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Is the Iphone 3G Camera capable of Video recording and playback

M

mrmarts

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 6, 2009
1,051
1
Melbourne Australia
Hello all don't know if this has been answered already on the forums but with the launch of firmware 3.0 and all the rumors of a autofocus camera, video recorder and the abilities to send MMS.

Does the current Iphone camera have any functionality support for video recording, or to get the video recording possibilities do I have to buy the next gen model.
 
mrmarts said:
Hello all don't know if this has been answered already on the forums but with the launch of firmware 3.0 and all the rumors of a autofocus camera, video recorder and the abilities to send MMS.

Does the current Iphone camera have any functionality support for video recording, or to get the video recording possibilities do I have to buy the next gen model.
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When the new software comes out the 3G model will not be able to record video, it will only be allowed on the new iPhone. You can, however, jailbreak and record video. I've had mixed results with the quality of said videos, however.
 
any $100 camera will be superior to the iphone with 10mpixels.

you can also get a sony ericsson with 5mpixels and flash, with recording video, cause the camera in this phone isn't a cheap one.
 
to these people saying that you'll have to buy the new iphone to have video capabilities... where are you getting your information? jailbroken iphones have been video recording for a while now. when i had my 3g jailbroken i was more than capable of recording video with it. i don't see how the same would go for the new software update 3.0
 
The truth of the matter is we don't know for sure yet. The consensus seems to be that apple will use the video recording feature as a selling point for the next iPhone model. I completely understand this theory but we don't have any solid facts at this point. Some would argue that it would have been included in the 3.0 software preview if it were going to be included in the software package for current iPhones.

To sum it all up, the public just doesn't know for sure yet. They may include it or they may not. I guess we'll all find out in June.;);)
 
Apple's already said the reason the current phones don't have video recording has something to do with the NAND in the devices. They're not capable of getting anything above 15fps. The write speed is too slow or it overwrites frames or something like that. I guarantee they will not enable video recording on the EDGE or 3G iPhones. It'll be one of the major selling points of the new phone. It's entirely possible that you can hack some files to turn it on maybe, but no one knows for sure until full-blown 3.0 is out. Current iPhones will not get legit video recording in 3.0. Instead they'll improve hardware all around (CPU/memory/camera) in order to capture decent video at 30fps. I'll give you $10 if the 3G gets legit video recording (without jailbreaking/hacking files/etc) in 3.0.
 
fishkorp said:
Apple's already said the reason the current phones don't have video recording has something to do with the NAND in the devices. They're not capable of getting anything above 15fps.
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I disagree with Apple here...

Video recording from my iPhone is waaay better than the recording with my last wm phone and that was out the box!!!!

Half of me expects to see video recording added to the existing iPhone in 3.0, but it wouldn't surprise me if they crippled the firmware for earlier iPhones as its another reason to upgrade.
 
There's already an app in the app store that let u record video without jailbreaking. But it only let's you record like 30 seconds or something. I posted it awhile back.
 
fishkorp said:
Apple's already said the reason the current phones don't have video recording has something to do with the NAND in the devices.
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This is the main point.

I suspect that the next-gen iPhone will have hardware (both camera and memory) that blows the jail-broken 3G video away. And Apple, being Apple, won't want what they consider sub-standard iPhone video being posted on the 'net, making people think the new iPhone hardware isn't all that great.

So even though one CAN record video on the current iPhone, I'd be shocked if Apple makes it a software update for those phones. Either jailbreaking or buying new hardware will likely be the only 2 options.
 
gigidey said:
You would have to get the next model.
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Wrong. Jailbreak your current iPhone and you have video recording. I wouldn't be surprised if 3.0 unlocked the capability for the 3G, assuming they can do it in such a way that doesn't severely cripple the phone's performance.
 
Well, if you recall the video of Kevin Rose the week before 3.0 was announced, he said that video recording was *not* coming with the caveat that it was a hardware issue with respect to write cycles to the NAND memory. It is worth noting that all his information was 100% correct.

It stands to reason the current hardware was in question here, so I doubt it will be coming to the current models. Of course, the new model will probably use NAND memory as well, so I look forward to the spin they come up with to get out of that. Apple also said the 1st generation is not capable of sending MMS (which it clearly is), and the new model will probably have a new camera.

