I wish AVCHD was a native edit option in Final Cut and iMovie too, but Apple does at least have a reason for not offering it that you might not be aware of. It is a highly-compressed codec, Long-GOP meaning that not every frame of video is a full frame, so the system is CONSTANTLY having to calculate frames, even just to play the video back on your screen. It is VERY CPU-intensive to work with these codecs, especially to edit them and render them natively! You think your machine feels slow now? Try editing native Long-GOP H.264! Heck, even editing Long-GOP MPEG-2 is a ROYAL PITA, and that's a significantly less processor-intensive codec to work with than H.264. Apple forcing you to transcode to an all I-frame codec like AIC (or ProRes in Final Cut) is really not that bad a solution. Hopefully the new Final Cut will make that transcoding process MUCH faster. ANd maybe allow native editing as well, we'll see.
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Final Cut Updates in March or April? Xserve Controversy and Jobs on Blu-ray
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I wish AVCHD was a native edit option in Final Cut and iMovie too, but Apple does at least have a reason for not offering it that you might not be aware of. It is a highly-compressed codec, Long-GOP meaning that not every frame of video is a full frame, so the system is CONSTANTLY having to calculate frames, even just to play the video back on your screen. It is VERY CPU-intensive to work with these codecs, especially to edit them and render them natively! You think your machine feels slow now? Try editing native Long-GOP H.264! Heck, even editing Long-GOP MPEG-2 is a ROYAL PITA, and that's a significantly less processor-intensive codec to work with than H.264. Apple forcing you to transcode to an all I-frame codec like AIC (or ProRes in Final Cut) is really not that bad a solution. Hopefully the new Final Cut will make that transcoding process MUCH faster. ANd maybe allow native editing as well, we'll see.
The problem here is that I really can't see apple (or the studios allowing apple) to offer higher resolution content free for those that bought the lower resolution content. I can see in the future (through my crystal ball no less
) that once 1080p is available to download, all those that bought the content in 480p/720p will have to buy it again, or pay extra in the same way that they had to do when iTunes increased it's bitrate, the same as people re-buying a Blu-Ray of a DVD/VHS they may have owned. Whereas it's gonna take a good many years until anything on the iTunes store can match that of a Blu-Ray disc, so any content I buy in the near future will be on Blu-Ray, as I can at least rip it into any format to play on what ever device I want, if I so wish. I'm too lazy to do that right now, but the option is there in the future, and the quality will be better than anything currently offered by Apple or any of their rivals.
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How big of TV are you talking about? I have a nice 46" LCD and NF over the ATV2 or xbox360 looks great. The quality difference certainly isn't enough for me to go back to physical media and lose the convenience of watching something right now.
I also only expect the sound and picture to get better. NF has seen the future is streaming and they are fighting to position themselves as the streaming provider. CableCos are doing the same with their OnDemand services.
The problem here is that I really can't see apple (or the studios allowing apple) to offer higher resolution content free for those that bought the lower resolution content. I can see in the future (through my crystal ball no less
At the end of the day most of the movies nowadays are junk and not worth buying even if its in High-Def.
Works for me.
I am at my desk working on my Mac 8 - 12 hours a day, last thing I want to do is watch a movie on my 27" screen - especially when I have dedicated home theater.
However, Blu-Ray Discs, DVD Discs, Compact Discs are not "GREEN" for.
To produce a Disc it takes a lot of energy pre-production/post-production/production/transportation/etc, , harmful chemicals and other things that it does not jive with the GREEN
So just called it GREEN-RAY and be done with it!
At the end of the day most of the movies nowadays are junk and not worth buying even if its in High-Def.
I agree, but it that won't stop me enjoying a good many classics on a nice 1080p screen with surround, plus I do have a weak spot for comic book films, and 70s and 80s horror
Lack of blu-ray would be more tolerable if Apple actually had a good alternative. The fact is that the content, pricing and general accessibility of streaming is just not there.
The jealousy content providers have for Apple pushes them to punish consumers with outrageous prices and DRM restrictions. Ultimately this only feeds piracy. Apple are also partly to blame, having yet to create a compelling hardware/software solution that enables the masses to watch iTunes (and non-iTunes!) content on their TVs.
For shame!
Blu-Ray's DRM is a ridiculous pain in the ass, and I really believe that streaming is the future... however the format is too big to ignore. Apple should continue bitch about its flaws, but they also need to swallow the **** sandwich and make it a BTO option.
The jealousy content providers have for Apple pushes them to punish consumers with outrageous prices and DRM restrictions. Ultimately this only feeds piracy. Apple are also partly to blame, having yet to create a compelling hardware/software solution that enables the masses to watch iTunes (and non-iTunes!) content on their TVs.
