Apple Contracting For Multimedia Chips?

[OnaMacSince1989]

Technology leader ???? Puhhhhhhhlease ...... iPod has remained pretty much static since introduced .... innovation from Apple .....perhaps but they proceed at a snail's pace ... if you want truly great technology these days look to the Koreans ...those dewds introduce cutting edge, full-featured stuff at break neck speeds (Samsung and LG ... ) ... add something to the iPod and it looks like a giant KLUDGE (iTrip, voice recorder, photo import adaptor etc etc etc).... if Apple must take their time to deliver product (and I have no qualms with that) give us something full-featured and spare us that BS mantra that less is more ... yeah it's more to Apple's bottom line !!!!

My bottom line: I won't buy anything from Apple if it necessitates my buying a half dozen 3rd party products to make it do what it should be doing from the outset ..... it's called INTEGRATION

Legal, firms like Samsung and LG aren't Innovators, they are Adapters. The iPod was an original and everyone else is copying and making their own changes to it. That's ok, cuz that's they way it always is in business - look at Microsoft, the world's biggest copycat. The competition is great for us consumers, since it means better and better products and lower and lower prices. You just got give Apple credit where it's due, since they invented the whole product segment.

 

[sw1tcher]

What ever it is, I hope if comes in blue.

Yes, Blue... Dalmation. Or how about Flower Power?

 

[lem0nayde]

iPod Video
I think this will come, but will be the same as the iPod Photo - just a gimmick to sell more iPods. People can watch music videos or movie trailers or home videos on the go -- but few will actually care to do it beyond the initial geekery of it all.

Home Entertainment
Don't forget - a chip that can process lots of multimedia data could also be used in a very small, home entertainment controller. Imagine a mac-mini sized box that can record like tivo (but with an Apple interface) play your tunes, connect with your computer to move media back and forth, burn DVDs etc. Apple could do this, and do it better than anyone else. It seems to be a logical step in creating the iLife experience in hardware.

workPod
As iWork gears up to be a more full fledged application suite, it seems sensible that Apple would create some kind of sub-notebook carry-around information machine. I can imagine it having the same functions to play tunes as an iPod but with the entire front of it being a color screen. It will use Apple's handwriting technology for taking notes, it will run keynote slideshows (and have video out to project them) it will play movies (if you want) it will surf the internet and check your email. Maybe it will be touch-screen so it can have a virtual clickwheel iPod interface. This is essentially a PDA, but much better. It will be a must-have gadget for business people.

Joe

 

[lem0nayde]

Legal, firms like Samsung and LG aren't Innovators, they are Adapters. The iPod was an original and everyone else is copying and making their own changes to it. That's ok, cuz that's they way it always is in business - look at Microsoft, the world's biggest copycat. The competition is great for us consumers, since it means better and better products and lower and lower prices. You just got give Apple credit where it's due, since they invented the whole product segment.

Apple didn't invent portable mp3 players or that product segment. They just did it a heckuvalot better than anyone else.

 

[iGuy]

Apple must respond to the Sony PSP

Convergence.

The PSP does video, games and music. The iPod does music.

Of course, the iPod does music better and it has the storage capacity that the PSP doesn't. But the PSP is first generation, who knows what Sony will add to it next or what third-party devices will become available.

As technology converges, a feature war between Apple and Sony fuels innovation in a good way.

Just my two cents.

~iGuy

 

[sinisterdesign]

iPod - music

PowerPod - music video games etc (plus cool alu. casing)

how about the iFlicks Movie Store integrated into iTunes.

i'm not big on the SOUND of "powerpod", but i like the consitency of the naming convention. ipod is the "entry" level & the powerpod is the top of line. of course, i plunked down like $600 for my ipod photo, so i hesitate to call that "entry level"... :^/

 

[sinisterdesign]

... You just got give Apple credit where it's due, since they invented the whole product segment.

woah, let's not get too starry-eyed, there. apple made the product segment sexy and took it out of the realm of geekdom, but i wouldn't go so far as to say they "invented" it.

the ipod made the digital music player THE gadget to have and apple was the first to make online music purchase profitable, but weren't the first to the table on either one. you don't have to be the 1st, just the best...

