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iOS 5 Opens Door to True 1080p Apple TV

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Apr 12, 2001
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iOS 5 appears to unlock new 1080p capabilities for the iPad 2, allowing video in the 1080p format to be synced and played directly on the device. While the iPad 2 is of course unable to directly display full 1080p content on its own screen, many users are interested in outputting such content to larger screens, and it also opens the door to a true 1080p Apple TV.

2010_apple_tv.jpg



Yesterday, 9to5Mac reported that under iOS 5, Apple's video player will now play back and sync 1080p content. Cult of Mac now speculates on that development to suggest that Apple is preparing to support 1080p output on the next-generation iPhone and Apple TV, devices that will presumably be based on the A5 chip found in the iPad 2.
What's interesting to us about this feature is that it implies that Apple is happy enough with the processing speeds of its A5 chip that they are going to enable 1080p video on devices with an A5 minimum spec. For right now, that's just the iPad 2, but come iOS 5's release in September, two other devices will fit the bill: the iPhone 4S and the next Apple TV.
Click to expand...
The current Apple TV, which is based on the same A4 chip found in the iPhone 4, is only capable of outputting 720p video, leaving some consumers hoping for more on a device that should be dedicated to a high-quality television viewing experience. The original rumor regarding the second-generation Apple TV as an A4-based streaming device had pegged it as supporting 1080p and with 16 GB of storage. The released product does not, however, support the higher-resolution content and comes with only 8 GB of storage for the operating system and content caching.

Apple's iOS devices have supported 1080p output in some form for several generations, with the iPad 2 currently able to generate 1080p graphics and output at that resolution to external displays. The device can not, however, officially support 1080p video files under the iOS 4.x software. Other users have been able to demonstrate 1080p video output on the iPhone 4 and even the iPhone 3GS, but the high-resolution content has not been supported through iTunes and the iOS devices' built-in video player from Apple.

Article Link: iOS 5 Opens Door to True 1080p Apple TV
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/06/09/ios-5-opens-door-to-true-1080p-apple-tv/
rti92391

rti92391

macrumors regular
Jun 9, 2011
109
169
Apple TV is already great

I just wish the iPad mirroring was available on the first generation iPad. The Apple TV is great with 720p....don't think it will be worth upgrading every year like the iPhone or iPad
 
Northgrove

Northgrove

macrumors 65816
Aug 3, 2010
1,149
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Sounds great! All these news are coming together perfectly for my forthcoming iPad. :D
 
WannaGoMac

WannaGoMac

macrumors 68030
Feb 11, 2007
2,722
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rti92391 said:
I just wish the iPad mirroring was available on the first generation iPad. The Apple TV is great with 720p....don't think it will be worth upgrading every year like the iPhone or iPad
Click to expand...

Jailbreak it and mirroring works great.
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
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Hurry it up.

I've been having to create duplicate copies of all my home movies for years now. I'd love to be able to ditch all the 720p versions I've had to make to watch through my Apple TV.
 
dagamer34

dagamer34

macrumors 65816
May 1, 2007
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afireintonto said:
would anyone that actually has the tv 2 go out and buy the tv3, just because it offers slightly better picture?
Click to expand...

You could stick it in a kids room with a 720p HDTV and get the 1080p version for the den.

I'd just love it when it's jailbroken to I can play 1080p Blu-ray rips.
 
jayducharme

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,530
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The thick of it
Cougarcat said:
If true, Apple will definitely sell a lot more AppleTVs come September.
Click to expand...

And count me as one of the buyers. The difference between the output to my TV of the new iPad and my iPhone 4 is quite noticeable. I assume I'll have to re-download the videos I have to get them in 1080p form. Unless Apple has a miraculous new codec in the works, those would be pretty huge downloads.
 
P

PeterQVenkman

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2005
2,023
0
rti92391 said:
I just wish the iPad mirroring was available on the first generation iPad. The Apple TV is great with 720p....don't think it will be worth upgrading every year like the iPhone or iPad
Click to expand...

For how cheap Apple TV is now, it's a lot easier to take the upgrade price than an iPhone or iPad!
 
chrmjenkins

chrmjenkins

macrumors 603
Oct 29, 2007
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MD
I don't consider apple serious about 1080p until they actually start offering it in their own itunes store.
 
Yvan256

Yvan256

macrumors 603
Jul 5, 2004
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All I want is Mail, Safari, iTunes along with Bluetooth support for keyboard+trackpad.

Instant 99$ living room Mac. :D

Not enough on-board storage, you say? iCloud.
 
F

fpnc

macrumors 68000
Oct 30, 2002
1,979
134
San Diego, CA
And before someone asks, NO the current Apple TV (v2) will probably never support output (i.e. playback) of 1080p content. Same for the iPhone 4 and the original iPad (v1). This is most likely a technical limitation, not some conspiracy by Apple to artificially limit playback to 720p in order to get you to upgrade to the newest products.

Furthermore, even though the original iPad, the iPhone 4, and the current Apple TV CAN decode some 1080p content it has been reported that the playback of such content is not without flaws.

In fact, I'd be overjoyed even if the ATV2 supported scaled playback of 720p content so that you could output at 1080i/1080p (some of the older HD-ready TVs do not support 720p30 playback). The original Apple TV allowed those output resolutions even though it could only decode 720p24 content.
 
P

paradox00

macrumors 65816
Sep 29, 2009
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afireintonto said:
would anyone that actually has the tv 2 go out and buy the tv3, just because it offers slightly better picture?
Click to expand...

I bought the atv2 knowing that I'd have no second thoughts about upgrading the next year because it's only $100. That said, I'm not sure 1080p alone would be enough incentive to do so. I'll have to see what else it brings. I'm still hoping for apps on Apple TV, but AirPlay mirroring is a pretty good alternative.
 
N

newagemac

macrumors 68020
Mar 31, 2010
2,091
23
dagamer34 said:
You could stick it in a kids room with a 720p HDTV and get the 1080p version for the den.

I'd just love it when it's jailbroken to I can play 1080p Blu-ray rips.
Click to expand...

It doesn't need to be jailbroken to play Blu Ray rips.
 
ratzzo

ratzzo

macrumors 6502a
Apr 20, 2011
829
35
Madrid
All good progress.. though most of the time I couldn't tell a 720p from a 1080.. yes, my sight is that bad :(
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
SPUY767 said:
Stolen from XKCD.

http://xkcd.com/732/
Click to expand...

What that really shows is the absurdity of focusing on resolution as a meaningful statistic.

So in a way that comic comes full circle to make fun of itself. If the point is that resolution doesn't matter that much, then the point of view of the comic (that people who like HDTVs are silly) is proven to be a silly point in and of itself.

So is XKCD making fun of itself? Frankly, I find the whole thing too confusing to figure out.
 
macduke

macduke

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,136
19,665
Lack of 1080p is the reason I don't have an Apple TV. I decided to wait until version 3, and now that I purchased an iPad 2 the other day, I'm looking forward to the new model even more. The ability to AirPlay and video mirror to my LG setup sounds great! iCloud on Apple TV is going to be equally fantastic. Will we even really need AirPlay most of the time? Our photos and videos will just show up on the AppleTV without any action on our part. Now that's slick.
 
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