Every media player has: Play, FF, RW, Stop. That doesn't mean they all perform the same function.
DVD also has chapters. Which requires an interface for easily displaying what chapter is currently being watched, how many chapter there are, and navigating those chapters. In DVD Player 5 Apple includes a drop down linear time bar across the top of the screen to allow visual navigation of the chapters.
Don't the iTunes video downloads offer chapters? I suppose they don't, I don't remember any on the few videos I've bought. I really don't think it makes sense to not have them, so the linear bar shouldn't need to be the special province of just one media type.
The thing that I don't get is that the stuff that's currently only commonly being done on DVD can be done with video files, but are not. Chapter marks, closed captions, subtitle tracks, multiple audio tracks are not some mystical concepts that can't or shouldn't be done in video files. I think it's pretty disappointing that this isn't more common.
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But whatever, this going nowhere and we are just being argumentative. Plus Apple has a separate DVD Player and that's the way it is.
I don't think anyone was contesting that fact. But that doesn't mean that the Apple way is ideal, and that's what we were discussing here. I still think the reasons for separation are more because of a certain kind of pragmatism and history, and not out of taking a good look at the functions from a broader view.
Just to add a counter example where Apple have gone in the right direction (IMHO). File sharing in Leopard.
Pre-Leopard you had 'Personal File Sharing' ie. AFP, 'Windows File Sharing' ie. SMB and FTP. Three options that essentially did the same thing, just using a different protocol. Now it's just 'File Sharing'. They hide the protocol details because it's not important to most people who just want to 'share a file'.
Chapter marks, closed captions, subtitle tracks, multiple audio tracks are not some mystical concepts that can't or shouldn't be done in video files. I think it's pretty disappointing that this isn't more common.
I see your point but I am sure they are trying to keep the file as small as possible.
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But that doesn't mean that the Apple way is ideal, and that's what we were discussing here. I still think the reasons for separation are more because of a certain kind of pragmatism and history, and not out of taking a good look at the functions from a broader view.
Well lets look at it this way. Who has created a better alternative? Windows Media Player does it all but I haven't seen or heard that it works any better than Apple's method. I'm not saying its worse either, but WMP cannot navigate DVD menus with the same sophistication of Apple's DVD Player.
I'm sure there are pros and cons to both ways as I've said.
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That's what they should be doing with messaging on the iPhone. Simplifying.
iChat does both IM and SMS so its very possible that they may do the same for the iPhone.
I see your point but I am sure they are trying to keep the file as small as possible.
The only thing that changes the file size noticeably is additional audio tracks. iTunes' bit rate would basically mean about 21MB more for a 22 minute show, which on the file I checked, would be a 9% file size increase. Other than that, all the other features are negligible in terms of file size. Even DVD subs are only equivalent to adding a couple second's worth of video for every half hour. Chapter marks and CC would be a few k in size.
To find itself in 4th position at its price point is remarkable. Imagine what will happen when Apple goes down market with a iPhone nano. Apple's biggest problem continues to be its sole relationship with AT&T. The fact that 250,000 iPhone are sold but not activated on AT&T pretty much proves the point.
To find itself in 4th position at its price point is remarkable. Imagine what will happen when Apple goes down market with a iPhone nano.
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I would love for Apple to come out with an "iPhone nano" but I just don't think it will happen anytime soon. The whole point to making the iPhone was to roll music and phone into one... if you remember... motorola tried this with their "iTunes phone" it was horrible. So in order for Apple to make an iPhone nano, I believe it would still need to have music on it. Unfortunately, I don't see them coming out with a 1 or 2 gig phone... call me crazy. But the whole concept behind the iPhone is that its a convergence device (it lumps together 2 or more devices).
Also, if an iPhone nano did come out I feel very strongly that it would be touch screen and nothing else. Apple hates keys. The touch screen is like their nirvana. I don't think they would regress and ship anything else. A little iPhone nano would be super cool though. Maybe in the next couple of years though... if anything were to make it possible, it would have to be something like this...
