True, though I would argue then Apple should have put much higher pressure on Google to fix their Chrome browser inefficiencies. It continues to be the most power-hungry app on Macs. When Chrome uses more resources and power than a full-fledged IDE running emulators, you know it's bad, and it's been bad for a number of years now.
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Macs Need T2 Security Chip to Play 4K HDR Netflix in macOS Big Sur
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True, though I would argue then Apple should have put much higher pressure on Google to fix their Chrome browser inefficiencies. It continues to be the most power-hungry app on Macs. When Chrome uses more resources and power than a full-fledged IDE running emulators, you know it's bad, and it's been bad for a number of years now.
Rather counter-productive as I'd just pirate it instead. We're getting to the point again where piracy offers an easier and better service, and they're going to have to learn once more that DRM doesn't stop piracy it just inconveniences paying customers who then turn to piracy - and so history repeats itself
Its likely just laziness (and getting people to buy new devices) from apples side.
If they do it with the t2 chip it is likely almost the same implementation as with the ARM macs that will come soon. So they are too lazy to code it for the Intel/GFX decoders too.
If they do it with the t2 chip it is likely almost the same implementation as with the ARM macs that will come soon. So they are too lazy to code it for the Intel/GFX decoders too.
If I remember correctly Netflix 4k is accelerated trough the GPU on Windows, if a supported one is in your machine:
NVIDIA Support
nvidia.custhelp.com
But yes, software decode also works as written here:
How to Watch Netflix in 4K on Your Windows PC
You can stream Netflix in 4K on your PC, but it's more involved than watching Netflix in 4K on a TV.
www.howtogeek.com
Yep as with 120hz displays, you gotta give up something for something. And Intel Macs are so thermally constrained as it is.
Sure, I never said AMD or Intel chips couldn't do it on the hardware level. They could totally do it. I suspect Apple's Safari/WebKit team is pretty focused on power efficiency however.
Wait until Apple releases the new T-1000 chip with mimetic pollyalloy.
Yep, hardware if using Edge. I'm not sure what Chrome is using (likely GPU too) but software is always a fallback.If I remember correctly Netflix 4k is accelerated trough the GPU on Windows, if a supported one is in your machine:
NVIDIA Support
But yes, software decode also works as written here:
How to Watch Netflix in 4K on Your Windows PC
You can stream Netflix in 4K on your PC, but it's more involved than watching Netflix in 4K on a TV.
Because Windows laptops don't come with power cords?
Mac computers with the Apple T2 Security Chip – Apple Support (UK)
Find out which Mac computers have the Apple T2 Security Chip.support.apple.com
Actually the T2 does have image signal processing capabilities and it's likely by the sound of it that a feature offered to the brower is provided by one specific API that in the Apple implementation uses the T2 if it's got it, or says that the feature isn't present if the T2 cannot be utilised.
Sure, you can use GPU for decoding, or CPU for that matter, but it seems that Apple are using T2 specific features for this particular API.
that it does , but thats used for faceid / webcam. not decoding video. T2 is a security chip.
right now it works fine WITHOUT T2 , 4k , whatever. the T2 is NOT REQUIRED to decode video and does not DECODE video right now.
its bs. do some research.
or test it...like i just did.
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Yes, you are correct about the Edge browser. And also about the fallback to software/CPU playback if no supported GPU is found.
As much information I have, only Edge is supported because of the implemented DRM (Microsoft PlayReady 3.0).
This is an old arcticle, but it is still relevant:
Oh and this:
How to get the best video quality
If you want to get the best streaming quality from your Netflix account, click here and follow our step-by-step guide. Enjoy your streaming in HD, Ultra HD, 4K, UHD, Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+.
help.netflix.com
Firefox has GPU acceleration for UHD content:
Playing 4K (Ultra-High Definition) YouTube videos in Firefox | Firefox Help
Why the 4K option shows up for some viewers while it doesn't for others.
support.mozilla.org
But because of missing DRM-support, Netflix is only working in 720p (or with a plugin max. 1080p).
Speaking of that kind of thing, when we use the Mac's screen recording feature (Cmd-Shift-5) and go to select the audio source to use in the recording, conspicuously missing is the ability to simply record the system audio along with the screen.
I posted about this yesterday.
forums.macrumors.com
This does not to appear to be Netflix’s doing. It appears to be Apple’s DRM requirement. And it appears Apple iTunes will be even more restrictive.
Netflix is perfectly happy on Windows to support 4K HDR on 2017 Kaby Lake machines on Intel integrated graphics.
Power efficiency is not an issue, since Intel UHD has full hardware decode support for 4K HDR HEVC, even on Macs. We’ve known this since 2017 actually. CPU usage is less than 10% on my 2017 iMac for playback of high bitrate 4K HDR HEVC, as long as there is no DRM. Even with my lowly 2017 Core m3 MacBook, CPU usage is only around 25%.
forums.macrumors.com
People who claim that T2 is required for decode efficiency really don’t know what they’re talking about. The main issue here appears to be the way Apple has implemented the DRM support.
