We always suspected the iPhone 3GS was capable of 1080p HD video playback, and now we've got proof. Although Apple lists the iPhone 3Gs's max video playback res at just 640x480,
iLounge linked to Chinese forum post claiming that the 3GS could do 30Mbps 1080p playback earlier today -- and when we saw that the only thing we needed to do to test it out was download the free FileAid app, well, you know how we've just spent the last 20 minutes. We tested out a bunch of HD trailers from Apple's QuickTime trailer site, some videos we shot with a Lumix DMC-GH1 and some other random videos with general success, but there were some major hiccups: high bitrate 720p video off the GH1 stuttered during playback, and loading the
Avatar trailer consistently crashed the phone's audio driver until we restarted. We tried the same thing on an iPhone 3G and just got error messages at almost every resolution, so it seems like it's a combination of the 3GS's extra horsepower and different built-in software at work here -- software that's clearly not ready for prime-time, as evidenced by the bugs. We're hoping Apple is polishing that up and getting ready to unlock this functionality, since it'd be sweet to just plug into an HDTV and play video -- anyone listening out there in Cupertino? Video after the break.
Read - Apple iPhone specs
Read - Chinese forum posts claiming 30Mbps 1080p playback
posted August 20th 2009 6:59PM
Boo Zune HD.
what's a zune??
Ya... it's not like the Zune HD has already been shown to handle 720p playback flawlessly, without stuttering or any problems...
Wow meatjuice, you have major anger/jealousy problems. You might wanna see someone about that.
bu bu Tegra! Wah! D:
Zune HD doesnt need an app to play HD video -.-
its right out the box, engadget you over did the tittle
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much"
Or in other words, if zune wasn't any good, a meh mp3/video player there wouldn't be these outburst.
The more flames the more intresting it is becoming... I'll have to check it when it comes to shops.
Umm...Zune has games already, the HD will be able to do those, and will have new ones as well.
Who want's to watch stuttery HD video on a smudged up, 3.5 inch screen?
Not to mention the battery needed...
@brr404
I don't think they overdid the tittle in the i of iPhone. It seems fine to me. Now that I look it, it might be too big.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tittle
@ iJames White
"Wow, I'm not surprised that I'm being downranked by all of these Micro$hit followers. LAWL!! You guys are freaking MicroTards. Following a corrupt company with a stupid company logo, a nerdy leader who has no taste in style of clothing, has stupid glasses, who's partner is a bald idiot who sweats a lot, and is a coward and gets all emotional when the other company is making fun of them."
You're talking about Apple, right? Because they also have a lame logo, they're also corrupt, maybe more than Microsoft, they have a nerdy leader who wears an unfashionable black turtleneck with some jeans, glasses are pretty much the same as Bill, Steve Ballmer is balding but he does sweat a lot, and Appledid get emotioanl and requested Microsoft to take down the PC hunters ads.
@iJames
I have an iPhone 3G & an iMac and I downranked your comment, what am I?
@iJames
Honestly with a vocabulary like that people would think that you are 9.
You make the rest of us that can use both Apple and Microsoft products look bad. Thanks for once again making Apple users look like a bunch of idiots. We appreciate it.
Ugh....Why do I get the feeling that Engadget is enjoying this load of flame wars and trolls lurking? Anyways, I'm done with this iTroll. Let him have his fun being stupid. Some one should put a sign up.
"No Feeding The iTrolls"
@iJames
Actually 17 thank you (:
But you know if im younger than you it's pretty bad that I can manage to be more mature on a comment bored than you.
@iJames: Alright, just so I can prove to you how much of an idiot you really are:
"Haha, and who said that the iPhone/iPod Touch couldn't handle 1080!! I smell jealously from ZuneTards."
-I'm guessing you mean 1080p? If so, they still can't. What this video shows the iPhone 3GS can do is do a very poor job at downconverting a 1920x1080 video to 480x272(yeah, that's right, I'll get to that in a bit) and then play it at that resolution.
"The iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch 3rd Gen will/ already have better proccessors(th CPU in the 3GS is faster than Tegra, check for yourself)"
-You're missing the point. Yes, the basic processor is faster, but this isn't 1999. The Zune HD has 8 separate processors, 2 of which are basic ones. The rest handle audio, HD encoding and decoding, etc. The graphics processor on the Zune HD is far superior to that of the iPhone 3GS. In a device like this, that's all that really matters since it doesn't have a lot of really CPU-intensive operations.
"ACTUAL HD"
-No, it doesn't. The Zune HD does, though.
