Outputting iPhone Apps to a TV: Moto Chaser Demo

[MacRumors]

Last week, Ars Technica had reported that the latest iPhone 2.2 SDK included an new undocumented framework that allows applications to output to a television rather than to the native screen.

The MPTVOutWindow class allows your iPhone to send its video to a connected TV rather than to the built-in screen. Intended to be used with movies, the unpublished class creates a live video feed that is sent out through the iPhone's connector port. End-users will need to buy a video adapter or cable to use this functionality.

While a couple of interesting demos had been thrown together. Ars then asked Freeverse about adding the functionality to a version of their Moto Chaser [App Store] game. The result is an impressive (though unsupported) demo:

Video

Outputting to video-out resulted in a performance hit, so the TV version of the game can only reach approximately 20 frames per second. The game normally runs at 26 fps on the native screen. Freeverse notes that this was all thrown together in a few hours, so there is room for improvement. It's not clear if and when Apple might allow developers to officially release Apps using this new functionality.



Article Link: Outputting iPhone Apps to a TV: Moto Chaser Demo

 

[overanalyzer]

Apple should absolutely pursue making this an option for app developers. Since they're pushing the iPhone and iPod Touch as a gaming platform and games are clearly a major chunk of the App Store, the idea of being able to basically take a TV gaming platform with you in your pocket would be excellent. Add in wifi for multiplayer controls and this could be the new Wii (i.e. innovative gameplay and controls over just raw performance and graphics). Here's hoping by the holidays in 2009 we'll be playing iPhone games on TV while visiting family.

 

[alexbates]

that is great, I would love to be able to play my iPod Touch games on a TV. I wonder how good the picture quality really is.

 

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

Is this theory possible with the first gen Touch?

s.

 

[HiRez]

Cool. There was also a simpler demo presented on ArsTechica.com the other day that shows you how you can draw to both the tv out and internal screens simultaneously (with different content).

 

[MacsBestFriend]

wow! this is going to be awesome! now we can call the ipod touch a true wii killer!

 

[SkeffMBP]

This would be neat if they somehow linked it with Apple TV - no wires running from your iPod/iPhone to your TV, but you have access to all of your apps on the "big screen." If this happens, the Apple TV could become a business mainstay - link it up to a projector, the possibilities would be endless.

 

[the vj]

Well, Jobs did it when he first introduced the iPhone. He was transmiting his interface directly to the huge screen.

 

[Loonytik]

Is it me, or is the tickdown clock going much slower than a second each time? Does it do that when displayed on the phone or is that caused by being hooked up to the TV. Im curious....

 

[Object-X]

Game controller

iPhone as a game controller. The argument that Apple should get into gaming just got a lot stronger. Apple should really get behind this.

 

[kcroy]

Is there a device that sends the iPhone/iPod touch screen image to a television or projector? (The Apple Keynotes use them.) I would love to use one for a presentation I am doing at eTech in Columbus on apps for education.

Help.

Any links or info would be most appreciative.

K Croy

 

[franzmueller]

Wow, I never had any intension of getting a " classic " game console cause I´m not a game player but since I´ve got my iphone and so many great game apps , the idea of playing them on my tv looks like a winner to me
Saludos

 

[arn]

Is there a device that sends the iPhone/iPod touch screen image to a television or projector? (The Apple Keynotes use them.) Croy

Nope. The point of this article is that that was not something that could be done until now. And even now, it's unsupported by Apple so you won't be able to download an app that does it.

arn

 

[pmanija]

I have to say, that DEMO loked a little fake... How was the "GAS" button pressed?

 

[puffnstuff]

Nope. The point of this article is that that was not something that could be done until now. And even now, it's unsupported by Apple so you won't be able to download an app that does it.

arn

But it could be in the near future. The games thing on TV is cool but now the possibility of some sort of iphone/ipod touch netbook hybrid could be reality in a year or two hopefully.

 

[arn]

I have to say, that DEMO loked a little fake... How was the "GAS" button pressed?

They hacked it together for purposes of testing
http://toucharcade.com/2008/12/05/playing-moto-chaser-on-a-tv-from-an-iphone/#comments

Freeverse:

“You can have touch events on the iPhone and iPod while you output to TV. We just didn’t do both, as it would take a lot of time to re-write our touch code and UI for the demo.”

 

[i.maverick]

cool

Apple should absolutely pursue making this an option for app developers. Since they're pushing the iPhone and iPod Touch as a gaming platform and games are clearly a major chunk of the App Store, the idea of being able to basically take a TV gaming platform with you in your pocket would be excellent. Add in wifi for multiplayer controls and this could be the new Wii (i.e. innovative gameplay and controls over just raw performance and graphics). Here's hoping by the holidays in 2009 we'll be playing iPhone games on TV while visiting family.

this really is cool.. but it won't be much fun if it has to be bound by the tv out wire..!!

 

[Marvy]

Is it me, or is the tickdown clock going much slower than a second each time? Does it do that when displayed on the phone or is that caused by being hooked up to the TV. Im curious....

It might be due to the lower fps caused by converting the video data to the TV set (the article states it runs at only 20 fps). Rather than skipping frames, the game may just be showing everything more slowly.

 

[hrag525]

Wow!

This is amazing! This is truly the next generation of gaming... it would be awesome if they made a cable that would connect more than one iphone or itouch, then be compatible to play multi players on the tv. I say give it a few months and were good to go.

 

[talkingfuture]

This is amazing. Definitely some potential there for Apple to make a bigger impact in gaming.

 

[philskillz]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5G77 Safari/525.20)

I can see this and the new Bluetooth 2.2 integrated somehow.

 

[G4R2]

Is there a device that sends the iPhone/iPod touch screen image to a television or projector? (The Apple Keynotes use them.) I would love to use one for a presentation I am doing at eTech in Columbus on apps for education.

Help.

Any links or info would be most appreciative.

K Croy

If you'd like to hook up your iPhone or iTouch to a TV via composite video Apple sells a component AV cable to do so:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB128LL/B?fnode=MTY1NDAzOQ&mco=MjE1NTI2OA

The output is not hi def. The purpose of the cable is mostly to display movies or pictures.

 

[puffnstuff]

I kinda feel like the whole download games kinda hinders things because the games can only be so extensive compared to psp and ds that use cartridges and umd.

 

[steveleepete]

They hacked it together for purposes of testing
http://toucharcade.com/2008/12/05/playing-moto-chaser-on-a-tv-from-an-iphone/#comments

Freeverse:

interesting...i was wondering why he is holding the bottom RIGHT corner of the iphone down when the GAS button is on the bottom LEFT side of the screen...maybe it has to do with the reconfig of the UI setting or something

 

[hayduke]

Originally Posted by kcroy View Post
Is there a device that sends the iPhone/iPod touch screen image to a television or projector? (The Apple Keynotes use them.) Croy

Nope. The point of this article is that that was not something that could be done until now. And even now, it's unsupported by Apple so you won't be able to download an app that does it.

arn

Well, the device exists...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB129LL/B?n=ipodtouch2&fnode=MTY1NDA0OQ&mco=MjE0NTAzOA&s=topSellers

My understanding that this is simply enabling the software support to output games to the TV. Other formats (movies, pictures, etc.) can already be output.

Keynote output support would be appreciated too!!!!!!