Netflix 4K requires T2 chip, and iTunes is even more restrictive
https://www.macg.co/mac/2020/09/netflix-en-4k-sur-mac-uniquement-pour-les-machines-avec-puce-t2-116775 Netflix 4K requires the T2 chip, which means that for the non-Pro iMac, only the latest 2020 model is supported. 2019 Mac Pro 2017 iMac Pro 2020 iMac 2018 Mac mini 2018 MacBook Pro 2018...
forums.macrumors.com
This does not to appear to be Netflix’s doing. It appears to be Apple’s DRM requirement. And it appears Apple iTunes will be even more restrictive.
Netflix is perfectly happy on Windows to support 4K HDR on 2017 Kaby Lake machines on Intel integrated graphics.
Power efficiency is not an issue, since Intel UHD has full hardware decode support for 4K HDR HEVC, even on Macs. We’ve known this since 2017 actually. CPU usage is less than 10% on my 2017 iMac for playback of high bitrate 4K HDR HEVC, as long as there is no DRM. Even with my lowly 2017 Core m3 MacBook, CPU usage is only around 25%.
4K HEVC 10-bit on the 2017 Core m3 MacBook is gorgeous!
Here is High Sierra's QuickTime with my 1.2 GHz Core m3 MacBook (2017), playing back a very, very high bitrate 10-bit h.265 HEVC file. It's buttery smooth, with ~25% CPU usage. It was as expected, but nonetheless I'm pleased. :D The file is here: http://www.4ktv.de/testvideos/ Note that...
forums.macrumors.com
People who claim that T2 is required for decode efficiency really don’t know what they’re talking about. The main issue here appears to be the way Apple has implemented the DRM support.
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Keep in mind that Chrome might use Widevine as its DRM. It might be a requirement by Widevine as well.
It seems that HDCP is also a requirement.
And the sole purpose of HDCP is to encrypt the video between video card and screen, so that evil pirates can't copy your extremely valuable contents. So it may be related to that.
But this removes an awful lot of Macs from 4k content.
Any Mac with retina display would benefit from 4k (better than HD), and starting with the iMac 21" Retina they can display 4k at full quality. And I expect a Mac to last 5 years, so this will only work on a small percentage of all Macs in private use. (Macs at companies shouldn't play Netflix really).
And the sole purpose of HDCP is to encrypt the video between video card and screen, so that evil pirates can't copy your extremely valuable contents. So it may be related to that.
But this removes an awful lot of Macs from 4k content.
Any Mac with retina display would benefit from 4k (better than HD), and starting with the iMac 21" Retina they can display 4k at full quality. And I expect a Mac to last 5 years, so this will only work on a small percentage of all Macs in private use. (Macs at companies shouldn't play Netflix really).
As pointed out above, an arbitrary limitation... When it comes to GPU fixes installing Windows on a MacBook seems to become the go-to solution... Not just for dock-support but now also for video playback. Ridicolous...
But who needs 4K anyway? Apple can't even afford to offer a 4K screen on a MacBook Pro as optional upgrade... so why bother?
But who needs 4K anyway? Apple can't even afford to offer a 4K screen on a MacBook Pro as optional upgrade... so why bother?
The Core i9-99900K in my 2019 iMac (3.6GHz/64GB/1TB SSD/Vega48) has 10-bit HEVC decode built into the iGPU and the Vega48 is more than capable of doing the same. This is an artificial limitation, or politics or Apple being d*cks when they don't need to be.
Typical Apple move...unnecessarily dropping features for older Macs.
Take Windows 10, for example. You can do this on a Windows laptop from a few years ago and it can probably run a program from 20+ years ago, too, even if it was 32 bit. Take a look at things like DirectX (compared to Metal), backwards compatible on older stuff.
Take Windows 10, for example. You can do this on a Windows laptop from a few years ago and it can probably run a program from 20+ years ago, too, even if it was 32 bit. Take a look at things like DirectX (compared to Metal), backwards compatible on older stuff.
Seriously, if I had a 2018 iMac, looking forward to watching Netflix in 4k, and Apple tells me, sorry, you need a new Mac... Do you think I would spend the money on a new Mac to watch Netflix in 4k? Quite the opposite. I would be pissed off. And continue using my Mac for as long as possible. You sometimes find marketing people with that attitude, they usually get fired quickly because they don't actually sell things but drive people towards competitors.
Well Apple depreciates tech a lot quicker and incorporates newer tech. Windows operates on backwards compatibility as its main selling point.
"It's not clear why Macs need a T2 security chip to play back 4K HDR content, given that Windows machines obviously don't," It might very well have to do with the audio and video processing capabilities of the chip. almost for sure it is not the security aspect.
hmmm, not according to any information I got on the T2, it also handles audio processing and video encoding for 2 others. Here is one article, there are many. https://appleinsider.com/articles/1...p-does-in-your-new-macbook-air-or-macbook-pro