So when they convert the old files into H.264, won't they still look crappy? Wouldn't they need the original source file to get the added video quality benefits of H.264? Maybe when you upload a video to YouTube, they save the original file on their servers, and will use those to convert?
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YouTube for Apple TV uses H.264, not Flash
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One of Google's main reasons for this is better video quality. There are other streaming video sites out there that have better quality video. They can't fall behind.
This is insane... After all, YouTube is stuffed with (Non-legal i presume) copies of TV-recorded series. If this gets out well, im buying an Apple TV.
Free series at your will (After a bit of searching.. heh) is priceless!
Free series at your will (After a bit of searching.. heh) is priceless!
There is no doubt here that YouTube intends to branch out to the TV. YouTube video is designed to viewed on a computer screen the viewer is sitting quite close to the screen, far closer than they would watching TV. Therefore the video can be quite small, but still watchable. The popularity of sites like YouTube has shown that people don't mind low resolution content if it's original (user-generated for example) and there is a very easy way of accessing it (YouTube is the best at this). These two things are very important. Perhaps the reason that HD hasn't taken off, as some though it might, is because it provides no advance, in terms of accessinng the video, over DVD, other than improved picture and sound. One could even extend this to say that the popularity of the Wii over other consoles is because it presents a totally new way of playing games, while its competitors rely on simply better looking games.
Anyway back on topic. The point I was making is that while lossy compression is inherently suited to the way people watch and distribute video on YouTube, it won't work on TV. For the video to even viewable it would have to be massively enlarged at which point it will be so grainy as to be unwatchable. I don't think it's to do with iPod and iPhone because they have small screens which are watched close so the resolution of the video would not be an issue.
Anyway back on topic. The point I was making is that while lossy compression is inherently suited to the way people watch and distribute video on YouTube, it won't work on TV. For the video to even viewable it would have to be massively enlarged at which point it will be so grainy as to be unwatchable. I don't think it's to do with iPod and iPhone because they have small screens which are watched close so the resolution of the video would not be an issue.
This is insane... After all, YouTube is stuffed with (Non-legal i presume) copies of TV-recorded series. If this gets out well, im buying an Apple TV.
Free series at your will (After a bit of searching.. heh) is priceless!
I doubt they will re-encode free TV episodes. The broadcast companies will crack down on them, and what would be the point of buying the shows off the iTunes store?
Google own youtube now and google video has had the option to save their videos in Mpeg4 format for ipod/psp. So they are already storing the video in other formats. At least on google video.
You would think that google is working to intregrate youtube and google video, so I guess this might take them until lets say the fall to do this?
Bit concerned that they quote the iphone as being the reason they don't use flash. Does this mean that the iphone does not support flash? If it doesn't it's going to be a pretty useless internet device..
You would think that google is working to intregrate youtube and google video, so I guess this might take them until lets say the fall to do this?
Bit concerned that they quote the iphone as being the reason they don't use flash. Does this mean that the iphone does not support flash? If it doesn't it's going to be a pretty useless internet device..
Makes sense. I guess I just assumed that Windows machines can play h.264 out of the box, just like Macs can. Not via Flash, but the same way they can play MPEG video. Using Windows media player instead of QuickTime.
But if H.264 on Vista (or even XP) requires an additional download, then I can see YouTube not using it across the board.
Still, they could offer it to their normal Web users who have Macs, or (more commonly) who use Windows and choose to download the codec. FLV as the default, but high quality available as well.
I'd kill for YouTube web option where you could pick between Flash and QuickTime...
but reencoding flv into h.264 will make most of current videos a pile of crap...at least future video will have nicer compression
also, see this video - (and download via keepvid.com)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXM0Q97baUY
it's 640x480 flv file - YT raising resolution ?
and some really old uploads have smaller bitrate than videos uploaded in 2007. like half of current bitrates.
but reencoding flv into h.264 will make most of current videos a pile of crap...at least future video will have nicer compression
also, see this video - (and download via keepvid.com)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXM0Q97baUY
it's 640x480 flv file - YT raising resolution ?
and some really old uploads have smaller bitrate than videos uploaded in 2007. like half of current bitrates.
I certainly hope that this means we will see 16:9 youtube on the 
TV
Sure there are the many many many 4:3 videos on youtube but there are people like me who upload 640 x 360 quicktime files and considering thatTV is designed for widescreen displays it would be a shame to see those videos in 4:3 letter box.
