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Improved H.264 Compression Holds Down File Sizes on 1080p iTunes Store Content
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What about sound quality???
This is amazing...
An Apple TV with 1080P video quality but the sound remain unchanged.
Don't understand why Apple didn't move to 5.1 DTS Master Audio or Dolby True HD?
Come on Tim. Move sound to the next level...
This is amazing...
An Apple TV with 1080P video quality but the sound remain unchanged.
Don't understand why Apple didn't move to 5.1 DTS Master Audio or Dolby True HD?
Come on Tim. Move sound to the next level...
Actually, they're just catching up. They've been using compatibility oriented low-quality profiles; they just now included the more standard high-profile (which is more demanding on the hardware) used by most other sources.
The ATV2 for example could not play back such content correctly, because it was too weak. Should be no problem for the ATV3.
The show is not about making humor that you have to have a high IQ to get, it's about having characters that relate to people who have high IQs. I'm guessing that maybe you didn't play dungeons and dragons as a kid, or had a comic book collection or saw every episode of Star Trek (all iterations) multiple times. What makes the show funny is the multitude of inside jokes that only those of us who were somewhat nerdy as kids get. And BTW I do have a Ph.D., unlike MR. Wolowitz.
I assume you mean you would like to download the new 1080p version. I think many people thought you meant just convert it which explains the downrates.
Agreed. Apple is really pushing their Airplay feature which to them is the best way put apps on your TV. I use Air play all the time. In fact, i prefer it this way then I would having all the apps on the tv. Keeps the interface clean and junk free.
Any fast motion scene becomes blocky when a decent amount of compression is used (apple probably is using enough to cause this). I've seen it on most cable broadcasts (much higher bandwidth than apple) as well. The only ones I haven't seen it in is FiOS broadcasts (they don't add additional compression to the original stream) and blu-rays. Its actually pretty obvious. Many people actually prefer 720p at the same bitrate as the 1080p stream because these artifacts are worse than any benefit of the high resolution.
Most blu rays are 25-40 mbps. The difference in quality especially during motion is definitely noticeable. If only the stupid drm people didn't saddle it with hdcp which makes it harder for law abiding people to actually watch it. The pirates still get their copies.
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i hope they give us they choice to download 480p. when I'm traveling and want to download a movie while I'm in a hotel 480p is much faster and the quality is good enough most of the time.
The show is not about making humor that you have to have a high IQ to get, it's about having characters that relate to people who have high IQs. I'm guessing that maybe you didn't play dungeons and dragons as a kid, or had a comic book collection or saw every episode of Star Trek (all iterations) multiple times. What makes the show funny is the multitude of inside jokes that only those of us who were somewhat nerdy as kids get. And BTW I do have a Ph.D., unlike MR. Wolowitz.
Actually, if you read my post, I wanted to like the show because of the subject matter. I still have my comics and love Star Trek (Mostly TOS and TNG). I didn't play D&D so if that is the key to liking this show then so be it.
Everything I have read about the show makes me want to see it. But I made the mistake of watching it...
about 20GB's of 1's and 0's.....
As to the difference, If you are are really into video/audio, you can definitely noticed the difference. Text is cleaner and sharp, less grain and or fuzziness, and less artifacts/blockiness
must go to the eye doctors - i can't really see any difference in clarity between the pictures. possibly the colour is better on the right one?
still, i guess at least i can feed good about sticking with my AppleTV2 for the time being then
That's obviously a good decision.
The real story
While use of high profile does allow to improve quality while maintaining the same PQ, the real story here is that Apple obviously opted for higher compression for 1080p to keep data size low. So, the real improvements in PQ with this switch to 1080p is rather marginal. Don't be fooled by comparing still pictures. The fact that 1080p looks better here does not say much. It's a very static scene. On scenes where the pictures is moving compression will take its toll. It's not a substitution for BD (far from it).
While use of high profile does allow to improve quality while maintaining the same PQ, the real story here is that Apple obviously opted for higher compression for 1080p to keep data size low. So, the real improvements in PQ with this switch to 1080p is rather marginal. Don't be fooled by comparing still pictures. The fact that 1080p looks better here does not say much. It's a very static scene. On scenes where the pictures is moving compression will take its toll. It's not a substitution for BD (far from it).
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I agree with an earlier poster who was largely ignored. Apple are trying to tell us that a 25gb Blu ray can be reduced to 4gb by super douper new smart compression software?
To use a good old fashioned Scottish phrase, I smell sh#te.
I agree with an earlier poster who was largely ignored. Apple are trying to tell us that a 25gb Blu ray can be reduced to 4gb by super douper new smart compression software?
To use a good old fashioned Scottish phrase, I smell sh#te.
Well let say this; Can Apple store a movie in a 4gb of data but having the sound in DTS Master Audio? I doubt it. At the end of the day I pay for my bandwidth. Why Apple don't sell really HD Movies with 5.1 DTS Master Audio or Dolby True HD? In my case I'll continue buying the Bluray until Apple decide to at least match Bluray video and most important sound quality.
I've never heard them say that. But the truth is the layman who doesn't understand the technical difference between BR and streaming media is probably not going to notice the difference either.
BR is unquestionably the best in terms of picture quality, but all iTunes content can do from this point is close the gap- whether that means higher bandwidth files, or better compression, or a combination of both. And as it gets better it will continue to chip away at all but the most devoted videophiles.
I don't recall Apple presenting this new video option as anything more than "great-looking". It was never compared to Blu-Ray, or anything else. The reason Apple presents things the way they do is because, taking this as an example, you can't say it isn't "great-looking". If you take Blu-Ray quality as the "best", then something that approximates a good percentage of the picture quality is still "great-looking"; it's not as if 70% of the absolute best is garbage. To expect data that requires a 25GB disc to be able to fit into a standard video download or stream is non-sensical to start with, so I'm not sure why that's a shock to anyone. 1080p is a resolution, it's not a standard for picture quality. Comparing the picture quality itself to a Blu-Ray makes sense, but comparing file size or bitrates does not. Secondly, it's important to keep in mind that at some point, a compromise needs to be made for the sake of convenience. The beauty of all this is that it's available, basically instantly on however many Apple devices you have at your disposal. The only way to watch a Blu-Ray is take a physical disc with you whenever you go to someone's house with a Blu-Ray player and a TV that even handles the full quality. Thirdly, a Blu-Ray disc is a finalized piece of media; it cannot be changed or upgraded. These iTunes files can be, as Apple just demonstrated (free of charge by the way). So it only stands to reason that as the technology (bandwidth, compression technology, etc.) progress, these purchases can progress along with it.
The difference is easy to see.
It's $1
720P and 1080P are the same price. You pay $1 extra for HD, you can download both formats then.
Why would anyone even consider downloading a movie using their data plan? With a little forethought, you can download all your movies ahead of time using WiFi. If you're away from home, stop by a MacDonalds or Starbucks and do it there. Every grocery store, bar, restaurant, and mall I visit has it running. Therere very few if any reasons you need 4G on an iPad.
I was wondering the same thing. I noticed that when you are in iTunes and are looking at a movie's page, on the lower left side are details about the movie: run time, file size, format, etc. If you look at the page for the movie "Young Adult", you will see it mentions 1080p in this area.
Run Time: 1:33:39
2.98 GB (720p HD), 1.31 GB (SD)
Released: 2011
Format: Widescreen
HD: Includes 720p, 1080p
(Downloading 720p)
etc.
Note: I was using the latest iTunes on my work PC to view this. Not sure what details we'll see on the Apple TV or in my MacBook Pro's iTunes.