 

[splintah]

my guess

i think apple will do something similar as the itunes store to tv shows

right now a very high percentage of internet bandwith is video downloads
most of them tv show episodes
nip tuck
star trek
battlestar galactica
sex in the city and so on

and it will be a complete new market
before they air the episode
you will be able to download it via ivideo
a video enabled ipod would come in quite handy for that aswell

personally i am looking forward to an apple pda
the coolest would be a ipod which could open like the nokia communicator. having a nice big screen and a keyboard (i hate touchscreen graffiti and so on) it would be smaller than a communicator but bigger than the clie keyboards (widescreen instead of quadratic)
i have a very stylish clie TG50 with keyboard and it sucks in terms of userinterface and usability
ideally that ipod pda would have a phone function aswell (since market analysts say that the pda market gets killed by smartphones)

 

[dongmin]

gamepod?

to compete with ds and psp? -just speculation but you never know

I'm confident that Apple has something cool up their sleeves, as others have noted. Traditional video doesn't work that well in something like the iPod; even photo isn't that great. Yes, apple eventually implemented photo features, but it isn't the killer app that some people were making it out to be (as evidenced by the lackluster sale of the first iPod photo). The photo feature is simply there as a bonus, to justify the higher cost of the bigger ipods.

Recent rumblings point to expanded video game capabilities in the ipod:
-Downloadable games
-Recent hiring of game developers

This Alphamosaic chip stands out for its 3D capabilities. There have been plenty of other embedded systems that do photo and video for a while. If you guys re-read that Gamasutra rumor, Apple is clearly seeking someone with 3D graphics programming experience on embedded systems. enter Alphamosaic.

Downloadable Games -- seems to be the next step for iTMS and iPods. BTW the Gameboy DS has a 3" screen, the PSP a 4.3" screen. A 3.5" screen seems to be in the ballpark.

Speculation continues...

 

[Porchland]

In the next few years we'll probably see a video iPod with a small screen but also HDTV-out, so you can show your iMovie HD creations without having to burn a Blue-ray DVD at all, and you can watch your H.264-encoded movies purchased and downloaded from the Apple Movie store either on the small screen of your 200 GB video iPod (using Hitachi drives?), or on an HDTV connected to it, or stream it over your 802.11n network to a video-capable Airport Express plugged into your HDTV...

That's the hook. That's how Steve Jobs is going to be able to stand up at MWSF a year or two or three from now and say, "I always said the iPod was too small for video, so we're including the 42-inch HDTV that's already in your living room."

And it makes a lot of sense. Apple is marketing iPod photo as a way to show your friends the snapshots you've taken -- either on the iPod itself or by hooking it up to a TV. iPod video could work more or less the same way.

 

[Porchland]

You know, we see stuff like this fairly regularly. New technology designed to revolutionize everything. I've seen lots of cool little editions added to existing products, but I haven't really seen much that revolutionized everything. I know the iPod is cool and yada yada yada (not bashing them, I just know people will bring them up as they try to everywhere), but I haven't seen much.

NEVER underestimate the power of porn. A handheld device with a 3-inch screen that plays porn? Show me where to put these giant bags of money.

 

[damnpanpan]

all i care about is...

BATTERIES!!
what are they gonna do about batteries? I'm so damn lazy, I dont buy iPod until maybe now cuz i dont like having to recharge stuff too often. But maybe that is the bigger issue hahaha

wonder what you guys think about battery technology/capacity versus advances in electronics with increased power consumption.. doesnt it seem like its getting a bit out of hand sometimes?

 

[jared_kipe]

Makes sense... bought an ipod photo yesterday.

 

[aussiemac86]

I really dont think apple will release a video pod, as steve has said before it is not the same thing to movioes as the ipod is to music. Firstly it needs to have a large form factor if it is going to have a screen worth watching, this makes it more of an effort to lug around....which is not apples style.

More likely is that apple may release a pda/cell phone with a HDD for decent amount of music, but keeping the form factor in the same sort of size as present ipods.