For shame!
Blu-Ray's DRM is a ridiculous pain in the ass, and I really believe that streaming is the future... however the format is too big to ignore. Apple should continue bitch about its flaws, but they also need to swallow the **** sandwich and make it a BTO option.
French site Hardmac has been keeping its ear to the ground when it comes to Apple's Final Cut video processing suites, noting today that it has heard that revised versions of the company's Final Cut offerings are likely to debut in March or early April. The report reiterates previous claims that the company may not be able to deliver all of the improvements hoped for by professional-level users, although the updates are still reported to be "substantial".According to today's report, Apple has separate versions of Final Cut running as betas for Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion, with some features claimed to be Lion-only due to changes to QuickTime in the forthcoming operating system update. Mac OS X Lion is not scheduled to launch, however, until "summer" 2011.
Last year, following concerns over rumors that Apple will be focusing the next version of Final Cut more on mainstream users than professional-level users, both Steve Jobs and Apple sought to reassure customers that the next version will be "awesome" and satisfy professional users.
Hardmac also weighs in on a couple of other topics in today's report: Xserve and Blu-ray. According to the report's sources, there continues to be substantial turmoil over the imminent discontinuation of Apple's rackmountable server line due to poor sales. A number of high-profile users, including Apple director and former Genentech chairman Art Levinson, have reportedly complained about the discontinuation, and while Hardmac indicates that "this storm is maybe not over", it is unclear if Apple is contemplating some alternative to canceling the Xserve line.
With regards to Blu-ray, sources indicate that Jobs still considers the technology to be a "bag of hurt", with DRM restrictions and licensing issues that make the format unattractive. According to the report, Jobs noted during a recent internal meeting that he is "ashamed" that Apple's name is associated with the Blu-ray format through its position as a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association's board of directors, a role it has held since 2005.
Article Link: Final Cut Updates in March or April? Xserve Controversy and Jobs on Blu-ray
Yay, Blu Ray sucks a lot. It holds 25 GB, only uses a max of 2 GB because it is so compressed, and gets the same or lower quality than a DVD with an upscaler. Not to mention it's a ripoff in price. Glad it died. Another idiotic Sony move.
When the article mentions DRM or RDM or whatever restrictions does that mean blu ray movies have high restrictions on being copied to a computer? If so, I'd like to argue that many blu ray movies include a separate regular DVD with a playable movie or a file to download to itunes. And I think this is great because you can then put the movie on your ipod or iphone and take it where ever you go. I think all the movie companies should include this with their blu rays.
Also, does anybody, but me, think that it's crazy that the iphone and ipod touch both have TWO HD cameras but Mac is still stuck with the old isight? That is definitely one thing they should update. They should also up the resolution on the MBPs as the MBA got the same in its update.
Also, does anybody, but me, think that it's crazy that the iphone and ipod touch both have TWO HD cameras but Mac is still stuck with the old isight? That is definitely one thing they should update. They should also up the resolution on the MBPs as the MBA got the same in its update.
Mainly talking about digital cinematography. With Red One you normally go 4K if <30 fps and if over cranked then 2K. With Epic you'll be shooting 4-5K if <120fps (in general). Regarding DI it depends. Since 2007 4K pipelines have been shaping up. Regarding 8K you are absolutely correct and I hope it stays that way... Regarding projectors Sony has been pushing their 4K projectors since 2007 (CineAlta SRXR220 and SRXR320). I think it was early 2010 (or late 2009) when they made some large scale deals both in US and Europe.
I know and I do think its finically insane. However, for some reason there is lot of interest on "hyper definition" from some broadcasters. It seems its like when we got out of SD the flood gates just bursted and now you have 3D and next you are getting ready to offer over 2K while tackling with all the "content management" hoops.
True but lets face it. Lot of it has to do with cost of HD production. With HD digital cinematography and post the costs have plummeted. Few years ago your "only chance" was to shoot with $500 000 kit and now you "can go and shoot" with some prosumer cam and get "decent results". If you think about it, HDCAM was only introduced around 1998 and HDCAM SR in 2003.
I really hope to dear god that Final Cut Pro is ACTUALLY going to see a decent upgrade, I fear I've wasted A LOT of money investing in Macs because of Final Cut, only to have some of the industry I want to work in turn to alternate software like Adobe or Avid.
Premiere used to be a joke for editing, but now the BBC use it, seriously, Apple need to catch up fast.
Premiere used to be a joke for editing, but now the BBC use it, seriously, Apple need to catch up fast.
I have 55" and it's bad. But I also believe anything from 42" and up is already a size where the difference is big (if TV supports 1080i/p). It's not even so much a resolution/size issue as much as the compression artifacts. And I believe that I have a decent (by US standards) broadband which is claimed to be 20Mbps but in reality varies from 10 to 15 Mbps.