Comments
Every media player has: Play, FF, RW, Stop. That doesn't mean they all perform the same function.
DVD also has chapters. Which requires an interface for easily displaying what chapter is currently being watched, how many chapter there are, and navigating those chapters. In DVD Player 5 Apple includes a drop down linear time bar across the top of the screen to allow visual navigation of the chapters.
Don't the iTunes video downloads offer chapters? I suppose they don't, I don't remember any on the few videos I've bought. I really don't think it makes sense to not have them, so the linear bar shouldn't need to be the special province of just one media type.
The thing that I don't get is that the stuff that's currently only commonly being done on DVD can be done with video files, but are not. Chapter marks, closed captions, subtitle tracks, multiple audio tracks are not some mystical concepts that can't or shouldn't be done in video files. I think it's pretty disappointing that this isn't more common.
But whatever, this going nowhere and we are just being argumentative. Plus Apple has a separate DVD Player and that's the way it is.
I don't think anyone was contesting that fact. But that doesn't mean that the Apple way is ideal, and that's what we were discussing here. I still think the reasons for separation are more because of a certain kind of pragmatism and history, and not out of taking a good look at the functions from a broader view.
Pre-Leopard you had 'Personal File Sharing' ie. AFP, 'Windows File Sharing' ie. SMB and FTP. Three options that essentially did the same thing, just using a different protocol. Now it's just 'File Sharing'. They hide the protocol details because it's not important to most people who just want to 'share a file'.
See http://db.tidbits.com/article/9261
(and they brought back OS9 style Folder level sharing - that's worth the upgrade alone for me)
That's what they should be doing with messaging on the iPhone. Simplifying.
Chapter marks, closed captions, subtitle tracks, multiple audio tracks are not some mystical concepts that can't or shouldn't be done in video files. I think it's pretty disappointing that this isn't more common.
I see your point but I am sure they are trying to keep the file as small as possible.
But that doesn't mean that the Apple way is ideal, and that's what we were discussing here. I still think the reasons for separation are more because of a certain kind of pragmatism and history, and not out of taking a good look at the functions from a broader view.
Well lets look at it this way. Who has created a better alternative? Windows Media Player does it all but I haven't seen or heard that it works any better than Apple's method. I'm not saying its worse either, but WMP cannot navigate DVD menus with the same sophistication of Apple's DVD Player.
I'm sure there are pros and cons to both ways as I've said.
That's what they should be doing with messaging on the iPhone. Simplifying.
iChat does both IM and SMS so its very possible that they may do the same for the iPhone.
I see your point but I am sure they are trying to keep the file as small as possible.
The only thing that changes the file size noticeably is additional audio tracks. iTunes' bit rate would basically mean about 21MB more for a 22 minute show, which on the file I checked, would be a 9% file size increase. Other than that, all the other features are negligible in terms of file size. Even DVD subs are only equivalent to adding a couple second's worth of video for every half hour. Chapter marks and CC would be a few k in size.
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iPhone 8GB
MacBook 13" 2.16GHz Duo
Shuffle - 2nd gen
To find itself in 4th position at its price point is remarkable. Imagine what will happen when Apple goes down market with a iPhone nano.
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I would love for Apple to come out with an "iPhone nano" but I just don't think it will happen anytime soon. The whole point to making the iPhone was to roll music and phone into one... if you remember... motorola tried this with their "iTunes phone" it was horrible. So in order for Apple to make an iPhone nano, I believe it would still need to have music on it. Unfortunately, I don't see them coming out with a 1 or 2 gig phone... call me crazy. But the whole concept behind the iPhone is that its a convergence device (it lumps together 2 or more devices).
Also, if an iPhone nano did come out I feel very strongly that it would be touch screen and nothing else. Apple hates keys. The touch screen is like their nirvana. I don't think they would regress and ship anything else. A little iPhone nano would be super cool though. Maybe in the next couple of years though... if anything were to make it possible, it would have to be something like this...
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscell.../10/ion_memory