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Apple Enabled GPU Hardware Decoding of h.264 on New MacBooks, Pros and Airs?

I shall encode a video with same settings but different encoders and put it on vimeo for download.

EDIT: Here's the original clip (50 seconds, filming a Ladybug Larvae):
http://www.vimeo.com/1998906

I compressed the thing in Quicktime Pro:
http://www.vimeo.com/1999007

and Visual Hub (FFmpeg) with similar settings:
http://www.vimeo.com/1999022

You can download the videos and check which ones use less CPU on your new late 2008 aluminum notebooks. Feel free to post the results in the comments and re-encode the original clip yourself and post it.
 
W. 1080p

My MBP is in "Macbook Mode" right now (power saving gfx). I tested out the 1080p trailer for bush (resized for the screenshot).

So would it be sensible to assume that MacBooks would get similar performance? (w/2 gigs ram and a 2.4GHz processor...)
 

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refulgentis said:
H.264 isn't based on MPEG-2 in other sense then they're both video compression technologies.
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Are you by any chance aware that H.264 is part of MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 is also known as H.262? Clearly they have nothing to do with each other…
 
make sure perian is not installed

iMacDragon said on the other thread that perian replaces apple's h264 decoder with its own. So just make sure perian is not installed when doing any comparisons.
 
refulgentis said:
What he said hardly "blew right by me" ;) I've spent about 8 months researching video encoding/decoding for my CS degree, especially H.264 based decoding/encoding.

Hardware acceleration for H.264 *is* a new concept, his/her tortured analogy to non-existent MPEG-2 (nothing like H.264) GPU decoding aside. If you spend a few months looking into video encoding/decoding, you'll see there are very very few GPU based solutions, and the only viable one right now is DXVA 2.0 for Windows or a new solution based on libavcodec from the ffmpeg project that uses CUDA, which isn't compiled for Mac/Linux yet. This is the first and the only GPU decoding solution available for Mac, this is hardly Apple playing catch-up. They've already had a GPU based solution on the market for some time now: the Apple TV.
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ATI have had hardware GPU decode of H.264, VC1 (including HD) for years, via their UVD function.MPEG2 decode has existed for longer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Video_Decoder

NVIDIA have had hardware GPU decode for nearly as long, with their PureVideo HD.

Even the VIA chipsets and S3 GPUs can do it. Intel got H.264 decode in hardware with G45 which Apple overlooked. I believe Intel's solution uses the GPU shader units to do work, whereas the ATI solution might use an integrated Xilleon processor to perform the work.
 
Pressure said:
In order for these results to make sense you have to test the same movie at the same timeframe.

Otherwise the results will vary a great deal, seeing as not all scenes have the same mbit rating.
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For many of the movies I compared, the whole movie runs at a very similar CPU usage level. For example, on the MacBook, it would vary from 18-20% CPU usage and on the MacBook Pro, it would vary from 100-110% CPU Usage.
 
termite said:
Simply wrong. See Wikipedia. H.264 is simply MPEG-2 plus some obvious corrections for artifacts that I see daily in American MPEG-2 HDTV broadcasts.
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H.264 is a specific profile of MPEG4, just as DivX is a different MPEG4 profile.

MPEG4 and MPEG2 are very different beasts, you can't say that H.264 is based upon MPEG2, a lot of the algorithms and maths have been significantly changed between versions (to allow for much greater compression for the same quality). They might have the same group of creators, but so does Windows 95 and Windows Vista.

MPEG2 is a very poor format for HD video because it takes twice the bitrate of H.264, i.e., you could have two channels in H.264 at the same quality as one MPEG2 channel. Freeview Terrestrial HD in the UK will be using H.264 when it comes live next year.
 
If true, however, we would hope that Apple would incorporate support for older Macs that have the necessary hardware in a future software update.
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With Apple's track record, I seriously doubt this will happen. Or if it does, it'll require some kind of purchase because of their interpretation of the Sarbanes Oxley act.

Remember the Airport N Enabler or the iPod touch software/2.0 updates?
 
It's nice that they're finally incorporating this into their product line. It's a shame it took so long and it will be an even worse shame if this is not enabled in older macs.

There always was a reason I used Windows as the OS on my HTPC. My HTPC machine is running a 2.2GHz AMD 4200+ (pretty dang old) which, on it's own is unable to play 1080p H.264 at an acceptable framerate. But, since that machine has a 8600GT in it and the Windows drivers allow for hardware decoding of H.264 content, 1080p playback is as smooth as butter.

Even though my 3GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB, 8600GT, OSX machine can play 1080p H.264 content just fine it's a shame the 8600GT is going virtually unused. The same goes for my 3.6GHz Core 2 Quad, 8GB, 8800GTX 768MB, OSX machine.

