Apple's iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus use H.265 codec for FaceTime over cellular
While Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have drawn attention for their new form factors and flashy Retina HD displays, the handsets boast substantial under-the-hood advancements, including support for the highly efficient H.265 video codec.
As seen on Apple's iPhone tech specs webpage, both the iPhone 6 and its larger iPhone 6 Plus sibling leverage next-generation H.265 technology, also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), for encoding and decoding FaceTime video calls over cellular. The phones also support the older H.264 standard first championed by Apple with legacy devices like the Apple TV and third-generation iPad.
According to Matthew Fleming, an expert in the field of signals processing who spotted the new iPhone 6 feature, H.265 promises to deliver video quality identical to H.264 AVC at only half the bit rate. This translates into a massive overhead reduction much needed in constrained data systems like cellular networks.
"This has the potential to give Apple a serious advantage in the mobile video calling domain where bandwidth is at a premium," Fleming said.
Exactly how Apple is implementing H.265 is unknown at this time, but considering the feature is restricted to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, some speculate the new A8 SoC incorporates a specialized encoder/decoder module not present in older handsets. Further, Fleming points out that while Macs have the processing power to run software-based H.265 encoder/decoder solutions, portables usually require hardware integration.
The H.265 draft standard was first released by the Motion Pictures Expert Group in 2012, but has yet to see wide adoption in the consumer device market.
When Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller took the stage at Tuesday's unveiling, he highlighted the new iPhones' processing prowess, saying the A8's graphics core chews through operations 50 percent faster than its A7 predecessor. Also improved is CPU performance, which shows a 25 percent boost over last year's chip.
Apple initiated iPhone 6 and 6 Plus preorders earlier today, though servers were quickly overwhelmed by record-breaking demand for the larger-screened iOS handsets. The new hardware will hit store shelves on Sept. 19 in nine launch countries, while a wider international rollout is expected a week following.
As seen on Apple's iPhone tech specs webpage, both the iPhone 6 and its larger iPhone 6 Plus sibling leverage next-generation H.265 technology, also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), for encoding and decoding FaceTime video calls over cellular. The phones also support the older H.264 standard first championed by Apple with legacy devices like the Apple TV and third-generation iPad.
According to Matthew Fleming, an expert in the field of signals processing who spotted the new iPhone 6 feature, H.265 promises to deliver video quality identical to H.264 AVC at only half the bit rate. This translates into a massive overhead reduction much needed in constrained data systems like cellular networks.
"This has the potential to give Apple a serious advantage in the mobile video calling domain where bandwidth is at a premium," Fleming said.
Exactly how Apple is implementing H.265 is unknown at this time, but considering the feature is restricted to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, some speculate the new A8 SoC incorporates a specialized encoder/decoder module not present in older handsets. Further, Fleming points out that while Macs have the processing power to run software-based H.265 encoder/decoder solutions, portables usually require hardware integration.
The H.265 draft standard was first released by the Motion Pictures Expert Group in 2012, but has yet to see wide adoption in the consumer device market.
When Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller took the stage at Tuesday's unveiling, he highlighted the new iPhones' processing prowess, saying the A8's graphics core chews through operations 50 percent faster than its A7 predecessor. Also improved is CPU performance, which shows a 25 percent boost over last year's chip.
Apple initiated iPhone 6 and 6 Plus preorders earlier today, though servers were quickly overwhelmed by record-breaking demand for the larger-screened iOS handsets. The new hardware will hit store shelves on Sept. 19 in nine launch countries, while a wider international rollout is expected a week following.
Comments
He was the first to spot it? It was published on Apple's website the day of the announcement. Yes, it's sort of something you'd miss, but I imagine most people who scanned the page saw it. H.265 compatibility is not a huge surprise...the Samsung S4 has had an early version for months now, but the iPhone 6 having it means that Apple will likely start encoding content to it for that device's consumption. I imagine that future iPads and Apple TVs will get this feature soon enough...maybe even the Apple Watch.
Given that the S4 (and S5) only have H.265 decoders, but no encoder, and Qualcomm's first chip with an H.265 encoder won't be out until next year (Snapdragon 810) it is quite the achievement that the A8 has both decoder and encoder. The only other mobile chip sporting an H.265 encoder that I am aware of is from Mediatek (MT6595), but I don't know if there is a phone with it out yet, so potentially another first from Apple.
