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The future of Quicktime

G

GulGnu

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 6, 2003
156
0
Apple, who wants to push the "Digital Hub" strategy, using excellent applications such as iTunes and iMovie, still can't provide a decent movie player.

This is a problem for Apple, and an unnecessary one considering that they already have the basis for a great movie app - Quicktime player.

With a few basic changes, QT could become a top-of-the-line media player. These changes are:

1. Enable Full Screen Mode in the basic version of the player. (Charging for content editing is fine - charging for full screen mode is just dumb.)

2. Create a "while in full screen" control mode, that fades with the mouse cursor. All the PC players have this feature - QT doesn't.

3. Get rid of the damn pop-up. At least for the Mac version. Please? Pretty please?

There, there are a few more cool things that could be done, but these three easy steps (2 de-cripplings and 1 new feature.) would turn QT into a competitor. As things are, I stick to VLC, and that still lacks the fading full screen interface. (Having to drop out of FS mode to pause, etc. is damn annoying...)
 
Powerbook G5

Powerbook G5

macrumors 68040
Jun 23, 2003
3,974
1
St Augustine, FL
I've always found QT to be a top-notch video player, especially compared to the annoying Real Player and buggy Windows Media Player that always crashed our PCs at home. As far as the full screen mode and banner, just pay the $29 if you really need/want full screen and if you don't want to click on the banner. As far as the "while in full screen" menu, what kind of features do you want with that? I'm just not sure what this would entail.
 
5300cs

5300cs

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2002
1,862
0
japan
Re: The future of Quicktime

Originally posted by GulGnu
Apple, who wants to push the "Digital Hub" strategy, using excellent applications such as iTunes and iMovie, still can't provide a decent movie player.

This is a problem for Apple, and an unnecessary one considering that they already have the basis for a great movie app - Quicktime player.

With a few basic changes, QT could become a top-of-the-line media player. These changes are:

1. Enable Full Screen Mode in the basic version of the player. (Charging for content editing is fine - charging for full screen mode is just dumb.)

2. Create a "while in full screen" control mode, that fades with the mouse cursor. All the PC players have this feature - QT doesn't.

3. Get rid of the damn pop-up. At least for the Mac version. Please? Pretty please?

There, there are a few more cool things that could be done, but these three easy steps (2 de-cripplings and 1 new feature.) would turn QT into a competitor. As things are, I stick to VLC, and that still lacks the fading full screen interface. (Having to drop out of FS mode to pause, etc. is damn annoying...)
Click to expand...

I happen to agree; QuickTime is cool, but at the same time when compared with other media players, it tends to suck.
Having to pay for a media player, to me at least, is like having to pay for a browser- it's just stupid 'cause all the others are free.

$30 is a little steep, especially for what, no more nag screen and the ability to do full screen playback? That's lame- I expect more from Apple. QuickTime still stumbles when I try to get it to play most .avi files, and .wmv's? Forget it.

The VideoLAN player is *FREE*, uses WAY less system resources and plays just about anything.
 
Freg3000

Freg3000

macrumors 68000
Sep 22, 2002
1,914
0
New York
Re: Re: The future of Quicktime

Originally posted by 5300cs
I happen to agree; QuickTime is cool, but at the same time when compared with other media players, it tends to suck.
Having to pay for a media player, to me at least, is like having to pay for a browser- it's just stupid 'cause all the others are free.

$30 is a little steep, especially for what, no more nag screen and the ability to do full screen playback?
Click to expand...

No....QT pro is the solution to those two things. But the main focus of QT Pro is being able to import and export various types of media formats. There also is an editing feature, allowing you cut things out, and adding things as well.
 
5300cs

5300cs

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2002
1,862
0
japan
I stand corrected then.

I still think it's expensive though. And nag screens are below Apple, I thought.
 
LethalWolfe

LethalWolfe

macrumors G3
Jan 11, 2002
9,370
124
Los Angeles
Re: Re: Re: The future of Quicktime

Originally posted by Freg3000
No....QT pro is the solution to those two things. But the main focus of QT Pro is being able to import and export various types of media formats. There also is an editing feature, allowing you cut things out, and adding things as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the ability to import and export/compress a varity of files/formats is the best part about QT Pro. Also, the $29, IIRC, is a one time fee. The only I can remember having to pay to it again was the upgrade from QTPro 5 to 6 and I think that had to do w/the MPEG-4 licenseing and such (but off the top of my head I can't remember exactly). I'd agree that $29 would be too much for a media layer but QT Pro is more than just a media player.


Lethal
 
G

GulGnu

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 6, 2003
156
0
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I've always found QT to be a top-notch video player, especially compared to the annoying Real Player and buggy Windows Media Player that always crashed our PCs at home. As far as the full screen mode and banner, just pay the $29 if you really need/want full screen and if you don't want to click on the banner. As far as the "while in full screen" menu, what kind of features do you want with that? I'm just not sure what this would entail.
Click to expand...