Like it or not, but that "bag of hurt" is here to stay; it's only a matter of time until Apple capitulates-- we're nowhere near getting 30-40 GB copies of movies via the iTunes store or other digital outlets.
As per the Xserve, as everyone has said it's a dumb move philosophically, and could end up hurting the bottom line in the long run through perceived image for potential corporate customers. Some products are worth taking the hit over for PR and marketing alone, although I imagine the hit caused by the Xserve overhead isn't exactly staggering. It's just a dumb move in general.
I doubt internal pressure will change Steve's mind, however.
As per the Xserve, as everyone has said it's a dumb move philosophically, and could end up hurting the bottom line in the long run through perceived image for potential corporate customers. Some products are worth taking the hit over for PR and marketing alone, although I imagine the hit caused by the Xserve overhead isn't exactly staggering. It's just a dumb move in general.
I doubt internal pressure will change Steve's mind, however.
2 GB? Really? Sorry but that's a totally idiotic claim. Just stick some BluRay disk in your computer and check the size of the files on disk (that is if you have access to PC).
I remember when BBC went big on Final Cut Pro and even had high quality but low cost (compared to DigiBeta) cam co-developped with JVC for that workflow. Now its iToys... Anyway, if want to play it safe go with Avid MC. Its one thing you can rely on. The latest one has been made so that FCP editors can adapt to it easily.
I think the important point in this blu-ray debate is that Apple are right in claiming that the future is digital downloads and streaming, but that is where the problem lies: it's the future and not the present. Blu-ray isn't going anywhere in the near future, and is currently the best way to easily and reliably watch HD content.
The major problem for download and streaming of HD content is that it requires quite a lot of bandwidth and a powerful broadband connection. At the moment, the vast majority of internet users don't have that connection available. The most popular broadband (in the UK at least) is 8mb, and that simply isn't good enough to stream 1080p content. Until broadband connections improve and 20 and 50mbps connections are available to many people at a reasonable monthly rate, digital content will not be the best or most popular solution.
As things stand at this point in time, Apple fail by not supporting blu-ray. I'm sure in 10 years time we will all agree with Jobs' stance on optical media, but at the moment he is plain wrong.
The major problem for download and streaming of HD content is that it requires quite a lot of bandwidth and a powerful broadband connection. At the moment, the vast majority of internet users don't have that connection available. The most popular broadband (in the UK at least) is 8mb, and that simply isn't good enough to stream 1080p content. Until broadband connections improve and 20 and 50mbps connections are available to many people at a reasonable monthly rate, digital content will not be the best or most popular solution.
As things stand at this point in time, Apple fail by not supporting blu-ray. I'm sure in 10 years time we will all agree with Jobs' stance on optical media, but at the moment he is plain wrong.
Ashamed with good reason-- BluRay is the most anti-consumer technology to hit the market since TurboTax. Trouble is that it's the format we've got, so u less Apple thinks BluRay is weak enough in the market to unseat and there's patience for another format war, it's time they belly up.
If there is another format in a couple years then I am plain out done buying movies ever again. I'll just rent I guess.
If Jobs seriously thinks that not putting a BRD in his PC's so iTunes gets more sales then he is being ignorant. If a person wants Blu Ray it isn't very expensive anymore to get. I honestly can't see anyone just throwing their hands up and buying sh** off iTunes because their Mac doesn't have Blu Ray, that's plain silly.
Hope the FC update is awesome, its very needed. Taking awhile as well, and Jobs calls Adobe lazy.
If Jobs seriously thinks that not putting a BRD in his PC's so iTunes gets more sales then he is being ignorant. If a person wants Blu Ray it isn't very expensive anymore to get. I honestly can't see anyone just throwing their hands up and buying sh** off iTunes because their Mac doesn't have Blu Ray, that's plain silly.
Hope the FC update is awesome, its very needed. Taking awhile as well, and Jobs calls Adobe lazy.
For such an anti-consumer tech it's great that I can pick one up in store/order online for a cheaper price than most iTunes HD and some SD offerings. Watch it at home, take it to a friends house to watch, watch it on my Win 7 rig, all in glorious quality. If I'm so inclined I could rip it and create a digital copy to play on a PS3, 360, mac, PC, PSP, iPod, iPhone et-al. When iTunes and other digital distribution channels allow me a similar service I'll start using them, until then I personally will stick with the anti-consumer optical route that actually allows me more freedom with the content I've purchased.
Also I asked earlier, if Steve Jobs thinks Blu-Ray is so bad why doesn't he get Disney/Pixar to only offer movies on iTunes, after all he must have a big say with all the shares he has?