"More Apps/Games(The ZuneHD doesn't even have games yet)"
-The Zune HD isn't out yet. Besides that point, Microsoft has yet to announce how apps/games will be implemented(though it's pretty well confirmed that they will be).
"a bigger screen and better res.(WTF is 480x 272? That res. is gayness)"
-Here we go. You wanted to know? It's a 16:9 aspect ratio, you know, the same one used for widescreen movies. It's not a worse resolution, it's a different aspect ratio. Movies(the only thing you'll need resolution for) will show up at 480x272 on the 3GS as well.
"sleeker looks, and more people know what iPods are and only Micro$oft geeks know Zunes. Face it and stop whining and just get an iPod like the rest of us."
-Subjective, you think the 3GS looks better, most others think the Zune HD looks better. How does your second statement here show anything about the relative quality? Oh, right, it doesn't.
@iJameswhite
"Hell, if Apple entered the Console business, they would easily make it to the top because they have thousands of developers and many people recognize the Apple logo as being hip and coolio."
I totally agree. And when they did, they failed. Yeah...awkward turtle just reared its ugly head.
@iJameswhite
"Hell, if Apple entered the Console business, they would easily make it to the top because they have thousands of developers and many people recognize the Apple logo as being hip and coolio."
I totally agree. And when they did, back in the early 1990s, they failed. Yeah...awkward turtle just reared its ugly head to say hi.
Apple is way too closed minded to enter the console industry. They would lock it down so tight real game developers probably wouldn't want to spend the money writing games to meet their standards.
Regarding games on the iPhone and Zune HD. Like others said, games do exist on the Zune and the Zune HD will be capable of playing graphic intense games way better than the iPhone 3G S. Not only that, Microsoft already has huge connections with professional game developers and XBox Arcade games (which the Zune HD can theoretically handle) blow any game you can find on in the iTunes App Store all they have to do is port them and I bet if they did Microsoft would automatically make the games you already purchased on the console available on the Zune.
Pippen :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippen
Now, who cares? The Xbox360 is a better console from the hardware specs than the Wii, but the Wii does sell like crazy.
There is room for more than one 'brand' of media player.
It was all going spammingly until someone suggested Apple would be too locked down in a console world.
Ahhh, one would tend to look at the publishing process and restrictions on what devs can do as more locked down by Sony, Nintendo and MS than even the AppStore. Even the channel of publishing is restricted to being through the console manufacturer.
It would rather appear Apple read the console playbook when working out the AppStore.
So on the spurious notion that Apple might make a console. We could rather expect more of the same, in line with the big gaming 3
Obvious trolls are obvious.
To everybody re iJames:
DON'T FEED THE TROLL!!! You're just giving him the negative attention he craves because that's all mommy and daddy gave him, and negative attention is better than no attention.
Just do what I do, report and move on.
True dat, but this troll is enough of an idiot to use the same name here as he does on his flickr account, where he's trying to show off his "talent" (which involves putting gay rainbows on everything). So the more that we get him to post another idiotic thing, the better chance someone looking for info on him finds out what a total douche he is.
HD capable iPod touch on the 9th of september anyone?
But haven't I seen that the 3GS is the same processing power as the 2G Touch that came out last September?
@TVGenius
Nope, the 2nd gen iPod Touch has a faster CPU than the original iPod Touch, iPhone and iPhone 3G, but it's still slower than the 3GS. It also only has 128 MB RAM, where the 3GS has 256 MB.
No. The iPod Touch was a clocked-up version of the original iPhone/iPod CPU. The 3GS uses an entirely different processor, which is much, much faster.
Probably, but it wouldn't be the product's main feature. TV Out was never a killer feature, and increasing the output resolution doesn't suddenly make it so.
That OLED screen on the other hand, is a killer feature.
Will Apple release new iPods/iPhones with HDMI connector? Because who cares if the device can do 720p if you have to run it through composite analog to the TV.
Putting HDMI on the Zune HD, or any digicam, is easy. Adding it to the iPhone/iPod *changes the docking connector* which means they have to start over on the ecosystem of accessories. While Apple really has no choice but to do it eventually, it's a very big deal for them. They'll need to line up a bunch of cool accessories from third-party vendors before they drop the announcement.
Doesn't this just prove that it can down-convert 1080p video, not that it can actually display it on a TV? And the fact that it frequently stuttered on 720p would pretty well prove that it isn't capable of displaying it reliably...
I guess the right term would be to say it can 'decode' some 720p and 1080p videos. Whether it will ever be able to output 720/1080 video through the dock to an external screen remains to be seen...
