well yes, if it's a crappy quality encode, a high bitrate is meaningless, but all things being equal, higher bitrate is going to be better quality. There's obviously a point where there is little discernible difference after a certain bitrate, and you're just bloating the file size though. But I'd rather have a bloated high bitrate of a good encode, than a crappy quality lower bitrate that is easy downloadable.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Phil Schiller Claims Customers Aren't Asking for Built-In Blu-Ray Anymore
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
well yes, if it's a crappy quality encode, a high bitrate is meaningless, but all things being equal, higher bitrate is going to be better quality. There's obviously a point where there is little discernible difference after a certain bitrate, and you're just bloating the file size though. But I'd rather have a bloated high bitrate of a good encode, than a crappy quality lower bitrate that is easy downloadable.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Simple, you pay Apple a little more for the computer that used to have this extra functionality built in but has now been removed AND you also buy an external BD drive too. That way you spend more and Apple gets to tout "thinness" as if that is some important feature for a desktop. Furthermore, Apple gets to tout clean lines and desktop space minimization while you clutter up your desktop with other hardware that used to fit inside of the case of an Apple computer. It's really an ideal solution (Apple makes more money and we spend more money- the best of all worlds. I mean who wants an all-in-one that is actually an all-in-one? What we really want is a NOT-all-in-one to which we can connect the stuff that Apple arbitrarily decides to leave out and then spin it in the name of "thinness")
With the focus on "thin" over function or utility, I think Apple should sell diet pills... or maybe the Apple Diet Plan: "we take all of your money so you won't have any left to waste on food. Thin is in!"
Better hope you used quality media
So Many tapes we have at work no longer are usable (6 years later)
Good luck with that
I can guarantee you that removing optical drives and not supporting AVCHD disks in iMovie is costing Apple business. I have already had several clients leave the Mac because of this. Apple had these people and they lost them.
They still love their iPhones and iPads but the loss of optical caused them to go with Windows 7.
I like having the option of both. I use both the Cloud, and DVDs/Blu-Rays. I don't use VHS anymore unless I'm burning them to DVDs, and I don't use CDs anymore. I like Blu Rays more sometimes than the iTunes movies depending on the movie (Dark Knight for example, I like the Blu Ray better), and plus you get a lot more special features with a DVD or Blu Ray than iTunes Extras. Some movies that I don't care about the special features, or that doesn't come with an iTunes digital copy, I'll get on iTunes instead
I think iStuff and Macs are pretty loose coupled. You can love one and hate the other. My case, particularly.
Here is a great idea for mounting the external SuperDrive below the display. This would make it easier to access than a slot on the side that you have to feel around for.
http://twelvesouth.com/products/backpack/
To put this into perspective, the mac has about 10% market share. So which is more popular. Apple would be more popular if they supported the creation of HD video disks.
I know several clients who have unfortunately already left Mac's because of Apple's decision not to support HD disks.
(1% year over year sales growth is far from spectacular)
If Apple wants to steal significant business from Microsoft, they have to appeal to those who switched to the Mac because of its wonderful turn key integrated movie making solutions. The loss of HD disks is causing these same folks to reluctantly return to Microsoft.
Removing optical drive keeps costs down. Plus you can still get it as an accessory. I have one, and I've only used it a couple times.
I'm pretty sure iMovie supports AVCHD. Not sure what your issue is there.
So you're saying you've had clients ditch mac because they don't have optical drives? That's their right, but kind of silly if you ask me.
If I were to facepalm right now, I would have to undergo plastic surgery after doing it.
Thunderbolt was never meant to be the only port on anything.
Do you expect any computer in any amount of years to have only a Thunderbolt port?
That's not its purpose. It is meant to be a means of expansion, giving the bandwidth of PCI-Express in a more user-friendly manner.
USB is U for Universal. It's designed to be more cheap and adaptable for mainstream applications. 99% of the users won't ever know what they can do with a Thunderbolt port.
Oh, and you can get an adapter if you want to use an USB device on a Thunderbolt port. Try doing the opposite.
Seriously, think twice before saying such an absurd statement and calling someone a fool in the process. Your message was epically uninformed, even for the standards of this message board.
You got it wrong kid.
All the legacy tech that was dropped was actually replaced by a better one.