 

[rlreif]

I would to have video functionality (is that a word?) on the iPod but perhaps not so much with being able to watch the video on the actual iPod screen. Like what was mention, the video-out (or even HD-out, I personally don't care) would be a great way to transport TV episodes, iMovie files, etc etc around without having to a) hook-up my laptop or computer to a TV b) burn a DVD while at the same time having to convert everything to MPEG so it'll play.
It would be awesome to be able to just copy DiVX or AVI files to the iPod and have just a file-browswer interface on the iPod screen and have the files play full screen on a TV. I think that would be much MUCH cheaper than putting in the kind of screen that everyone wants on the current iPod form... just my opinion, but I would love to be able to transport movie files on my iPod and watch them on any TV I could hook it up to.

3 words: head mounted display

that is what I think steve is waiting for... head mounted displays to get batter... who wants to watch a moovie on a tiny screen? If i could play a movie through video headphones on an airplane i would buy one tomorrow... I know they have these that you can hook up to whatever... but to plug them into an ipod would rock. and the displays need to have decent resolution.... i know they are getting better at cramming full vga into tiny screens.

 

[iRiKliAN]

This also from the Broadcom website.

The programmable nature of the VideoCore product family allows scaling to new video and audio standards such as H.264 and aacPlus. H.264 video compression will be important as broadcasters demand bandwidth-efficient compression schemes to deliver digital video to mobile devices. VideoCore also reduces overall system cost by integrating all image processing functionality, allowing connection directly to CMOS/CCD camera sensors and eliminating the need for a separate image processing chip. The VideoCore product family also excels in high-quality 3D graphics performance with the capability to support pixel shading and volumetric lighting with low power consumption, making it ideal for use in mobile gaming applications and comparable in performance to home consoles.

The eeTimes also reported earlier this year of the takeover and the VC02. They had this to say.

The BCM2702 multimedia chip comes courtesy of Broadcom's Alphamosaic acquisition late last year and is new to the platform, Civiello said. The programmable device can perform MPEG-4 encode at 30 frames/s (VGA), consumes 15 mW for MP3 decoding and can interface to an 8-megapixel camera. Mobile TV and H.264 support are also provided.

 

[dguisinger]

Don't HDTV's run standard with FireWire? What if it used the FireWire on the Dock port to send video to the HDTVs? I don't think they'd have to really add much to do it.

The other thing to note, what if Apple came out with a iPod Camera....a digital camera or camcorder, that you slide the iPod into, the iPod would have all the LCD functions and stuff, and would basically control the camera...so the camera would need it to function, but it would gain the built in hard drive instead of having to transfer thru their extra accessory. Just an idea.
Me personally I'd rather them come out with a digital camera with a built in hard drive; they must get such great pricing on them now days that they could easily do that and compete against some of the higher end CD burner cameras.

 

[Dr. Dastardly]

Ummmmm doesnt the current iPod chip support video? Its just not used in the current iPods.

 

[iRiKliAN]

Thats correct. The current iPod does support video, but i doubt it supports h.264 and aacPlus.

 

[halse]

so starts the apple product cycle (yet again)

"The Apple Product Cycle" ---- it is pretty funny
http://www.misterbg.org/AppleProductCycle/

excerpt: "Apple issues a press release to announce that they have now taken orders for over 100,000 of the new devices and shipped at least eight or nine dozen. Backorders and waiting lists stretch into months."

 

[gerrycurl]

PSP

I have to say, I purchased a PSP because I heard it could do mp4 video, but when I bought the ******* thing, I realized that sony wasn't going to get a writtable umd to the public so I'm stuck storing a single movie and a half on a 1 GB memory stick. I wonder what the throughput is on those things too. Apple, make this ******* vPod already. Im tired of sony ****** this up over and over. So stupid how they can't get it in their heads. Media market is dead. It's all commodity. 99 cents itunes, hello?!

movies will be eaten up too.

 

[yoda_four]

MacOSRumors:

"Apple has signed an agreement with Alphamosaic, a recently acquired division of Broadcom to use Alphamosaic's forthcoming (end-of-year) VC02 (VideoCore 2) embedded multimedia processor -- a low-cost way to power devices that feature high-resolution, pixel-shaded 3D interfaces and H.264 video.

Given Apple's deep commitment to H.264 on several fronts, and the rumors of a HD Media Hub device there are serious implications behind the deal. Based on the timing and capabilities of the VC02, we might have to wait longer than previously rumored for this device to hit the market -- but it will be even more impressive than we had imagined.... "

I assume they are implicating that the chip is to be used with a vPod, which with a 802.11n w/ vid-out airport express and iHome, pretty much makes up the grand 'Media Center' idea for Apple.

