coded video off our iTablet (which runs on fuel cells).

Panther is so futuristic.

Don't expect pixlet files to be downloadable any time soon :) By 'smaller than High Def' they mean that, instead of 150Mbyte per sec (yes, I really did mean 150Mbyte per sec), pixlet compresses this to a mere 3Mbyte per sec - not exactly your average household bandwidth :) Actually, it's about the same as DV - the size of files you get from a DV camcorder for throwing around in iMovie :)

It's not that pixlet creates small files, just that HighDef usually creates huge ones that, without funky expensive tech, you can't even get off the hard drive fast enough to play back in realtime!

Its also demo'd at the quicktime State of the Union :) Well worth watching actually - they did a demo of the g3pp stuff as well :)

[evolu]

Originally posted by farblue

This would be another good reason for optical output on the G5 - so you can plug it into a surround decoder :)

all looks very impressive :)

Wouldn't software have to decode first? Meaning Optical out has all the information for a decoder to work off of (like info from a DVD).

But if AAC has 6 distinct channels, it has already been decoded.

[evolu]

Originally posted by farblue
Actually, it's about the same as DV - the size of files you get from a DV camcorder for throwing around in iMovie :)

Interesting...

The info could be stored on a DV tape.

Very very interesting.

[NEOFEX]

This is not a rumor, but confirmed in the QuickTime State of the Union movie. They say any surround sound mode is supported not just 5.1 in the upcoming release of Quicktime for Panther.

Does anybody else see this trend. Pixlet to give us a great look at HD content with no visual artifacts at the same time we get and surround mode you want built into QuickTime. Can we say Apple Movie Store. I knew you could. Apple would be foolish to not get in on this but the real question is not whether they will but when. Pixlet needs a 1 gigahertz G4 to decode. When HD DVD's become more mainstream so will their burning bretherin. Perhaps this is the missing ingredient apple needs to make an online movie store feasable or useful. One man's opinion.

[Mr.Hey]

I have panther and didn't notice that feature in QT....thanks!

[NEOFEX]

sorry, i meant the final release of pather before the end of the year

And i wonder if the dvd player will be updated in jaguar for the new powermacs. Man i hope so.

[Pete_Hoover]

Originally posted by evolu
so then apple puts out an iTunes for video - opens an iVids Store modelled after the iTunes Store, and we watch The Hulk in 5.1 via Pixlet coded video off our iTablet (which runs on fuel cells).

Panther is so futuristic.

Pretty cool idea. I wish I could be as forward-thinking as that was. That would be a dream.

[Mudbug]

This feature makes sense to implement, since the new G5's are supporting 5.1 surround, and even offering speaker bundles with the computers on the online applestore. Nice to see, now I just hope the channels work the way they're supposed to, instead of having everything ported into the center, then redistributed to the satellites.

[Analog Kid]

Originally posted by farblue
It's not that pixlet creates small files, just that HighDef usually creates huge ones that, without funky expensive tech, you can't even get off the hard drive fast enough to play back in realtime!

Right! Now the Pixar folks can carry their latest renderings to a meeting on their iPod!

[Analog Kid]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this be a huge selling point for the iTunes Music Store? Exclusives in 5.1 sound?

Not everything, mind you, because they'd have to be remastered, but enough...

[evolu]

Originally posted by Analog Kid
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this be a huge selling point for the iTunes Music Store? Exclusives in 5.1 sound?

Not everything, mind you, because they'd have to be remastered, but enough...

There are lots of albums that are already being remastered into 5.1

And they sound amazing.

I recommend Handel's Messiah and Queen Live

Don't judge me - obviously the selection is not amazing yet...!

[Wonder Boy]

If I read the article right, I wont be able to download the update because it will only be bundled with panther. Someone, please tell me I am wrong...

[ouketii]

so would ipod be able to play the new codec

[kettle]

So even though we don't know who will win whatever races standards wise, can we now be sure that the masses will have to stop using MP3?

So if this is true, then AAC isn't such a risky change of direction for Apple?

[ennerseed]

Originally posted by Wonder Boy
If I read the article right, I wont be able to download the update because it will only be bundled with panther. Someone, please tell me I am wrong...

Since there are no 5.1 cards for the Mac you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Although the G5 Power Mac will have the capability, you would get Panther with or shortly there after.

[Mosco]

Originally posted by ennerseed
Since there are no 5.1 cards for the Mac you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Although the G5 Power Mac will have the capability, you would get Panther with or shortly there after.

What about the M-Audio revolution, M-Audio Sonica, and i think they have another usb theater device.

[danruiid]

Originally posted by evolu
Wouldn't software have to decode first? Meaning Optical out has all the information for a decoder to work off of (like info from a DVD).

But if AAC has 6 distinct channels, it has already been decoded. Nope!

See, what we have is format wars here. The problem with AAC in this case is that it's not Dolby Digital. And that is what multichannel speakersets decode. So if you have a 6 channel AAC file, it must be transcoded into Dolby Digital before the speakers can process the signal.

Fortunately, AAC and DD are practically the same format! AAC is really a more advanced form of Dolby Digital, which are both from Dolby. Nice, huh?

[danruiid]

Originally posted by NEOFEX
This is not a rumor, but confirmed in the QuickTime State of the Union movie. They say any surround sound mode is supported not just 5.1 in the upcoming release of Quicktime for Panther.

Does anybody else see this trend. Pixlet to give us a great look at HD content with no visual artifacts at the same time we get and surround mode you want built into QuickTime. Can we say Apple Movie Store. I knew you could. Apple would be foolish to not get in on this but the real question is not whether they will but when. Pixlet needs a 1 gigahertz G4 to decode. When HD DVD's become more mainstream so will their burning bretherin. Perhaps this is the missing ingredient apple needs to make an online movie store feasable or useful. One man's opinion.

Well, that would be fine and dandy, but I'm personally not in the mood to be downloading 50GBs of data to watch Lord of the Rings :p

(see elsewhere in this thread for explanation)

[Windowlicker]

I watched the stream and they really have some impressive stuff coming out :) that color sync thingy was really cool (though I won't have much use for it) and also the mobile stuff was very interesting.

guess I'll have to buy a surround system if I get a G5 (or G6 or whatever) some day.. and one hell of a big room for the audio system to work properly (about which people don't seem to think too much when buying these surround systems).

[MacRAND]

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