I've got to think they're going to make GPU acceleration backwards compatible. I just can't imagine that when Snow Leopard gets released only new Macs will be able to take advantage of it.
 
I don't believe there is any hardware decoder simply because Steve Jobs would have talked extensively about it. He didn't have anything else to say about the new macbooks because the only improvements are the case and trackpad. He would have loved to announce ANY new features if there were any.
 
Interesting!

The smoother HD playback is on my Mac, the happier I am. Especially if it means less noise from the fans, since the CPU isn't working as hard (unless it is a karma effect and the fans come on for the GPU).

I really hope that Apple provides support for the GPU playing a big role in encoding H.264 media too. Would be a huge bonus, as when I want to convert a TV show to play on my Apple TV, it only goes at 28fps, so it takes just as long as the length of the actual TV show itself.
 
princigalli said:
I don't believe there is any hardware decoder simply because Steve Jobs would have talked extensively about it. He didn't have anything else to say about the new macbooks because the only improvements are the case and trackpad. He would have loved to announce ANY new features if there were any.
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Any Mac with a 8 series nVidia GPU in it has a hardware decoder because all 8 series nVidia GPUs have built in hardware decoders. It just appears that until the new Macs, either Apple, nVidia, or both have not turned on the use of the hardware decoder. Even though iMacs with 8800 chips don't hardware decode H.264, Windows machines with the exact same 8800 chip does hardware decode H.264. It seems, therefore, that the only difference is in the drivers being provided.

That's the point I was trying to make in my first post. My old AMD system with an 8600GT running Windows can decode and playback H.264 content more efficiently than a brand new 3.0GHz iMac with an 8800 running OSX. The reason is that my AMD system is decoding H.264 in hardware while the iMac is not.
 
Yay!

Finally, the MacMini might be useful to use as a DVD ripper if they do this right. I sure wouldn't mind having a gaming MacMini.
Jobs, the ball's in your court.
 
So, for the user who doesn't know most of this lingo (not saying it's me, :rolleyes:), what does h.264 GPU encoding mean?
 
jincongz said:
Finally, the MacMini might be useful to use as a DVD ripper if they do this right. I sure wouldn't mind having a gaming MacMini.
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What does the Mac Mini (if updated) being able to decode H.264 video via the GPU have to do with gaming?
 
News aside... They're making Yes Man into a film? Dear god don't let it be American/hollywood butchering it all up.
 
Quicktime X

Quicktime X needs to add support for High Profile(s), GPU decoding and MKV wrapper. Currently, :apple: is lagging behind Windows in this area. Which is a bloody shame.

GPU encoding would be nice, but it isn't essential at this time. They might as well do it right with OpenCL, so people with ATI or Nvidia cards can partake.
 
raggedjimmi said:
News aside... They're making Yes Man into a film? Dear god don't let it be American/hollywood butchering it all up.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, he will probably be depicted as another "patriot" hero of yours...no way you're gonna see any different views coming from those that were unlawfully invaded, or those that try to abide by international law...especially considering Hollywood's own political bias...:rolleyes:

As for MB, I am more and more leaning towards purchasing one...the lack of FW is a tough nut to crack, but these are REALLY capable machines for any use.
 
I'm surprised nobody has realized this, but it's very UNlikely that this has anything to do with the OS handling video rendering or decoding differently.

This difference is much more likely the result of the entire BUS speed and RAM speed on the new machines being 40% faster than their predecessors.

Everyone gets caught up in processor speeds and ports, but the really important jump here (albeit the geekiest and most difficult to understand for consumers) is that the thruput on the entire board is drastically improved with the new chipset. RAM is faster, BUS is faster, L2 cache is doubled. Those things have a dramatic effect on speed across the board.
 
clintob said:
I'm surprised nobody has realized this, but it's very UNlikely that this has anything to do with the OS handling video rendering or decoding differently.

This difference is much more likely the result of the entire BUS speed and RAM speed on the new machines being 40% faster than their predecessors.

Everyone gets caught up in processor speeds and ports, but the really important jump here (albeit the geekiest and most difficult to understand for consumers) is that the thruput on the entire board is drastically improved with the new chipset. RAM is faster, BUS is faster, L2 cache is doubled. Those things have a dramatic effect on speed across the board.
Click to expand...
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/583715/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/582278/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/582246/
 
This is sorely needed. My MP struggles with high bitrate blu-ray and h264 vids, even with the 'amazing' plex. This better come to the MP soon!

Also, you can argue all you want about what speed your MB(P) can decode H.264, but the chances are these wonder machines that are years old, and only utilizing 20% CPU, arent decoding nearly the same bitrate video.

And yes the bus speed is important, but i highly doubt that it would have that much of an impact should those stats be true. If an MP can't play this stuff, the increase of FSB on a MBP really isn't going to have THAT much of an impact.
 
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