Apple Seeking Blu-ray Disc Content for New Video iPod

[marzetta7]

Here is some news about Apple apparently asking for Blu-ray disc content for their next generation iPod, the ever elusive full-screen video iPod.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/86570/ap...ray-disks.html

News [Music/MP3 players]
Wednesday 26th April 2006

Apple seeks iPod content on Blu-ray disks 1:17PM
Apple is asking movie studios to include video content for iPods on Blu-ray discs, according to iPod Hub.
The website says that industry insiders have reported that Apple wants to have content available before its next iPod model is introduced. This, the report says, will be the long-awaited large-screen version.

Apple joined the Sony-led Blu-ray Disc Association last year, saying at the time that the format, which can store up to 50GB on a single disc, would be ideal for Mac users 'already creating stunning HD content with Apple's leading video editing applications'.

The company has yet to announce plans to fit BD drives in its computers, though they could well make their debut in the first Intel-powered Power Macs later this year. Incidentally, Intel has thrown its considerable weight behind Blu-ray's rival technology, HD DVD.

[JTK]

More good news for Blu-Ray potentially, considering the huge popularity and user base that the Ipod currently enjoys.

This is yet another easy, mass market penetration potential for Blu-Ray, like PS3, that HD-DVD can only fantasize about.

[thunderhawk]

BDs (12 cm sized discs) in iPods?

[JTK]

Originally Posted by thunderhawk

BDs (12 cm sized discs) in iPods?

Not sure about that, either...

[Shadowself]

this is just an additional format for the video on the disk. The disk would then most likely hold HD (probably 1080p), SD (probably 480p), and some format for the iPod (possibly QVGA [320x240]) of the movie on it.

When a person buys a Blu-ray disk they would then be able to play it directly on their TV (HD or SD) through a BD player ....
or ....
copy it into their Macintosh (with managed copy) with iTunes or iVideo [or whatever]. From there there they could transfer the file to a video iPod. Then they could watch the movie anywere they are.

I don't see BD players directly connecting to iPods. Nor do I see iPods growing in size to acommodate a BD player.

[thunderhawk]

Don't think that'd be a big problem. If you make your movies WVGA resolution, that should do the trick, not? So that's a small filesize... No big deal. Now it has to be compatible... lol

[Shadowself]

Originally Posted by thunderhawk

Don't think that'd be a big problem. If you make your movies WVGA resolution, that should do the trick, not? So that's a small filesize... No big deal. Now it has to be compatible... lol

I would definitely like to see the video iPod (if it ever materializes) at WVGA (854 x 480), but I would guess this is a bit higher resolution than will be implemented. At 100 ppi (typical LCD density) this would be a screen 8.54 inches by 4.80 inches. Then adding housing around the outside gives a minimum dimension of about 9 x 5.25 inches, which is a bit large for an iPod concept.

If a wide format is used (IMHO, quite possible), I'd expect something more along the lines of a wide version of QVGA (though I am aware of no standard version for that) -- though it could easily be 384 x 240 (16x10). This would give a screen size of 3.84 inches by 2.40 inches in the aforementioned 100 ppi. Rounding thes up with housing gives about 4.25 x 2.75 inches -- not much larger than a current iPod if virtually the entire front is used for a screen. (With Apple's recent patents pertaining to virtual screen controls, this is a definite possibility.)

So, if Apple actually does ship a "Video iPod" which will it be? Good resolution at WVGA or tolerable/poor resoltuion at "WQVGA"? Only Jobs himself knows for sure.

As far as making the files compatible... Apple's QuickTime format is the basis format for MPEG-4 (don't know if that's only Part 2 or if it includes Part 10 [aka H.264] too). Thus compatibility should be reasonably easy to do.

[Xanog]

The iPod is a huge success, and was the only format that even stood a chance against the Walkman, and it ended up knocking Walkman off it's throne.

If this is true, the inclusion of iPod content could end up winning the format war for Blu-Ray.

[thunderhawk]

Apple included H.264 in Quicktime.

Video support
H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html

However in their next-gen iPod (generation 5 or 6..) they said they would use a widescreen display, so I'd say use WVGA instead of WQVGA, just to have some margin.

[marzetta7]

Here's some more news about Blu-ray and iPod content. Man, with the huge success that the iPod obviously is, this (if true) most definitely will be solidifying Blu-ray's position as the de facto next generation HD format. Now say that 100 times fast with me...

http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/inde...1&pagePos=2

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Macworld Daily News

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Thursday - April 27, 2006
Apple makes Blu-Ray iPod movie play
By Macworld staff

Apple is asking movie studios to include iPod-ready versions of their films on future Blu-Ray disc releases.

CNN claims Apple - who signed up to support the Blu-Ray standard in March 2005 - is using its membership of the standards-setting body and its CEO Steve Jobs' Hollywood clout to convince studios to make such a move.

Apple new media ally Disney and Blu-Ray standard champion Sony have been approached, the report states.

Convincing studios to release iPod-ready movies using the rights-protected Blu-Ray standard would "greatly expand Apple's movie library," the report opines.

The move is thought to be part of Apple's strategy to create a rich ecosystem of content to help generate sales of its purported future "true iPod video" product.

Blu-ray is one of two new optical disc formats battling to replace DVDs for high-definition content. The main backers of Blu-ray include Sony, Panasonic, Disney, Apple and Samsung, while companies supporting the rival HD-DVD format include Toshiba, NEC and Intel.

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