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Apple Event April 18th, 2004

Dave the Great said:
What he is talking about is MPEG-2 TS (transport stream).

Yes, it is compressed. Same with DVHS, it uses MPEG-2 compression. And yes it can work across firewire.

Heuris came out with their software to allow transport streams to work on the mac with Final Cut Pro. Because, otherwise FCP can not read or work with the transport streams.

That is why I am hoping for a FCP update at NAB; so that FCP can work with HDV natively.
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Thanks, now that makes more sense with that context added.

Has MPEG2 been blessed as a HD format for use in next gen HD discs? H.264 and WMV9 are the current front runners if I recall correctly. I believe that the broadcasters are the ones pushing the MPEG2 format since they've already invested in it for HD transmission and that WMV and H264 are considered more suited to delivery on shiny discs. This would make sense since this is NAB.
 
Unity-like Xserve/Xgrid central storage is highly likely. As others have said, it's one of the largest obstacles high-end production facilities and studios face in switching to FCP away from Avid. Once you've used it, it's hard to live without.

Also, highly probable (or at least wishful thinking) is a bump of FCP to 64bit native. This would kick FCP into orbit and really be a major blow to Avid's low-to-mid level attempts.

Maybe make the whole Pro-line (FCP, Shake, DVDSP) 64 bit. Along with a G% speed boost, that would make for a pretty powerful video studio in a box.

Fingers crossed...
 
dontmatter said:
.....a super cool thing would be to have a system that allowed multiple people simultaneously on the same hub style computer/cluster with each person having an experience like it was their own computer. So, for a company that would buy 200 cheap PCs for 200 people, they could buy one cluster of xServes and 200 screens.
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Congratulations. You have invented a mainframe/terminal system from ~1972.
 
jouster said:
Congratulations. You have invented a mainframe/terminal system from ~1972.
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Nothing wrong with that. These days, they call it the "thin client" model and there are many boosters of the idea. Especially those in corporate computer support who enforce having a standard one-kind-fits-all installation on everyone's PC anyway. Java boxes as thin clients haven't caught on, but the idea of doing all your work (including administration of servers) via a web browser is the same idea. Essentially, a screen and a keyboard (and a web browser) are all you get.

Just as bellbottom pants and psychedelic clothes came back again, old ideas resurface regularly. Once people decide that thin clients aren't "personal" enough, there will be this grand idea to give each person their own disk space and operating system and applications, except it won't be called a personal computer. It'll have a new name and be touted as the next great idea.
 
Doctor Q said:
Nothing wrong with that. These days, they call it the "thin client" model and there are many boosters of the idea. Especially those in corporate computer support who enforce having a standard one-kind-fits-all installation on everyone's PC anyway. Java boxes as thin clients haven't caught on, but the idea of doing all your work (including administration of servers) via a web browser is the same idea. Essentially, a screen and a keyboard (and a web browser) are all you get.

Just as bellbottom pants and psychedelic clothes came back again, old ideas resurface regularly. Once people decide that thin clients aren't "personal" enough, there will be this grand idea to give each person their own disk space and operating system and applications, except it won't be called a personal computer. It'll have a new name and be touted as the next great idea.
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Heh, I know......I was just being a smartass.

And you are right; it's funny how everything is cyclical. I feel there is a good chance your proposed model will happen. We'll see.

dontmatter - sorreeee...I'm writing my senior thesis on computing history right now, and get a little crazy sometimes. Anything to stir up a conversation!
 
jouster said:
I'm writing my senior thesis on computing history right now, and get a little crazy sometimes.
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That's a topic I find very interesting. What specifically are you writing about? (I think it's worth one more off-topic post.)
 
filmcutter said:
Also, highly probable (or at least wishful thinking) is a bump of FCP to 64bit native.
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Sorry, wishful thinking. OS X 10.3 is not a 64-bit OS. OS X does not have any 64-bit APIs, especially not Carbon. (FCP is Carbon). The 64-bit Mac OS X Application Binary Interface has not even been defined. There would have to be a whole lot of platform movement to make a true 64-bit app happen.
 
SPG said:
Thanks, now that makes more sense with that context added.

Has MPEG2 been blessed as a HD format for use in next gen HD discs? H.264 and WMV9 are the current front runners if I recall correctly. I believe that the broadcasters are the ones pushing the MPEG2 format since they've already invested in it for HD transmission and that WMV and H264 are considered more suited to delivery on shiny discs. This would make sense since this is NAB.
Click to expand...

Yes, MPEG-2 is still in the running.

I think Microsoft did a smart thing by getting a studio to release a DVD in HD using their codec - Terminator 2 SE. I think this helped show the committee that they were up to the task. I am actually a little surprised Apple did not get more involved in this, but they just seem to be so focused on the music thing - iPod, music store, etc. etc.

And actually, I would have liked to seen the HDV spec use H.264 instead of MPEG-2 TS.
 
SPG said:
I heard that Apple has figured out how to get HD onto firewire and keep it within the current IEEE spec compliance.
So?
So that means that your G5 or G4 is now a fully compliant HD server that can be hooked up via firewire to anything that can take a firewire signal and play HD like an HD settop tuner, BlueRay recorder, or I believe DVHS too. Heuris? already has software ready to go that will do this now that the firewire part is worked out.
I believe it was "MP@HL, using Transport multiplexing".

This may not be all of it, but this would be the foundation of HD playback on the existing mac.
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Whoa. You have a source for this?
 
A media player

I think it be some sort of media player like wm player but better!! :D since it talking about moving pictures and moving sound
 
Namacste said:
Maybe just wishful thinking since I need one so badly.

