iPod Video with h.264 support

[giandrea]

Apple has just released the iPod Video, with a 2.5" 320x240 color screen, MPEG4 and H.264 playback support, and TV out.
More information to come at http://www.apple.com/
Videos will be available at the new iTunes Music store with iTunes 6.

We will see what kind of DRM Apple will use, if we will be able to upload our own videos to the iPod and what H.264 features it will support.

I'm going to buy one soon

[DigitalDeviant]

Damn, beat to it. But I found some stats.

* 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

Glad I didn't buy a PSP

edit: found better specs.

[LordRPI]

Hey,

I just downloaded "Lost" for $2 to satisfy my curiosity as to what format Apple is selling the videos in.

QuickTime Reports

AAC (protected), Stereo, 44,100 kHz
AVC0 Media, 320 X 240, Millions
FPS 24.00

I have also used QuickTime Pro to export "Movie to iPod (320X240)" and it is indeed AVC/H.264.

[giandrea]

Originally Posted by LordRPI

I have also used QuickTime Pro to export "Movie to iPod (320X240)" and it is indeed AVC/H.264.

I've also done a couple of 30 seconds tests with export "Movie to iPod", there are no settings to choose from, either for audio or for video, so no 2-pass; the encoding took a while because I'm on an old CPU, but I've found some interesting things:
- the clip is not forced to 4:3 resolution of 320x240, instead it is resized to fit in the boundaries of a 320x240 rectangle. i.e. a 640x268 clip I had, was resized to 320x134.
-it supports non-mod16 resolutions like the one above or 317x240.
-the frame rate was kept to the original one
-the bitrate was around 700 kbps (128 kbps stereo AAC + 568.5 kbps H264) for the first clip, 720 kbps for the second clip (128 kbps AAC, 593 kbps H264).
-the file extension is not .mp4, it's .m4v .
-Is it me or there is a green line at the far right of the frame?
I would like to upload this samples somewhere (but I don't know where anyway they are few MBs) so someone can test the H264 features present, like B-frames, CABAC, multi-references frames, and perhaps compare them with the PSP ones.

And I'm curious of what "H264 Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3" means. Google is of no help.
Thank you,

giandrea

[Sgt_Strider]

Originally Posted by DigitalDeviant

Damn, beat to it. But I found some stats.

* 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

Glad I didn't buy a PSP

edit: found better specs.

Does this mean the Ipod can decode H.264 high profile? If not, can the PSP? I'm looking to buy the device that has the "best" h.264 decoder.

[akupenguin]

It says "Baseline Profile" right in your quote. Baseline is not High.

[LordRPI]

Originally Posted by akupenguin

It says "Baseline Profile" right in your quote. Baseline is not High.

As such, Baseline does not include B-Frames or CABAC. However, the profiles not having a perfect "onion peel," baseline and extended include Arbitrary Slice Ordering and Redundant Slices which Main profile does not.

[hpn]

Avoid at all costs. 2.5-inch screen is a joke (plus smart double-charging marketing approach) and "new generations" with larger screens, 3.5" then 4.5" (vertical) are expected every few months in the future (at about the same price) and you'll be very unhappy then if you rush to the stores now. Sony PSP features a 4.3-inch LCD.

[dejected_is_me]

i plan on buying one, does anyone smarter then i know what the apple h264 settings are. as hinted at above it might be possiable to reproduce in x264 or nero. (well maybe not nero, although nero did just come out with a psp setting in it profile suite) The export file in quicktime is a joke. It cant encode something it cant decode. So if its not in mov already your sol. Ive also been missing around with some programs, 3vix suite with graphedit into a mov. THe most promising is a program called "digital media converter" It seems to have presets the mimic quicktimes and it will decode anything i throw at it. The last option i came up with was import the file into adobe premier pro 1.5 and use its built in support for quicktime.(although when i tried this, premier promtly crashed). IDeally it would be nice to use megui to make a raw file with x264 and mux it into a mp4 file. The specs say it will play a mp4 file.
AS for complaints about the screen size, bahh... even the biggest screen is 4 inches top, and it was never made to replace your tv just add to it. It would be pretty cool to break out anime in the middle of class.

-dejected

[Sgt_Strider]

Originally Posted by akupenguin

It says "Baseline Profile" right in your quote. Baseline is not High.

Thanks...I guess I should have read the "sticky" thread on the profile information. Damn baseline seems to be the first of the 4 profiles on AVC.

How about the PSP? Does anyone here know?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by giandrea

-the file extension is not .mp4, it's .m4v .

I find this confusing!

I was of the logic that the .M4V file extention would denote an elementary stream.... As .M1V - does for MPEG-1 and .M2V does for MPEG-2.


Cheers

[Manao]

However, the profiles not having a perfect "onion peel," baseline and extended include Arbitrary Slice Ordering and Redundant Slices which Main profile does not.

Which serve no purposes at all, at least for doom9 users.

[lexor]

ok here is a Link to the guide on making a video for ipod using ffmpegX, shouldn't be hard to get the same settings going with x264 and all that jazz and as long as you stay with those settings you should also be able to have 2pass no problem.

I also think that the title of that guide is well fit for the video ipods main use in mass market.

[giandrea]

Originally Posted by SeeMoreDigital

I was of the logic that the .M4V file extention would denote an elementary stream.... As .M1V - does for MPEG-1 and .M2V does for MPEG-2.

This way they have .m4a and .m4v assigned to .mp4 files which content is audio or video/audio, and they are opened by iTunes, while .mp4 is opened by QuickTime. If all those files were .mp4 there would be confusion about the content of the file (audio, audio/video, which player should open it).

[Sharktooth]

CrapTime has been updated to version 7.03. It's now able to make videos for iPod Video.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by giandrea

This way they have .m4a and .m4v assigned to .mp4 files which content is audio or video/audio, and they are opened by iTunes, while .mp4 is opened by QuickTime. If all those files were .mp4 there would be confusion about the content of the file (audio, audio/video, which player should open it).

Eh........ It should be quite simple really!

.M4A should refer to the elementary audio only stream
.M4V should refer to the elementary MPEG-4/SP/ASP video only stream
.MP4 should refer to the combined audio and video stream

If not, what file extension actually refers to an elementary MPEG-4/SP/ASP video only stream?


Cheers

[giandrea]

Originally Posted by SeeMoreDigital

If not, what file extension actually refers to an elementary MPEG-4/SP/ASP video only stream?

I understand your points, but go ask Apple... They could have choosen other extensions like .mv4 and .ma4 ...

[Manao]

Actually, MP4 should refer to the container (having both audio and video isn't mandatory).

I've always considered .m4v to be raw mpeg4 part2 elementary stream, and it isn't apple that'll make me change.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by Manao

I've always considered .m4v to be raw mpeg4 part2 elementary stream, and it isn't apple that'll make me change.

Me neither

And while we are on the subject of Apple product, here's an .MOV implementation I have not seen before: -



Thankfully... it would seem the H.264 video and AAC audio streams in Apples latest trailers are much happier at being de-muxed and re-muxed.


Cheers

[AnimeTheme]

Originally Posted by Sgt_Strider

Thanks...I guess I should have read the "sticky" thread on the profile information. Damn baseline seems to be the first of the 4 profiles on AVC.

How about the PSP? Does anyone here know?

PSP supports AVC Main Profile Level 3.

In terms of specs and screen size, PSP is better than iPod.

And just in case you guys didn't notice, the new iPod's battery allows no more than 2 hours (1 hour more for 60GB model) of video playback. If you buy the new iPod for video, think again.