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Quicktime encode on new MBP's?

iMacDragon

iMacDragon

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Has anyone yet tried to encode a video to h264 on the new MBP's?

I'm hoping they now use the intel encoder, as they seem to be using it for facetime.

A quick look at cpu usage and speed whilst doing an encode should be helpful..
 
QuickSync is not currently used under OS X. Perhaps it will be in the future, but as of a few weeks ago the only programs that took advantage of QS were both Windows-only.
 
Apple's site says that the HD3000 is used – not that QuickSync itself is used.
 

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Mackilroy said:
Apple's site says that the HD3000 is used – not that QuickSync itself is used.
Click to expand...

logically speaking, this means quicksync must be used. the hd3000 does not have enough grunt otherwise to do any kind of realtime video encoding afaik.

Remember, apple don't like to use the official codenames for such technologies often.
 
There's two parts to QuickSync. The decode engine (which is what applies here) might be used, but we don't know for certain. The encode engine would come into play with a program such as HandBrake, where it isn't used yet. HB would have to be rewritten for that to be the case.

Also, the HD3000 has more than enough power without QuickSync to enable FaceTime chatting – my GMA 950 can do it, and that IGP doesn't hold a candle to the new one.
 
Mackilroy said:
There's two parts to QuickSync. The decode engine (which is what applies here) might be used, but we don't know for certain. The encode engine would come into play with a program such as HandBrake, where it isn't used yet. HB would have to be rewritten for that to be the case.

Also, the HD3000 has more than enough power without QuickSync to enable FaceTime chatting – my GMA 950 can do it, and that IGP doesn't hold a candle to the new one.
Click to expand...

gma 950, encode 720p h264 realtime? I'm not so sure.. That's what apple are inferring there with the facetime hd, and needing the intel 3000, they're using quicksync.

I'm just hoping that quicktime uses it already too, though I'm sure by lion it will if it doesn't already.
 
I suggest you read Anandtech's writeup on what QuickSync is primarily for.

It's oriented towards video transcoding – not towards making 720p video calls. You do not need QuickSync or the HD3000 to do that.

Also, Apple's site is using poor terminology. You'd be using the decode engine (as I stated below), not the encode engine. The only reason the new MBP can make 720p video conferencing now is that it finally has a camera capable of doing it and software that takes advantage of it. QuickSync has nothing to do with it.
 
I am fully aware of what quicksync is and does. and I would note encoding is a lot more demanding than decoding.. and facetime hd needs to do both.
 
You aren't demonstrating that awareness, then. QuickSync is not required or even necessary for HD video conferencing – and earlier you said that you thought the HD3000 alone wasn't enough to do any kind of video conferencing. It is, and if my GMA 950 can do regular video conferencing, the HD3000 (which is vastly more powerful) can do HD without breaking a sweat or calling on QuickSync.
 
Mackilroy said:
You aren't demonstrating that awareness, then. QuickSync is not required or even necessary for HD video conferencing – and earlier you said that you thought the HD3000 alone wasn't enough to do any kind of video conferencing. It is, and if my GMA 950 can do regular video conferencing, the HD3000 (which is vastly more powerful) can do HD without breaking a sweat or calling on QuickSync.
Click to expand...

Remember, facetime uses h264 encoding as one of its dependancies, in order to be able to work over a low speed internet link. THIS requires realtime very fast video encoding. which is exactly what (*$(*** quicksync does. and is exactly what apple describe on that page, without using the techs name.

If it were over a local network, then yes, encoding would not be needed to such a level, and any old video chipset would suffice. quicksync is the precise reason that facetime hd is only supported on the new macbooks.
 
Indeed it does, and h.264 can easily be done by a regular GPU or IGP, or even over the processor. Nowhere is QuickSync called for. I'm not disagreeing with you that it might make that easier. I'm disagreeing with you in that I don't think it's being used.

No, the precise reason that FaceTime HD is only supported on the new MacBooks is that Apple wants you to buy a new machine to take advantage of it. I'll remind you of another bit of Apple history: after they released the 9400M-equipped notebooks, for a long time only Macs with this IGP were using it for QuickTime playback – not because only they could do it, but because Apple made it that way. Hardware-accelerated playback was possible with a large number of other GPUs under Windows.
 
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