But seriously think of it: a new flat panel display with HDTV capabilities maybe?

It has been a long, long while since Apple updated these mothers.
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We are only going to see new Powerbooks at an event that Steve Jobs himself keynotes. He will want to be the one to announce them.
 
Regarding the post a few back about the size of Apple's space at NAB... looks to be the exact same size as last year, and it's in exactly the same location as before.

Once again and for all... there WILL NOT BE ANY iTUNES ANNOUNCEMENTS, DISPLAY UPDATES, VIDEO IPODS, or ANYTHING consumer-oriented released at NAB. NOBODY AT NAB GIVES A FLYING CRAP ABOUT IPODS! And I would say it's an extremely long shot even for anything G5 related... with the expection of some sort of workstation that's builit for video production... (ie., BNC ins/outs etc)

Those of us who go to NAB are looking at creating, editing, and distributing TV... not the latest $400 thing to stuff in your pocket so you can download Spongebob episodes off Kazaa and watch them on a two inch LCD. We want to get a $20,000 HD 1080i camera, shoot something with professional lighting and sound equipment and a 40 foot camera crane, edit it on an awesome NLE, and make it look sweet.

Whatever Apple is planning is likely to be either something new regarding FCP... as right now it is their only real product that relates to NAB. However, I believe we'll see something along the lines of a Unity-style file access system. One thing that keeps FCP from being more widely used in cinema and large facilities is the fact that it's pretty much set up for one person to work on a project. Trust me... we've done projects by Media Managing to a network server... it sucks and still only one person can do anything on it at a time. We've had projects where four people were in our edit lab, one editing, one doing CG and the other two capturing footage, and it was a pain in the neck.

Anyway... there's no point discussing anything that costs under $1000 (other than DVD Studio Pro) in this thread. You can't afford and don't need whatever they're releasing.

There. I said it.
 
otter-boy said:
Just looking at some charts on the web, 720p is 818 Mbps and 1080i is 932 Mbps. This is too much for 800* Mbps firewire, but remember that Firewire can accomodate up to 3200 Mmps over optical cable. I believe Apple says this is possible over the connections included in all Firewire 800 Macs.
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Yes, these are uncompressed streams, but DVCProHD from Panasonic actually is only 100Mbps, which will easily fit down a firewire400 port. Apple and Panasonic announced two years ago that this functionality was coming, but I haven't seen the results of it yet, due to the fact that two years ago no Mac could decode four DV streams at one time (which is what's required to play back DVCProHD). Now we have the G5's which can do that, an I believe that's what the big FCP upgrade feature will include. Shoot with the Varicam, edit at home, broadcast HD. Nice :)
 
Shake Update

I already posted something in the Pixar thread about the possibility of Apple announcing a XServe/Renderman package at NAB, but then I came across the following article from Apple Insider:

Apple Computer will take the wraps off the latest version of its industry-standard compositing and effects solution for film and HD during the annual NAB conference next month, reliable sources told AppleInsider.

Shake 3.5, as the company plans to call it, will boast new Warper and Morpher nodes along with improvements to playback caching, shape drawing, QuickTime integration and more, sources said.
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read the rest here...

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=398
 
Personal Video Players and Pixlet?

I don't really care if anyone thinks it's feasable or likely to happen, but in the event Apple came out with a personal video device, couldn't they use Pixlet to make movies distributeable over the internet?

"High-end Video Codec
Pixlet is the first studio-grade codec for filmmakers. Pixlet provides 20-25:1 compression, allowing a 75MB/sec series of frames to be delivered in a 3MB/sec movie, similar to DV data rates. Or a series of frames that are over 6GB in size can be contained within a 250MB movie. Pixlet lets high-end digital film frames play in real time with any 1GHz G4 or faster Panther Mac, without investing in costly, proprietary hardware."

Well, a 6GB DVD, compressed into 250MB pixlet...I would definitely purchase, download, and play it over and over on my iPod AV. Just throwing the idea out there for discussion, please shoot it down quick if you think it's an impossible idea, lol. Thanks.
 
Apple Resellers in Australia match US 23"

Apple Resellers in Australia match US 23" screen $800 AUD mailback when purchasing it with a G5...offer ends 26 June...

So I don't expect much for April...
 
Macrumors said:
Apple announced today that they have plans to participate at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference in April.

Of more interest, in a media invitation, Apple writes:

Moving pictures. Moving sound. Moving the industry. Please join Apple for a special presentation at NAB 2004 to see the latest Apple technology
The special event is to be held on April 18, 2004. One recent Page 2 rumor hinted at an "upcoming device" at the NAB show in April
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Doesn't anybody think this sounds big? Screw updates at WWDC. NAB is the place! MOSR still bellieves the updates are coming here...

On a serious note, this should be the thread to discuzz the coming updates. This is a major event for Apple! Come on pro updates! :)
 
invaLPsion said:
Doesn't anybody think this sounds big? Screw updates at WWDC. NAB is the place! MOSR still bellieves the updates are coming here...

On a serious note, this should be the thread to discuzz the coming updates. This is a major event for Apple! Come on pro updates! :)
Click to expand...

I agree with many others that there will be nothing big at NAB. We only have another week to wait. It would be unusual for Apple to do this on a Sunday. On the bright side, just think we will be one week closer to WWDC.
 
wdlove said:
I agree with many others that there will be nothing big at NAB. We only have another week to wait. It would be unusual for Apple to do this on a Sunday. On the bright side, just think we will be one week closer to WWDC.
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I don't think that the date matters too much. It's a presentation. The fact that it's a Sunday doesn't matter.
 
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