I guess by "totally" they meant "sorta".
Yes, that's what I was going to say. It's NOT capable of displaying 1080p.
So it can decode 1080p... big deal. You wrote a whole article on that? Must be a slow news day. What's next, a list of the resolutions and file formats that the PSP can decode? Riveting!
Mark, you have it all wrong. I just fired up Win7 and recorded live TV in 1080p. I then stepped through the video frame by frame taking a screen shot of every frame. I then synced these screen shots to my 1st gen iPhone. Finally, I opened the photo app, and quickly swipped my finger across the screen. Sure there was some stutter and there was no audio, but this was a video in 1080p glory on a 1st gen iPhone. I no longer need to get a Zune HD, I have real HD video playback in a 3 year old device. Plus I am getting a workout, my index finger will be buff in no time.
Yeah its downconverted at most to VGA. When he double taps to zoom in, its not zooming anymore than 50-100% of the HVGA screen. This is not the same as the Zune HD outputting 720p video to a TV.. not even close.
Mark-
First of all, your a big time MS booster. Do you work for them?
Seriously. If you do you should come clean.
The zune HD and the ipod both are using arm processors. Its the same core. Obviously both have accelerated chip hardware to play back video, and that differs. They imbed cores into the Nvidia processor the Zune uses (for a software guy, I spend way too much time with EE (Electrical Engineers))
Plus the ZUNE HD isn't even out yet vs a fairly established existing product, so why don't we wait to the reviews come out to see how it works.
The other thing is what is this software? Most software that plays back video is optimized, likely this software isn't, this is a hack, and it seems to work alright. Playing back HD video on portable devices is kinda well... dumb, the screens aren't even HD. Having to plug the devices into a cradle to watch while interesting in concept isn't really all that practical.
@ a
How is plugging a device in a dock not practical? Docking is part of just about every iPod accessory and I think it's been proven pretty practical for some time now. The only difference here is you are going to watch a video. Also, unlike every home theater docking system i've seen for the iPod, with the Zune you get the same interface on the television as the device making it hell of a lot easier to navigate.
@a: Clearly, your supposed EE friends are worthless, since they didn't tell you that ARM doesn't even make CPUs, they make a ton of different designs and then sell them to other companies that make them. If you even thought for a second you would notice that hey, there are a ton of Intel chips and they aren't all the same. There are a metric ton of ARM designs and they are NOT all equal, far from it. Maybe you should take an introductory course on computer architecture. You should also learn to spell.
Zunes are actually one of the most TV friendly MP3 players out there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvp96mEl7MQ
Really nice TV interface for a PMP. Exactly like the PMP's, but still just as functional. I actually wish the Xbox 360 had the Zune interface for media playback. Much more visually pleasing.
aha, 1080p video = yes, audio = no. should have noticed your post title..
I don't see how this would be useful at all. The higher bitrate is just wasted on such a low resolution screen and waste of space on the iPhone to store the bigger file. You can't even output 720p to a TV so this is totally useless.
This is like trying to watch a blu-ray on a old 20in tube TV, no different than watching a DVD on the same TV.
even if you could output.....
Wouldn't a phone call REALLY interrupt your show now instead of jsut being a small annoyance you ignore if you don't want to pause?
@ Ordeith
that is where the magic of bluetooth come in
or Google Voice, just pick up the house phone.
I will be stunned if Apple releases 720p playback and video out as a free update.
So what you're saying is that the Zune's HD function works flawlessly whilst the 3GS might work a bit if you're lucky?
OK.
Do you honestly believe that if Apple wanted it to play 1080p smoothly, that they wouldn't be able to do it? Seriously? It's like you're one of those morons who said that because the iPhone didn't have copy and paste, that Apple wasn't capable of doing it at all. Aren't you smarter than that?
@Zak
I certainly believe that Apple could not do smooth 1080p playback, yes. Because unlike Copy+Paste, the processor just ISN'T capable of handling it. No amount of software magic can save incapable hardware. Tegra needs a processor specifically designated JUST to video decoding in order to play 720p video. If anything, I would say this demonstration of the iPhone's "ability" to play 1080p is really a demonstration of its INability-- try as you may, but it will stutter, freeze up, or crash.
Do you honestly believe that if Apple wanted the iPhone to be able to teleport people to Mars, that they wouldn't be able to do it? Seriously?
Was going to nerd-rage-post about why people would bother having high-definition content on their portable devices while the devices themselves still commonly measure their storage capacity in terms of two digits and gigabytes, but meh, I don't care enough to bother.