Video recording will only be enabled on the new model, I suspect. Apple will fabricate some technical hardware concerns of why they won't support it on the older models, but we'll all know it's just because it will be a distinguishable selling point.
 
The hardware was not designed with video recording in mind. Jailbreak apps like Cycorder basically just take screenshots of what the camera sees several times a second. The result is substandard.

I imagine the next iPhone will have a better camera for video recording - one that can pick up at least 20fps, if not 24. The EDGE and 3G iPhones so far can only pull about 10 or 12, maybe 15 on a good day, and it gets down to like 2 fps at night time.
 
The General said:
The hardware was not designed with video recording in mind. Jailbreak apps like Cycorder basically just take screenshots of what the camera sees several times a second. The result is substandard.

I imagine the next iPhone will have a better camera for video recording - one that can pick up at least 20fps, if not 24. The EDGE and 3G iPhones so far can only pull about 10 or 12, maybe 15 on a good day, and it gets down to like 2 fps at night time.
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So it works exactly like any other video camera?
 
Eso said:
Well, if you recall the video of Kevin Rose the week before 3.0 was announced, he said that video recording was *not* coming with the caveat that it was a hardware issue with respect to write cycles to the NAND memory. It is worth noting that all his information was 100% correct.

It stands to reason the current hardware was in question here, so I doubt it will be coming to the current models. Of course, the new model will probably use NAND memory as well, so I look forward to the spin they come up with to get out of that. Apple also said the 1st generation is not capable of sending MMS (which it clearly is), and the new model will probably have a new camera.

Video recording will only be enabled on the new model, I suspect. Apple will fabricate some technical hardware concerns of why they won't support it on the older models, but we'll all know it's just because it will be a distinguishable selling point.
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Exactly right!! If you get a chance, take a look at some videos taken by iPhones using Cycorder. In my opinion, the quality is more than acceptable. I'm sure Apple would even be able to somehow improve the quality of video beyond what Cycorder is capable of. At the very least they could improve the user interface with the ability to sync with iTunes, email, MMS, etc. If video recording is not in fact compatible with current versions of the iPhone we will know it has little or nothing to do with the actual hardware. Anyway, it would be a nice feature but I'm definitely not holding my breath for compatibility with my 3G.
 
COmacconvert said:
Exactly right!! If you get a chance, take a look at some videos taken by iPhones using Cycorder. In my opinion, the quality is more than acceptable. I'm sure Apple would even be able to somehow improve the quality of video beyond what Cycorder is capable of. At the very least they could improve the user interface with the ability to sync with iTunes, email, MMS, etc. If video recording is not in fact compatible with current versions of the iPhone we will know it has little or nothing to do with the actual hardware. Anyway, it would be a nice feature but I'm definitely not holding my breath for compatibility with my 3G.
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Yep cycorder quality is good.
 
milani said:
So it works exactly like any other video camera?
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No, most video cameras use hardware to capture video and compress it and save the video files. The software controls the hardware.

Cycorder, iPhone Video Recorder, Qik, and Ustream literally just take screenshots of the screen as fast as they can. Like holding the home button and pressing the sleep/wake button over and over, then compiling them into a video.

It's completely different.

aok1975 said:
Yep cycorder quality is good.
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No, Cycorder quality just seems good because it's better than no video at all. Other cell phones record much faster and much higher quality.
 
Let me reword my post, Apple has made it seem like they wont add video recording to either of the exisiting iPhone models. However, they are capable of making low-quality videos. Sorry for any confusion.
 
No, Cycorder quality just seems good because it's better than no video at all. Other cell phones record much faster and much higher quality.
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No one is claiming Cycorder quality challenges high end, dedicated video recording devices. The point of this thread is that, yes, in fact the current iPhone hardware and software are capable of recording video. However, the downside of this is that Apple will most likely not be including features such as these in current models in order to create some sort of motivation to upgrade your device.

It makes perfect business sense. They've created a piece of hardware utilizing a touch screen and minimal manual input buttons. There's not much room for differentiating and upgrading other than internal hardware and software limitations.

Kudos to Apple for their innovation, but crappy for me because I will inevitably have to make a decision. Do I want to upgrade my hardware before i absolutely have to, or do I want to jailbreak my phone to have access to these features.

Life could be MUCH MUCH worse;);)
 
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