Good job, APple-Semi!
With the reduction in data, that means that facetime calls between A8 devices should look awesome and be smooth as hell.
Oh, that's cute! Is this a new genre of Samsung spec-whoring that we can expect more of in the future?
I hoped for it months ago but yeah, I noticed it a few days ago.
Notice also that the phone DOES NOT PLAY BACK H.265. It simply uses it for FaceTime between iPhone 6 models (reverting to H.264 for older ones and Macs).
But since it CAN do H.265, that tells me that playback is simply waiting for
1. an update to iTunes to support it on the phone
2. an update to iTunes to support it on Macs
3. corresponding H.265 files from Apple in the iTunes Store
?So be on the lookout for those in the very near future.
iTunes 12 could support it because without a HW decoder it's pointless to offer it. I don't think we'd not know it existed so Apple is probably just setting this up now.
1) I've been expecting this, too. I think I even stated I expected it last year as the Galaxy S4(?) had an H.265 decoder in mid-2013.
2) It might not say it plays back H.265 video — when it clearly does through FaceTime — because there is no H.265 on the iTunes Store or any appreciable content on the internet. I would discount the possibility that at next month's iTunes-focused event they will announce it and say the iPhone 6 now supports it. Let me take that back, I don't think that will happen until there are Macs, especially a Mac Pro with apps that can encode before they unleash it, but they are definitely getting it ready. Perhaps next year.
With the reduction in data, that means that facetime calls between A8 devices should look awesome and be smooth as hell.
No, not really.
It means that FaceTime calls use less cellular data. If the two callers are both on WiFi, it would be unlikely that they would notice much quality difference.
Why? Software decoder. Don’t try to tell me we’ll all have to buy new Macs to get this; they’ll never roll it out…
Yes, that’s what I mean. Sorry if it was unclear.
What I believe is that all Macs from here on out will have… H.265 support. I mean, don’t some now? How is this supposed to work, anyway? I don’t remember* having to buy a new computer to get H.264…
*obligatory justified self-deprecation involving an inability to remember anything at all, thereby highlighting the normally throwaway phrase ‘I don’t remember’ as having true weight
Maybe but that would be a huge load on the Intel processors. My guess is that they are setting it up now so they can list their devices with H.265 for getting smaller files (at a faster rate) for current content encoded with H.265 and then offer 4K content in a couple years. Frankly, I'm surprised the iPhone 6 doesn't have 4K@30fps video which is more data than the per second data needed for 1080p@240fps video*, everything else being equal. Of course there are many other considerations but I thought it would happen this year because we got 10780p@120fps last year.
* • 1920 × 1080 = 2,073,600 pixels × 30fps = 62,208,000 pixels per second • 1920 × 1080 = 2,073,600 pixels × 240fps = 497,664,000 pixels per second • 3840 × 2160 = 8,294,400 pixels × 30 fps = 248,832,000 pixels per second
6S will, then.
Honestly, probably the 7 or 7S before that happens. Apple will wait for 4K TVs to be more widely sold. If they’re not more widely sold (and unless 1080 panels fall off the market entirely, John Q. Moron won’t buy one), they likely won’t bother. Additionally, they’ll wait for more widespread H.265 support in their computers and products and more retina Macs.
If the iPhone 6 can en/decode H.265 next week then I would expect
hopeeverything to start getting that capability going forward.Ah, but the iPhone does 240fps at 720p.
Nice catch.
• 1280 × 720 = 921,600 pixels × 240fps = 221,184,000 pixels per second
• 3840 × 2160 = 8,294,400 pixels × 30 fps = 248,832,000 pixels per second
Close. Very close.
I'm betting these two features sucked up a good chunk of those extra transistors. Add in an extra GPU core and storage for the secure enclave and that's probably where that extra billion transistors went.
BTW, when is iOS going to support the royalty free and vastly superior VP9¡
I do expect it to be used for more than FaceTime. I can only hope this will come in an OS update next month.
I can dream that this already supports HEVC V2, but that probably wasn't ready in time to put it into the A8. Is it close enough to cover that in software?
When iTunes Store content is finally updated I am sure they will not keep quiet.
So… $1.99 to update to H.265 copies of movies, do you bet?