Why not push for a DRM-free BluRay? You're a member, Apple, so throw your freakin' weight around.
before we go apple bashing lets not forget that the same reason why itunes has drm is the same reason why blurays do- the studios.
lets also not forget that microsoft isn't putting bluray into the xbox either- they've backed downloading too.. (as well as backed hd-dvd)
and apple isnt the only company with their own ecosystem.... ever tried playing a ps3 game on a 360? that has been going on since the beginning of game consoles- yet no one ever complains about that bc its accepted as common sense!!! its no different! you think a movie downloaded on one console will play on another? will Zune content play on itunes? ever tried playing a region 3 disc on a region one commercial player? hmm once again.. studios (and game companies)...
as Neo would say "it was all just another level of control". it's simply up to you to decide which eco system you want to belong too
at least apple gave you the ability to burn your itunes songs onto a cd and re-import or play on other devices drm free
--from an owner of an atv2 (great for tv shows and movies i dont need in HD), a sony blu-ray (for the big budget movies i do want in HD), and an hd-dvd player- bc well.. surprise surprise... the movies are still 1080p and in most cases are the same freaking transfer for only a couple of dollars off ebay and for some strange reason they still play..fine.
lets also not forget that microsoft isn't putting bluray into the xbox either- they've backed downloading too.. (as well as backed hd-dvd)
and apple isnt the only company with their own ecosystem.... ever tried playing a ps3 game on a 360? that has been going on since the beginning of game consoles- yet no one ever complains about that bc its accepted as common sense!!! its no different! you think a movie downloaded on one console will play on another? will Zune content play on itunes? ever tried playing a region 3 disc on a region one commercial player? hmm once again.. studios (and game companies)...
as Neo would say "it was all just another level of control". it's simply up to you to decide which eco system you want to belong too
at least apple gave you the ability to burn your itunes songs onto a cd and re-import or play on other devices drm free
--from an owner of an atv2 (great for tv shows and movies i dont need in HD), a sony blu-ray (for the big budget movies i do want in HD), and an hd-dvd player- bc well.. surprise surprise... the movies are still 1080p and in most cases are the same freaking transfer for only a couple of dollars off ebay and for some strange reason they still play..fine.
I'm familiar with the problem. If NO consumer PC could handle AVCHD editing natively without some intermediate codec, I wouldn't have an issue. However, Windows software seems to get along just fine. (Actually, so can my Mac - when I play the .MTS files using VLC.) My friend's Windows 7 machine was able to scrub the timeline without too much stuttering. I'm pretty sure his machine isn't absolutely spanking new...
AVCHD has been around for a few years now, and even though my own MBP is from 2007 and might not be able to handle the CPU load, surely the Mac Pro you buy from the Apple Store today can handle native AVCHD editing fine -- as long as the software lets you do it. The problem is it doesn't! (Well, not from Apple, anyway.)
The other part of the problem is this weird insistence that I can't use the .MTS files individually, but they have to be "imported" as part of a memory card volume. Other editors don't have this limitation. Even if I accept the intermediary AIC, it is annoying to have to deal with importing entire cards at once and making fake-volume files in order to archive the original AVCHD footage. The MacWorld review I quoted a few pages back lists a $30 utility that can work around this issue. It is annoying that Apple, who used to be the King of software video editing, requires me to buy third party software and $30 utilities to accomplish what should be doable right out of the box, either "free" with iLife, or as part of their "pro" software editing suites.
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oh and those digital copies??? yeah they expire and once locked into whatever player you entered the code into, its locked to that ecosystem too... talk about more control
ohh and you can rip blu-ray to macs too.. in fact funny thing, i had a ext bluray player that OSX never had a problem detecting and showing me every file of the bluray when it was connected....
the issue is just playback correct? osx can still burn to bluray discs if you have a burner? right?? and those still arent cheap...
so if thats the case, then the issue boils down to a playback issue right? and like others said.. if you're going to be a blu-ray snob and go all out in your compressed 1080 glory.. you arent spending money on a 40+" 1080p tv and 7.1 audio system to play it on your freaking desktop or laptop!
so now i see even less of a problem
ohh and you can rip blu-ray to macs too.. in fact funny thing, i had a ext bluray player that OSX never had a problem detecting and showing me every file of the bluray when it was connected....
the issue is just playback correct? osx can still burn to bluray discs if you have a burner? right?? and those still arent cheap...
so if thats the case, then the issue boils down to a playback issue right? and like others said.. if you're going to be a blu-ray snob and go all out in your compressed 1080 glory.. you arent spending money on a 40+" 1080p tv and 7.1 audio system to play it on your freaking desktop or laptop!
so now i see even less of a problem