New Windows 7 ad criticizes Apple's lack of Blu-ray support on Mac

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  • Reply 61 of 410
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    We really can't know the answer. It may be related to reasonable bandwidth requirements, to avoid telcos getting up in arms, or simply a licensing issue (most likely). Remember that Apple uses FairPlay to protect content, which is not a generally supported DRM mechanism for the studios. The original Apple TV had unprotected analogue outputs (component, missing from the new model), theoretically a point for attack that other approaches like HDCP eliminate. With the new Apple TV having eliminated all analogue outputs entirely, it could be that this was done to prepare for 1080p content in the future.



    Apple got rid of the analog HD outputs on the new AppleTV because of the "analog sunset" that affects all HD devices with component video. You can read more about it here. Come December 31st of this year, manufacturers of Blu-ray players will have to limit component outputs to 480.
  • Reply 62 of 410
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    Yes, but if you have the disc you can watch it on EITHER your laptop or your big tv, or your mates, tv, or your aunties tv...........



    So you find that to be convenience option you want, but most people aren?t going to want to spend an excessive amount of money to pay for a Blu-ray player to watch the occasional movie on their notebook.



    Try this math:
    Take what would be the minimum upgrade cost for a 9.5mm Blu-ray drive from Apple, which is $500 ?though likely be more due to the requirement for a slot-loading drive ? and divide that number by the number of months you?d use that computer (I think 2.5 years is average).



    Now take the number of Blu-ray videos you own, divide by the number of months it took you to acquire them. Now we have a Blu-ray median of what you watch in a month, based on a single viewing (which is how most adults watch a movie). Multiple that number by the $3.99.
    If that number is higher than the per month cost of that Blu-ray drive then it would be likely be a net savings for you, but looking at the aforementioned rate of sales of Blu-ray over DVD, and popularity of digital streaming and downloads over all optical media, it?s simply not true for many so the questions remain: Why should Apple support something just because you want it? Why should Apple support something that competes with their focus and goals, and doesn?t positively affect their bottom line.



    PS: You?ve focused on Blu-ray support but you haven?t once mentioned AACS support which is essential for playback of studio Blu-ray titles. All you?ve done is bellyache that Apple should offer the HW directly.



    PPS: Anyone who wants to simplify or correct my maths please do so as I only wrote that a single thought without any calculations. It?s just a reference point.
  • Reply 63 of 410
    .



    I liked the ad!



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  • Reply 64 of 410
    See I think the only computers that bluray should even be in would be the 27" iMac (unless your computer can stream it to a much larger screen).... bluray makes no sense on a lower resolution screen...
  • Reply 65 of 410
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post




    employing cumbersome 'quasi-illegal' copy methods? Which one has to be careful of that quality output.



    IMO- I like the Avitar method - buy a disk and get a digital copy. SIMPLE.



    Hm, there is a need to have a backup of this quality output, BDs are sensitive and kids are cruel. As long as the industry does not enable private copies, or offers replacement disks for just postage and handling charges... I will use whatever illegal method is available to me.



    Digital copies are a good idea in theory, just, they are normally not full resolution and full audio quality, and, worse, they are used as a sales tool, not as a service. Some studios give you protected Windows Media as Digital Copy (useless for me), Sony gives you digital files that only work on a PSP (useless for me) and iTunes/Mac compatible Digital Copies are extremely rare. So, for most content I have legally purchased, illegally ripping it does remain the only way to make fair use of it.
  • Reply 66 of 410
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TNSF View Post


    I travel A LOT and I assure you the last thing I want to do is lug around bluray discs and be popping them into my computer so that I can watch my battery meter go down faster than Enron.



    If someone sat beside me on the plane and was thrilled that they could pop in a bluray I'd say "Great. By the way, have you seen my iPad? It holds 12 bluray movies and last 10 hours."



    LOL, excellent response. Don't forget to ask the guy if he still has a floppy.
  • Reply 67 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by joelsalt View Post


    What kind of laptop do you have?



    for the 13" MB or MBP its hardly a difference (1280×720). Perhaps the 15 or 17 would notice improvement.



    I have a 15" i7 MBP with the hi-res anti-glare screen (1680 x 1050). It's usually on a desk driving an external 1920 x 1200 monitor. Palettes on the MBP, workspace on the big display.



    I also do Netflix streaming from the MBP to my HDTV with a Moshi mini DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor. Although, the image quality is inferior to the TV's PG/VGA input. The HDMI image is ragged and jaggy, especially text. The VGA, through a DisplayPort adaptor is very sharp and rock-solid. I'm guessing it may be because the HDTV supports HDMI 1.2, not 1.3.
  • Reply 68 of 410
    i love reading the comments here all the time how when microsoft or anybody other then apple does something, the attack hounds are set loose and mercilessly attack anything non-apple. if apple does the same thing, everyone praises it as groundbreaking and a sound business choice. it's better then reading the funny pages on a sunday. good entertainment.



    i am a mac user, i own a mac pro, macbook pro and an ipad. i use android for a phone (incredible) and while i look forward to keynotes and releases i don't hinge on everything jobs says or like all the choices apple makes. my mac pro has a blu-ray drive in it for recording from fcp and for blu-ray on the windows 7 side in bootcamp.



    i think the commercial is great. you have to remember, commercials are made to go out to the general public, not just a select group of people who have already made up their mind. you also have to realize that the whole world isn't tied to fast internet connections. there are a lot of people in rural areas, like me that can only get 1.5/368 dsl because of where we live. streming hd content just doesn't cut it. even when you can stream hd content, the audio just can't match that of blu-ray.

    some people like audio.