Hi! Glad to see at least a few people cared enough to respond =P

Couple of points:

1. ) Yes, I really "want / need" full screen mode. Let's be fair here - Full screeen is hardly a "pro" feature.

The issue here is not whether or not I am going to pay for FS functionality - I'm not - but what video player most people, both in the PC world and on the mac, are going to use. If QT wants to be competitive as a video format, apple must at least match the shareware / "free" Microsoft competition feature-wise.

2. )There is also the issue regarding the marketing of Apple. So far, the main (only?) Apple software presence on the PC has been a crippled app with an annoying pop-up. Hardly a great incentive for people to Switch. Or to put it another way: WMP 9 being widely superior to QT PC is hardly an ideal situation. When Apple decides to go head to head with MS on the PC, they better win. Hopefully, iTunes PC will rectify this situation to some extent.

3. )I have no need of editing features. (Of course, if you have that need, the 29 bucks for QT Pro is a steal).

4. ) The Full Screen interface I talk about allows you to have full playback control while in full screen mode. The interface materializes when you move the mouse, and disappears after a couple of seconds of inactivity. Nicely executed in WMP 9 - I hope the Mac version has it.

Regards / GulGnu
 
benixau

benixau

macrumors 65816
Oct 9, 2002
1,307
0
Sydney, Australia
how much did you pay for your mac???

right, i though so. $30 is nothing. besides all you are doing is paying for the licence to the codecs.
 
G

GulGnu

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 6, 2003
156
0
Originally posted by benixau
how much did you pay for your mac???

right, i though so. $30 is nothing. besides all you are doing is paying for the licence to the codecs.
Click to expand...

How much I paid for my mac? Quite a bit =P (This is Sweden after all - 25% sales tax, need I say more?)

As for shelling out 30$ - no thanks. Not that it's a large amount, but there really is no reason to, as there are equivalent free alternatives. I'm not complaining because I am desperate to use QT as my main video player, I'm complaining because Apple is:

A) Making things needlessly complicated for their customers. (People buy Apple for "it just works out of the box!" functionality)
Acting like Real inc. in the video player market is bad for Apple's image.

and

B) Acting like Real inc. (Only with inferior product quality) in the video player market on the PC is hardly going to win over any switchers. Plus, fewer people using QT means QT as a video format becomes weaker.

/ GulGnu


PS.

Thanks for the keyboard shortcut tips =) Still, a mouse-driven interface would be nice - after all, Apple are supposed to be the masters of the graphical GUI =P

DS.
 
SiliconAddict

SiliconAddict

macrumors 603
Jun 19, 2003
5,889
0
Chicago, IL
Popups?!?!

Originally posted by GulGnu


3. Get rid of the damn pop-up. At least for the Mac version. Please? Pretty please?
Click to expand...


Wow, I thought that was a windows only "feature" ;) That's damn sketchy on the part of Apple. For a basic player that is built into the OS popups are way wrong. I mean you buy a new shiny version of OSX: Panther and you get popups? I can understand the degraded feature set to make people buy the pro version but even MS doesn't do popups for any of their products. Apple should really consider changing their stance on this.
 
whooleytoo

whooleytoo

macrumors 604
Aug 2, 2002
6,607
716
Cork, Ireland.
Cheapest solution of all:

Write a full-screen QuickTime player, using the (free) Project Builder. Should take a competent programmer about an hour, or a relative newbie about 2 days? :D

Mike.
 
Fender2112

Fender2112

macrumors 65816
Aug 11, 2002
1,135
386
Charlotte, NC
I have to agree that not includiing a Full Screen mode is rather lame on Apple's part. If I need it I use Real Player or Media Player.

That being said. Quicktime's strength is the technology, not in Quicktime Player. It's the underlying technology that laid the foundation of media delivery as we know it today. If it's good enough for Hollywood, it's good enough for me.
 
S

switchingGeek

macrumors member
Oct 11, 2003
58
0
Dallas, Texas
try os x mplayer

Seriously, Mplayer opens almost every video file, work at full-screen too. I just switched from Linux to my very first PBook, and was very very annoyed by the lack of full-screen, in QT.

I understand that apple would like to charge for the editing features, and that costs money. But charging for full-screen when EVERY other player provides it? That decision stinks to me...

So go to mplayerosx.sourceforge.net and enjoy!!
 
bousozoku

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
15,716
1,891
Lard
If you're looking to stop the Pro popup, this used to work in older versions of QuickTime player for Mac OS--find the file (a .mov) they're using for it and delete it. I can't tell you what it is because I paid for a licence.
 
aafuss1

aafuss1

macrumors 68000
May 5, 2002
1,598
2
Gold Coast, Australia
I think Apple should drop Quicktime support for Windows 98/98SE/ME systems and release a new version for 2000/XP -as Windows 98 is unsupported, and stability reasons.
 
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