That would be a big thumbs down in my books.
TV Sure there are the many many many 4:3 videos on youtube but there are people like me who upload 640 x 360 quicktime files and considering that
TV is designed for widescreen displays it would be a shame to see those videos in 4:3 letter box. That would be a big thumbs down in my books.
I think it's a competitive move. Didn't Viacom just pull all their content from YT and sign a deal with someone else (Joost?).
If there's one thing that Google loves it's applying insane amounts of processing power and storage to problems. They almost seem to go out of their way to do it. I don't think they would have batted an eye at a request by Apple to re-encode-- it gives them another chance to show off.
I just got an image of all these couples in Mountain View looking at each other when the lights dim, then seeing this announcement and returning to their daily routines...
I absolutely think this is true. There is an almost perverse trend towards choosing convenience over quality. I don't know if I'd say that HD isn't taking off, and to the extent that it isn't I'd guess it has more to do with uncertainty over which standard will win and the DRM restrictions being abusive, but I do think it's a lower priority for a lot of people than the studios were expecting.
Maybe they don't use CPUs at all. For example Elgato's simple Turbo.264 USB device encodes faster than Core 2 Duo Macs do.
Making youtube available makes the appletv no more appealing to me. Am I the only one that visits it a handful of times a month because i think its feral just like myspace?
Both are just filled with useless bits and pieces of nothings. I'm sort of surprised apple would want this 'trash-like' content on their machine. Appeal to the masses I suppose..
Both are just filled with useless bits and pieces of nothings. I'm sort of surprised apple would want this 'trash-like' content on their machine. Appeal to the masses I suppose..
Presumably it will adopt the setup Google Video already had before the YouTube buyout. There is a Flash version for playing, and downloadable versions in other formats. Google used to make it the uploader's option to have downloadable versions available or not, maybe they are abandoning that for YouTube?
One day Youtube may become the biggest TV channel on the planet.
Apple, by getting in on the ground floor and providing the simplest and most reliable consumer friendly means of access could end up being the biggest distribution platform on the planet.
Youtube is Apple TV's 'killer' app.
It'd be cool if iphone could act as a 'keyboard' search interface for Apple TV...type in your search on iphone - the results are brought up on the TV via Apple TV...just press play...
As for encoding what's streamed isn't what's on their servers - If you take a copy with tubesock you often find a much bigger hi-res file sat in the background.
Looks like the 100MB file limit is going to have to change!. I shudder to think how many terrabytes Google's enterprise owns...
Apple, by getting in on the ground floor and providing the simplest and most reliable consumer friendly means of access could end up being the biggest distribution platform on the planet.
Youtube is Apple TV's 'killer' app.
It'd be cool if iphone could act as a 'keyboard' search interface for Apple TV...type in your search on iphone - the results are brought up on the TV via Apple TV...just press play...
As for encoding what's streamed isn't what's on their servers - If you take a copy with tubesock you often find a much bigger hi-res file sat in the background.
Looks like the 100MB file limit is going to have to change!. I shudder to think how many terrabytes Google's enterprise owns...
Windows Media Format
Good. Another site not using Windows Media format or Real. Hopefully Apple / iPod / TV will force the holdouts still using those other file formats.
Good. Another site not using Windows Media format or Real. Hopefully Apple / iPod / TV will force the holdouts still using those other file formats.
H.264
Yeah right. Joost uses H.264... and they spread A LOT of content. The codec is way better than FLV. Ever tried to make a FLV larger than let's say 800 x 600? Your machine will be flipping during playback and the file sizes will be huge!
I really believe the H.264 codec will conquer the world very fast. In HD, SD, ?TV and iphone quality.
Yeah right. Joost uses H.264... and they spread A LOT of content. The codec is way better than FLV. Ever tried to make a FLV larger than let's say 800 x 600? Your machine will be flipping during playback and the file sizes will be huge!
I really believe the H.264 codec will conquer the world very fast. In HD, SD, ?TV and iphone quality.
Wow, Apple really amazes me sometimes. How they can get a company to go back to their library and completely change all their videos to fit Apples format. Crazy.
But I'm sure it is for other reasons than just for the Apple TV, or just Apple paid them a ton of money. Still cool either way.
But I'm sure it is for other reasons than just for the Apple TV, or just Apple paid them a ton of money. Still cool either way.
