quicktime
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Macworld SF 2007 Keynote stream available
The Keynote is now available for streaming on Apple's Quicktime site. Interestingly, you can watch either the whole Keynote, or just the iPhone introduction. Apple is really betting the farm on this phone and if a first impression from a distance is any indicator then they have a hit.I just tried to stream the Keynote, but 'Due to exceptional demand, your request could not be completed at this time. Please try again at a later time.' Try again, Mac faithful, try again.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Former Apple engineer offers fixes for Month of Apple bugs silliness
Landon Fuller, programmer and former Apple BSD Technology Group engineer extraordinaire, has offered to try and provide fixes for the exploits that appear during this asinine Month of Apple Bugs. Landon has already posted workarounds for the QuickTime vulnerability, and he links a change the VLC team has already made to their codebase (which is likely to be rolled out soon). I join many others in thanking Landon for his work, but I still wish he didn't have to do it. Why should a former Apple engineer use his free time to chase after publicized exploits, when Apple themselves (and any 3rd parties) should be the ones to fix these problems at their core?Thanks Bill I
Saving Quicktime Trailers from Apple
Saving any QuickTime movie is a breeze if you have QuickTime Pro. I downloaded this Fantastic Four trailer (in HD), let it finish loading, and then selected File > Save As... and I was done. What if you don't want to shell out the dough for a QT Pro license? Well, Krunk4Ever (who isn't a fan of QT) has a tip that'll let you download the trailers from Apple just by delving into the HTML of the trailer webpage and using a little command line trickery to download the file.Pretty cool, I suppose, but it is much easier to just visit the iTunes Store Movie Trailer section and download the videos that way. iTunes will happily download any trailer that is available and scot free at that, no DRM in sight. Oddly, though, it does place the trailers in the 'Podcast' section of your iTunes library.Each of these three options will get the job done though one isn't free, one isn't easy, and one is both free and easy. Choose wisely.
Software Update: Apple Security Update 2006-008
For your downloading pleasure, Apple presents Security Update 2006-008 (PPC and UB). Both weigh in at under 2MB and require Mac OS X 10.4.8 (client or server). You can grab this patch from Apple's downloads page or from Software Update.According to Apple, this patch "improves the security of Quartz Composer and QuickTime for Java." Specifically, it patches a vulnerability that may lead to "information disclosure" when visiting a malicious website (aka phishing site). Complete details on the flaw can be found in Apple's Kbase.Mike and I were curious about why there's both a PPC and a UB version. Seems redundant since UB means it works on both PPC and Intel. Turns out it's not truly "universal." As Mike noticed first, the System Requirements state that it's Universal for 10.4.8 Server, but 10.48 Client is Intel-only. Hence the standalone PPC-only download (which can be used on client or server.) Would still be nice to streamline this a bit more. Faithful guinea pigs, please report your experience with this update below!
Does QuickTime pose a security risk?
The whole QuickTime/MySpace security hole that was discussed this week on TUAW has given rise to a general concern about QuickTime's vulnerabilities. The QuickTime bug apparently allowed a worm to infect MySpace user profiles and redirected traffic to a phishing site, where passwords were harvested. An Information Week article suggests the security flaw could extend well beyond Myspace to both Mac and Windows users. The problem seems to stem from QuickTime's JavaScript support and a bug that allows malicious JavaScript code to affect browsers. The article states that although Apple has provided an Internet Explorer patch, it has yet to issue a general QuickTime fix across all platforms.
MySpace blames Apple and QuickTime for hacked accounts
A malicious QuickTime movie made the rounds across MySpace profiles last weekend, altering user profiles and changing links on their pages to redirect to phishing websites crafted to look like MySpace logins. The movie, CNET reports, actually capitalized on a MySpace flaw and QuickTime's legitimate support for JavaScript to craft what has been dubbed the Quickspace attack. It is also worth noting that while this movie could infect users who simply viewed a compromised page, the attack (as far as we know) only works on IE and Firefox in Windows (in other words: if you're on a Mac, you can resume your regularly scheduled MySpace obsession). Yesterday, MySpace's chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam contacted Apple to request a fix to plug the hole, even though it was a flaw of MySpace in combination with a legit feature of QuickTime that caused all the damage. Apple is reportedly working on a fix, but for now the two companies have ironed out some workarounds, such as blocking all the phishing URLs and scrubbing their network for compromised profiles.On a side note: what exactly does one gain from harvesting MySpace account logins? Wouldn't oh, say, credit card numbers be a little more productive? I know there's a lot of kids out there who bank on whether they're in some people's top 8 spaces, but I'm still having a hard time seeing how or why phishers would deal in the same currency.Thanks Daniel
QTAmateur does full-screen playback, batch exporting, more
QTAmateur brings a lot of the handy QuickTime Pro features to the table without having to pay the $30 upgrade. Full screen video playback (with a more streamlined, iTunes 7-like video window) and batch exporting of any format QuickTime can read and write make for a handy little app.QTAmateur is free, Universal and available from Mike Ash, a Rogue Amoeba programmer.