 

[doogle]

Right, who wants to watch video on a 3.5" TFT?

I do not BUT if I can get a video signal out of it and connect it somehow to a VGA cable (most projectors accept) and I could run my Keynote presentations from it, I would buy one tomorrow!

 

[ibilly]

Personally, I think that the DiG!c II (or however Canon likes to arrange those letters) processor is the best embedded power chip for small applications (cameras, etc). Compared to many other chips, it uses the power of a hearing aid if they use the power of a PB 17"

It's blazing fast (look at how quickly it goes through 8MP RAW files on the Canon 20D) uses very little power, and is cheap enough to be used in cameras that have a price range in the mid hundreds (not sure if it's 400 or 700 but inbetween there). The orig. DiG!c prosc is even less of an energy user, and it handles the 10D quite well.

Also, I grin at the possibilities of a Canon and iPod Photo combo. I can even see remote capture applications thru specially dev'd software. Now THAT would rock. Possibly a larger screen, special interfacing options w/ the Canons, the DiG!c processor to keep things blazin (and the juice flowin)...

That would be a reason to upgrade..... So maybee i'm just a photo geek, but seriously. That partnership could yeild the awesomest iPods since the orig. spin-wheel variety!

P.S. I have no information on the proposed chip other than the video and 8MP capture capabilities. It may be as strong, but I doubt is uses such a teeny bit of power, or is as powerful (I think that it is also the force behind the Mark 2 1Ds... 16MP of better-than-film-@-ISO 200-glory. Imagine how much crunching power that takes...

 

[psycho bob]

Personally, I think that the DiG!c II (or however Canon likes to arrange those letters) processor is the best embedded power chip for small applications (cameras, etc). Compared to many other chips, it uses the power of a hearing aid if they use the power of a PB 17"

It's blazing fast (look at how quickly it goes through 8MP RAW files on the Canon 20D) uses very little power, and is cheap enough to be used in cameras that have a price range in the mid hundreds (not sure if it's 400 or 700 but inbetween there). The orig. DiG!c prosc is even less of an energy user, and it handles the 10D quite well.

Also, I grin at the possibilities of a Canon and iPod Photo combo. I can even see remote capture applications thru specially dev'd software. Now THAT would rock. Possibly a larger screen, special interfacing options w/ the Canons, the DiG!c processor to keep things blazin (and the juice flowin)...

That would be a reason to upgrade..... So maybee i'm just a photo geek, but seriously. That partnership could yeild the awesomest iPods since the orig. spin-wheel variety!

P.S. I have no information on the proposed chip other than the video and 8MP capture capabilities. It may be as strong, but I doubt is uses such a teeny bit of power, or is as powerful (I think that it is also the force behind the Mark 2 1Ds... 16MP of better-than-film-@-ISO 200-glory. Imagine how much crunching power that takes...

The DIGIC 2 processor is not for multimedia it was developed purely for image capture. The high frame rates available on Canon's top models are due to the huge memory buffers the pro units ship with not just the efficiency of the processing units. This is one of the main reasons for the huge price jump between the prosumer and pro models. While as a photographer myself it would be great to see improved photo capabilities on the iPod a tie in with Canon is very unlikely to happen.
Linking with Canon for a prosumer+ model tie in would alienate many photographic pros (those who use Nikon, Sigma, Pentax, Hassleblad etc) and would have little benefit for the mass iPod market.
The proposed chip discussed hear is a full multimedia capable chip and is much more in keeping with apple as a technology company. While it says the chip can interface with an 8MP camera it has no inate photographic capabilities and it is unlikely apple will make full use of this feature. It has long been discussed that apple have hired programmers to create content for mobile devices (games etc) this would be the ideal processor for such tasks while also being able to handle the iPods meat and two vedge audio duties.

As a digital camera user who also uses film I also have to disagree with anyone who thinks that any digital camera (bar possible the digital backs available for medium format cameras depending on the intended market) produce better results than an equivalent film camera. Digital technology still has many hurdles to overcome (in pure image quality terms) not least the fact that a £500 film SLR with a top film will produce images that can not only be printed larger but also with no artifacts compared to a Digi model costing £6000. But all this is for another forum