Steve, By all means bet your life; but I'd just like _someone_ with a video iPod to try one of my files and confirm what happens.
The reason being, Apple have published loosely worded specs before. Witness their original iTunes RSS specs, flawed in several areas. If you read they're video-for-iPod specs you can argue they're somewhat ambiguous. As for compatibility, it depends on your audience, and it seems the vast majority of CTK's audience are using iTunes. Anyway it's well after bedtime in my part of the world ... Waz www.crashtestkitchen.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Watkins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Its most certainly true, I bet my life on it being true, because > baseline profile support is a limitation of the decoder chip built > into the video ipod. > > However, there is hope. The main profile incompatibility is only > related to .mov output by accident, it can be fixed, the two are not > intrinsically linked, its an accident. > > Its just because historically the mov export option has never shown > the user any mpeg4 profile controls. And now becaue the ipod needs > baseline not main, and main is the default, we get this problem. > > Nobody even really thought about profile stuff before now, there wasnt > a need to. There may be a workaround for reinjecting a baseline mp4 > into a mov, apple may fix something, or maybe not. > > I have mixed feelings about all this. I have been boring on for months > about how I wish people would make .mp4 files rather than .movs, > unless they really needed added .mov functionality. This is because I > tired of the entrenched positions of many Mac and PC users, nether > wanting to ditch what they know and are comfortable with, and thus > limiting their viewers choice in the process. A lot of software to > make and watch .mp4s is appearing that doesnt rely on apple and doesnt > use .mov format. I support this, and so I was filled with joy when > apples ipod export option makes mp4s not movs. They ruined it a bit by > filenaming them .m4v's instead of .mp4, just to confuse everyone even > more than they were already, or maybe they were trying to make it easy > fo people to spot h264 stuff versus older mpeg4 stuff. > > What I would say is that h264 in a mov file is one of the least > compatible things out there. It really requires someone to have > quicktime 7 or some bizarre geek software that can extract mpeg4 > streams from movs. > > Indeed the advise so far has been to avoid h264 altogether if you want > the widest audience. The hyperlink etc features are certainly > valuable, but so is compatibility, so if those things come first go > for older mpeg4 in a mov, it will still work on the ipod too. > > A compromise between these 2 extremes is that if you must create h264, > at least make it a .mp4 so that people have some alternative choice of > player software than QT7 (eg VLC, Nero Showtime, many more soon honest) > > Steve of Elbows > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "wazman_au" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Hey Mike, > > > > If you're correct about baseline vs main profile as applied to .mov > > files, it's ridiculous. Why would Apple nobble their own format like > > that? > > > > Some of choose to use .mov files compressed with H.264 because of > > the potential to add hyperlinks in a .mov file. To lose that > > functionality is a big bummer. AND to find this out after lashing > > out and buying QT7 for Windows is even worse! > > > > If you would be so kind, please double-check as to whether it's > > true. The latest post at Crash Test Kitchen is a .mov file > > compressed using H.264 and if you're right it won't work on your > > iPod. > > > > Thanks, > > Waz > > www.crashtestkitchen.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Verdi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > I just got a new iPod yesterday and I've been doing some tests > > with > > > it. Here's what I've figured out so far. Please feel free to add > > to > > > this. > > > > > > Videos encoded with 3ivx and Apple's mpeg4, with AAC or mpeg4- > > audio > > > (QT 6) all seem to work following the tutorials that we've posted > > at > > > FreeVlog: > > > <URL: > > http://www.archive.org/download/node101FinalCutProCompression/ > > > FCP.compression.mov > > > > <URL: http://www.archive.org/download/iMovie_Compression/ > > > imovie_compress.mov > > > > <URL: http://freevlog.org/archive/3ivx.mov > > > > > > > The one problem with all of these tutorials is that if you are on > > > Windows you will need the Pro version of QuickTime in order to > > have > > > access to the AAC audio codec required by the iPod. > > > > > > So, if you do have QuickTime Pro 7 for Windows you can also use > > it > > > compress full resolution DV files (AVI format) using the process > > in > > > this tutorial: > > > <URL: http://freevlog.org/archive/wmv.to.qt.mov > > > > The difference here being that you won't have to go through Avid > > Free > > > DV (because you've purchased QT Pro) and you'll be using the AAC > > > audio codec and not IMA 4:1 like the tutorial says. > > > > > > H.264 > > > So the thing about the "Baseline" profile vs. the "Main" profile > > that > > > Steve Watkins was talking about is correct. The iPod is only > > > compatible with H.264 movies using the "Baseline" profile. The > > > problem is that when you export as a QuickTime movie from FCP, > > > Compressor, QT Pro, iMovie, QT Pro for Windows, etc., you have no > > > ability to select which profile is used. The bad news is > > that "Main" > > > is what is used by default. So, any .mov file compressed using > > H.264 > > > is not going to be compatible with the iPod. > > > > > > But all hope is not lost for those of you wishing to use H.264. > > What > > > you will have to do is export to "MPEG-4", select H.264 as your > > > codec, click the "Video Options" button and "restrict profile" to > > > "baseline." Of course you also have to use AAC as the audio > > codec. > > > I've verified that this works on both Mac and PC. > > > > > > Export "Movie to iPod (320 X 240)" > > > I had hoped that this would be an easy to use preset that would > > be > > > great for videobloggers and the iPod but it's not. If you edit > > some > > > DV footage and use this option it will make your compressed video > > 320 > > > X 213 which looks like crap. What this feature seems intended > > for > > > (and is good at doing) is taking an old quicktime movie > > (compressed > > > with something else like Sorenson) that you've already downloaded > > and > > > make it work on you iPod. > > > > > > That's about it for now. > > > Verdi > > > -- > > > Me: http://michaelverdi.com > > > R&D: http://graymattergravy.com > > > Learn to videoblog: http://freevlog.org > > > Learn to videoblog in person: http://node101.org > > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get Bzzzy! (real tools to help you find a job). Welcome to the Sweet Life. http://us.click.yahoo.com/A77XvD/vlQLAA/TtwFAA/lBLqlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/videoblogging/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