Zinio offers fix for QuickTime + Flash quirk in their magazines
Zinio, if you aren't familiar, offers magazines in digital format (yes, with DRM), many of them with rich media like embedded movies right in the pages, for Mac and PC. They have quite a selection and they've been around for a few years now, but apparently their latest version (released around the dawn of time) is suffering a quirk due to Apple changing the way QuickTime renders Flash with the latest QuickTime 7.1.3 update, causing embedded rich media to misbehave.Fortunately, they've issued a fix via email, and it goes a little something like this: Close the Zinio Reader, if open Go to the QuickTime pane in System Preferences In the Advanced tab, check 'Enable Flash' After that simple process you should be able to return to your regularly scheduled, though in my opinion ridiculously overpriced, reading.This fix, by the way, is also how you enable iTunes 7 to play interactive booklets from the iTunes Store according to this Apple KB article.
NicePlayer
Whenever I want to play something in fullscreen mode (that isn't in iTunes) I fire up VLC. It is a nice, all purpose media player but it isn't exactly a good looking application. NicePlayer, which plays anything that Quicktime can play, has a fullscreen mode and has a unique look to it. I'm not sure where I stand on the 'window-less' aspect of the UI, but the play is nice. It is AppleScriptable, supports playlists, and has a number of display options. Not bad when you consider the price: free.[via Daring Fireball]
Perian - play most video formats in QuickTime for free
The veritable ocean of available video formats can often instigate a confusing and frustrating adventure in hunting for plugins and explaining to grandma why that DivX email forward she received plays the audio, but not the video. Fortunately, instead of bookmarking the plethora of codec download pages and backing up loads of installation disk images, a new plugin called Perian brands itself as a "swiss-army knife for QuickTime," as it aims to help solve all our video format woes. Perian supports an impressive list of codecs, including DivX, XviD, 3viX, FLV (y'know, those Flash files you can save but can't play because Adobe's Flash player doesn't seem to install an actual GUI front end?), AVI, and much more. Of course, you still need Flip4Mac if you have to play WMVs, but it looks like Perian can have you covered for most of the other formats you (and grandma) might encounter in your journey across the internets. As an upcoming bonus for Democracy Player users, Perian will be included in the next version.Perian is offered for free from Perian.org, though I can't track down any system requirements or whether it works on both Mac and PC.Thanks Rick
ADA's iHome Multi-Center: a Windows MCE which plays iTunes's DRM'd music
The iHome Multi-Center on display at CEDIA has been around for awhile but somehow managed to slip below our radar. Still, when a Windows Media Center Edition device touts the ability to playback Apple's DRM-protected AAC files, well, it makes sense to double-back and take notice. The device is said to exploit iTunes and the Quicktime APIs to create a two-zone (analog and digital audio) music server in addition to its MCE capabilities. The magic created by using Quicktime as the output driver makes the iHome the only server product we know of that will playback your FairPlay tracks purchased off the iTunes store. The slab even busts-out an IP control server which generates both full-sized and mini flash-based HTML pages for two-way control over the system from any networked device sportin' a web browser with Flash support. Sweet. The iHome MCE features a couple of 400GB disks (750GB disks coming early next year) and an HDTV video card for a luxurious, $8,000 addition to your home audio rack. You do have one don't you?[Via TalkAbout:CEDIA]
Software Update: QuickTime 7.1.3 and Front Row 1.3
Software updates after a Stevenote? 'Natch! Fire up your Software Update, you brave souls, for there are new versions of QuickTime and Front Row.The QuickTime update is 'is an important release that delivers numerous bug fixes and addresses critical security issues. This update is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users and is required for playback of content purchased in the iTunes Store.' I hope this means, 'Video playback in iTunes no longer sucks.'The Front Row update 'provides for improved iTunes compatibility'. At the time of this posting these updates are only available through Software Update.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
HD Trailer Tuesday
It has been a few weeks since we have had the chance to do one of these but luckily Apple has been too busy as well to update the site with loads of content. They have only added a few new high-def movie trailers to their site and even though today might be a bad day for bandwidth (for Apple - not us), ah, what the heck. First up is Driving Lessons staring one of the boys from those popular Harry Potter flicks. The clip of course looks good in high-def, we love the transitions, but the movie looks surprisingly good. Give it a chance. But if you only have time in your busy day to watch one of these high definition clips, you must watch A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. Wow. Looks amazing in HD but to be honest, this movie is going to be all about the content and most people would be happy with a 480i version if the flick turns out to be half as good as the preview. Lets Go To Prison looks funny and you might just need a laugh or two after Saints. If you are new to this, start at the 1080p option if you have a 'beefy' computer, but more then likely you are going to need to drop down to ether the 720p or 480p option if the system is a little older. That's fine though, the 720p and 480p clips still look great. Enjoy!