Where is the better technology replacing Blu-Ray?
iMovie does not support AVCHD disk creation. It would be nice if it did.
It might be silly to you but not to them. Optical has several advantages:
- Can be made read only.
- CD music can be coupled with photos and displayed on YouTube or FB
without having the music silenced like it is if the music comes from iTunes.
- Inexpensive compared to flash media.
- Available without an internet connection.
- HD quality if AVCHD is used.
- Can be played nearly anywhere.
- Can be placed in a safe.
- Used extensively in medicine (MRI), education, law, churches.
Not particularly though official support wouldn't make them any more convenient for me even if it existed, unless it supported both ripping and LAN streaming without transcoding. For what it's worth, the movies I buy (and thus care about Blu-ray versions of) and rent (and thus care about the convenience of) are among the least likely to appear on "all-you-can-eat" services like Netflix any time soon (though I do pick up Netflix and Hulu Plus subscriptions for a month or so from time to time to catch up on past seasons of TV shows).
As for price, my Blu-rays can be neatly divided into two sets: (1) the ones where streaming alternatives are either patently inferior (The Godfather restoration; incidentally, the iTunes bundle, with lower-quality video and no special features disc, is only $3 cheaper than Amazon's price on the Blu-ray) or nonexistent (Star Wars; I paid $60 at Target for the six-movie set, hardly "overpriced"), and (2) the ones I purchased for less than $10, and often used for the price of an iTunes HD rental.
In both cases, I immediately import transcoded and downmixed copies into iTunes, and in the former case, I also save the original video streams + preferred audio stream in an MKV file, which VLC opens and plays perfectly over Gigabit.
Except in this case! Online is not better quality, more secure or better availability.
All the technology you mentioned was hardly used by the time it was replaced, optical is still extensively used.
Look into law, eduction, medicine for just a few examples.
I think the actual quote from Schiller was...
Customers, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of content delivery changed. We have these things called iTunes where movies are downloaded on them. We have these Macs that go online, Apple TVs streaming. And so the question is not a game of disks where were installing blueray drives. Its its what are our cloud capabilities.
Very crippled ones though
Streaming Video
It's better in these ways
It's faster to get (I buy I watch instantly) Blu Ray I have to go buy or have it delivered
Convenience I can use it on multiple Devices, any computer or Apple device
It's better for the environment (no disks, no packaging) less waste
less space needed to house
Automatic Backups in the cloud (no lost or damage disks)
It won't be long before bandwidth isn't an issue for a great % of people. It isn't for me, I could download BD rips if I wanted to and had the spare storage space.. Which is getting cheaper fast anyway.
Quality of streamed and downloadable content will likely increase too. I agree BD should be supported, but I don't think it's going to be a big deal for many people. Even less moving forward. Standalone players are cheap.
I sense some confusion in your quote.
There is no worse lie than a half true statement.
Blu-Ray has not been replaced yet.
The MacBook Air SuperDrive / Apple USB SuperDrive does not work with the iMac or any iMac by default -- try it, it doesn't work. The only way to get the drive to be recognized by the iMac is to apply a hack to the plist file "boot.com.apple.plist" and adding the string "mbasd=1" -- then the drive will work. I hope Apple makes the drive compatible with the new iMacs, or many people will be very unhappy and stuck helpless if they ever do need a SuperDrive.
Yeah Phil, because anyone who wanted it bought a USB external drive 2 years ago. I have a freaking external drive sitting on top of my mac mini now, are you happy?
Yes, I'd love to get everything through iTunes or other downloading sources, but movie studios don't agree. What about when iTunes didn't offer the latest Harry Potter movie in HD? I had to buy a GD DVD. While it came with digital downloads, it was some BS ultraviolet sign me up for an account and download a player bullSHICCKY that I couldn't use. I am not a Potter fan for the record, but I'd bang Hermione for sure.
Yes, I'd love to get everything through iTunes or other downloading sources, but movie studios don't agree. What about when iTunes didn't offer the latest Harry Potter movie in HD? I had to buy a GD DVD. While it came with digital downloads, it was some BS ultraviolet sign me up for an account and download a player bullSHICCKY that I couldn't use. I am not a Potter fan for the record, but I'd bang Hermione for sure.