    personally, i handbrake all my dvds to appletv format so i can load up the ipad with movies or a usb drive to connect to the camera connection kit to offload videos.



    i accept the video and audio quality isn't as good as full 1080p and blu-ray audio, but portability is more important.



    what gets me most is people ripping blu-ray for portability. why? all you are doing is taking a step backwards, when you could be doing the same with a dvd and getting quicker results. if you rip a blu-ray at it's normal size, there is no way you'll store 12 on an ipad, you'd be lucky to get two or three, but then you couldn't play them.



    blu-ray won a hard earned battle in the hd market to become the standard, and it's going to be here until something better and something bigger comes along. it won't be streaming. the US just doesn't have the infrastructure or speed for everyone to move to streaming.

    some people don't want to live in big cities (like me) and enjoy living up in the mountains.



    but, it was a good commercial, entertaining and if you look at it from the whole audience, a good commercial. realistic, no. no laptop is going to make 3+ hours on a spindle with full screen brightness. but then. when were commercials ever honest. i seem to remember a bunch of apple commercials about the g3/g4 being as powerful as a military supercomputer, and the whole megahertz myth pushed by apple back in the day.
  • Reply 69 of 410
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rob55 View Post


    Apple got rid of the analog HD outputs on the new AppleTV because of the "analog sunset" that affects all HD devices with component video. You can read more about it here. Come December 31st of this year, manufacturers of Blu-ray players will have to limit component outputs to 480.



    We do not know this for sure. Apple, is not using AACS, so we can't tell if they are affected by this change without knowing their actual contracts with the rights holders. It is possible, but it could also be a voluntary move to not affect future licensing negotiations.
  • Reply 70 of 410
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokrad View Post


    See I think the only computers that bluray should even be in would be the 27" iMac (unless your computer can stream it to a much larger screen).... bluray makes no sense on a lower resolution screen...



    I wouldn?t say ?no sense? but very little sense and not enough sense to expect Apple to include it.



    Scaramanga89?s reasoning is to buy the video once and watch it many times in many locations. For him that may be the ultimate convenience, but that surely is atypical, and he get himself Windows machine by some other vendor or use a 3rd-party drive on a Mac running Windows if it?s that important.
  • Reply 71 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CIM View Post


    Discs are dead.



    exactly... I might have touched a DVD once in the last 2 years... no CD's no Blu Ray, no HD DVD's.
  • Reply 72 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    Hm, there is a need to have a backup of this quality output, BDs are sensitive and kids are cruel.



    That's really a poor excuse to justify piracy.



    Teach them the proper way to handle disks or they can't use it.

    I've trained numerous house guests and girlfriends with that method.
  • Reply 73 of 410
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by malax View Post


    First off, I doubt that's a real "commercial." It's over a minute long, so it'll never be shown on TV.



    Second, where's the part where the iPad or iPhone walks up and says, "physical media, how quaint. I downloaded Toy Story 3 in the airport before the flight."



    You can of course, download a super compressed 720p movie through iTunes or other services on PCs as well.



    I'd take the blu-ray any day though. 45mbits of 1080p glory is in a league of it's own, and makes 'HD' downloads look hilariously bad. The only downloads which look respectable are the 1080p Zune store downloads on the Xbox 360.



    Apple don't have a leg to stand on here. The only way to get 1080p content onto a Mac, is either to install Windows 7, or download BD ripps via bittorent.
  • Reply 74 of 410
    Well, they gotta say something.



    Like the masses are yearning to watch Blu ray disks on their computers. Everything in the house plays Blu ray anymore--game consoles, etc. Why pay more for a computer to duplicate this function?
  • Reply 75 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CIM View Post


    Discs are dead.





    you might want to inform netflix and blockbuster. they haven't heard that news yet.





    just because you may not use them doesn't mean you or your opinion reflect the whole of the population. a lot of people still buy/rent dvd and blu-ray because either streaming just isn't there or they want a full hd experience at home.
  • Reply 76 of 410
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    Blu-ray should have been a no-brainer to add to Macs, but Apple is bent on removing optical drives from all their systems so downloads will be king.



    Personally, I don't use blu-ray but having the option would have be nice if I wanted to order Avatar on Netflix for my new iMac.
  • Reply 77 of 410
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Best part is the 'This was made on a PC" (Honestly!). They had to add that as no one would assume it ... . Someone make the sequel where the battery runs out and the PC watches the rest plus several other movies on the Mac.
  • Reply 78 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by scaramanga89 View Post


    yes, but if you have the disc you can watch it on either your laptop or your big tv, or your mates, tv, or your aunties tv...........



    exactly!
  • Reply 79 of 410
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rokrad View Post


    See I think the only computers that bluray should even be in would be the 27" iMac (unless your computer can stream it to a much larger screen).... bluray makes no sense on a lower resolution screen...



    A very flawed argument as you've missed one crucial factor - many people now buy BDs instead of DVDs. I for example just bought the extended cut of (would you believe it) Avatar today on Blu-Ray. While I may not appreciate the extra resolution as much on a laptop as I do on my 50" 1080p plasma, I would certainly appreciate the ability to play my BD as opposed to with a Mac, not be able to play it.



    I'm not a particularly active BD buyer (I rent discs usually), but I still have around 100 BDs and am down to about 2 or 3 DVDs. So for me, BD is the format my content lives on, which is why I want a BD player in as many devices as possible.
  • Reply 80 of 410
    Blu-Ray is great! I have no need for it in a laptop however. It would be nice in the MacMini I guess, but considering that I have pretty much all the HD movies I could ever want on line, and that I NEVER buy physical media for movies, I really couldn't care less if it's available as a drive in my Mac.
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