Movie links appear on German QuickTime page
The evidence continues to mount. Several eagle-eyed readers have spotted the images and links depicted at right on the Quicktime page of Apple's website for Germany. Of course, the links aren't working for me right now (clicking them just brings up the "It's Showtime" message), but they do begin with the familiar "phobos.apple.com..." address. Some of you have argued that these are for soundtracks, but the title of the column is "iTunes Videos." I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.If you're in a country that has not yet had television and/or videos in iTunes and you find such a link on your respective country's Apple site, please let us know!Thanks to everyone who sent this in
Betts mods your Mac
Everyone's favorite duck-icon sporting graphic designer is more than a pretty icon of a face, he helps make the rest of your programs look good too. Adam Betts regularly posts modifications or add-ons to various pieces of Mac software to his blog, and although each one is cool enough to warrant a post of its own, I thought I'd be nice to you all and compile some of my favorites into one mega-post. First off we have a simple interface tweak that goes a long way to unifying the look of your system. Adam's new QuickTime Plugin Controller replaces the old icky Aqua bubble quicktime plugin interface with a sleek platinum/unified/post-brushed metal look.Next are two replacement icons; one for a certain flammable fox, the other for a Preview alternative. The Firefox icon touchup fixes dock weight issues (how close it is to the other icons) as well as making the whole package a bit smoother. The Xee replacement set actually contains replacements for both the actual application icon as well as the status bar. Xee is a replacement for Preview and available for free download.Finally, we have the 9.3% complete interface-lift for Google Earth. This package will replace the application icon as well as modify certain UI elements such as toolbar icons and the sidebar to make them more Mac-like.
Rip, mix, save and convert YouTube videos for your iPod with TubeSock
If saving YouTube videos as favorites and making your own playlists online with their services isn't enough to quench your thirst for their literal flood of content, TubeSock lets you take things one step further by allowing you to save the videos and even convert them for your iPod. It's a small utility that allows you to enter a YouTube URL or simply a video ID, and it can show you a preview of the movie and offer a couple of saving and export options including H.264, PSP, audio-only and even a plain Flash FLV file. TubeSock can also install a bookmarklet in Safari for speedier delivery, and it can even send exported videos straight into iTunes to complete the ultimate YouTube-to-iPod workflow. After playing with the demo, I'm impressed. Compression is impressively speedy, and for bonus points it automatically cleans up the Flash file it dowloads once exporting is done. The demo is limited to exporting only the first 30 seconds of any video until you fork over the $15 registration fee. TubeSock is a Universal Binary and available from stinkbot.[via digg]
Apple offers two free online Aperture seminars
Apple has announced two free online QuickTime seminars covering Aperture, their app for professional photographers. "Aperture: Streamline Your Workflow After the Shoot" is an introduction to the app from Product Marketing Manager Joe Schorr and Technical Marketing Manager Joseph Linaschke of Apple, while "Aperture Advanced" offers "an in-depth look at the first all-in-one post-production tool for photographers".Apple's registration page for these seminars states that they're only available for a limited time, but doesn't mention how limited that time may be. You might have to act now if you don't want to regret later.
Call Recorder plugin for Skype
Call Recorder from Ecamm Network is a Skype plugin that allows you to record your calls (interviews, podcasts, etc.) as two-track AAC files for that perfect 'edited for your blackmailing pleasure' effect (calls can also be converted to MP3 for the AAC-haters in the audience). A recent version update also brings the ability to save voicemails as quicktime movies.Call Recorder is a Universal Binary and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9, as well as Skype for Mac v1.4 or higher. A demo is available, while a license costs $14.95. As of this writing, Ecamm Network is offering a sale price of $12.95.
Software Update: Quicktime 7.1.2
The software elves at Apple have been busy this week. Quicktime 7.1.2 was released this afternoon. It addresses an issue previewing iDVD projects.
VisualHub - The universal video converter
VisualHub is a feature-packed and 'universal' video converter for Mac OS X from the maker of iSquint. From its website: "VisualHub bridges the gap between numerous complicated video formatting standards, and people that just want to get the job done - just what you would expect from the Mac." It boasts fast conversion from nearly every video format to iPod, PSP, DV, DVD, AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG and Flash (what: no animated GIF?), and brags about ts three-step conversion process: click, drag, click.Fortunately, VisualHub also offers advanced features like bitrate control, frame cropping and audio quality. Xgrid is supported for those with multiple Macs on a network and CPU cycles to spare, while QuickTime Pro and other plugins need not apply.VisualHub's long list of features don't stop there, however, so check out Techspansion's product page for the full feature list and samples of its work. A demo is available, while a full license will cost you a mere $23.32 USD.[thanks Khaled!]
