Cheers, it has ben posted here before and caused some debate. 640x480 is definately not for everyone and introduces a complication in the form of needing to deinterlace your content when using higher resolutions.
The other problem people had with it is the Apple defaults creating files that are larger than hey would like. I still havent come up with the perfect elegant & easy way to get round this on Windows, despite my earlier confidence. There are solutions, but even the installation process for these can be convoluted. Meanwhile on OS X solutions include iSquint (probably), visualhub, and perhaps the new version of compressor, judging by recent discussions here. 320x240 is still most appropraite for a lot of people at the end of the day. Even if you use 640x480, consider stil having a 320 version available, Apple dont care much about these details because they are being very apple TV focussed and they didnt want their advice to be over-complicated, oh well. Cheers Steve Elbows --- In [email protected], "Harold Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > For those of you who may have not received Apple's suggestions > regarding the formatting of video, here it is. Keep in mind that > these are only *suggestions*. > > Harold > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: iTunes Podcasting Team <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Apr 11, 2007 7:28 PM > Subject: Podcasting, Apple TV, and WWDC > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Greetings from the iTunes Podcasting Team: > > Apple TV is here, and podcasts are making a big move into the living > room. We want all of them to look as good as possible, so we have > three video formatting recommendations for you. Also note that we have > just posted a revised and expanded technical spec. Finally, the Apple > Worldwide Developers Conference is coming up. There's a major focus on > developers of content in addition to developers of software. > > > Recommendations for Formatting Video Podcasts > > 1. If you're encoding your video podcast at 320x240, please increase > the resolution to either 640x480 or 640x360 (depending on the aspect > ratio of your source files). Why? Because video podcasts at this > resolution look great on Apple TV and still port to video iPods. Lower > resolution podcasts might also work on both platforms, but they don't > look nearly as good on a widescreen TV. As always, make sure to test > any encoding changes you make to ensure device compatibility. > QuickTime 7.1's "Export to iPod" function will ensure that a video > file is encoded at a width of 640 and is iPod-compatible. > > 2. It's best not to create two different podcast feeds for different > resolutions. By doing so, you dilute the popularity of your podcast > and reduce exposure in our charts. It's better to have one feed high > in the charts than two that are lower. > > 3. If your source files are 16:9, stick with that aspect ratio. Don't > add letterboxing to make them 4:3. By doing so, you prevent the video > from expanding to fill a 16:9 widescreen TV and instead end up with > black space on all four sides. Also, your original source files should > be at least 640 pixels wide. > > Of course these are just recommendations. We understand that there are > good reasons for 320x240 (bandwidth bills) and 720p (looks fantastic). > Do whatever makes the most sense for your show. For more information > on formatting video, see the recently updated spec: > > http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html > > To see a sample of excellent podcasts that also look great with Apple > TV, check out the Apple TV Podcast Showcase. > > > WWDC June 11 - 15, San Francisco, CA > > The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC07) has a whole session > track dedicated to Content and Media developers, designers, > information architects, graphic designers and web producers. > > You'll learn how to implement best practices to harness digital > content for delivery to the Web, applications and devices such as the > iPod or Apple TV. Whether you're creating next-generation rich-media > portals or leveraging the latest AJAX toolkits to develop hybrid/Web > integrated OS X applications, the Content and Media track provides the > latest information on how to build modern, platform-optimized > experiences for Mac OS X Leopard. > > WWDC07 is your opportunity to connect with Apple engineers, get a > firsthand look at the latest technologies and spend a week getting the > information you won't find anywhere else. > > http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/ > > > Best regards, > > The iTunes Podcasting Team >
