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QuickTime To Get Boost From "More Accurate" Statistics
Justen writes "Nielsen is expected to release a new set of ratings for media players on July 1. Apple lobbied the firm to use new methods to form usage statistics. The new methods are expected to dramatically increase the reported market share of QuickTime. Nielsen says it doesn't reflect a dramatic jump in actual installations, just a more accurate picture of what's been there all along. The article also mentions the new beta of QuickTime 6 and its support for MPEG-4, ahead of Real and Microsoft."
Now if only they'd get rid of the ad that pops up for QuickTime Pro almost everytime it launches.
It won't play most DivX AVI files without conversion, because VBR MP3 audio is not in the AVI spec, and apparently Apple refuses to break the spec to play them.
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
Straight from Apple's QT6 FAQ
Will Apple MPEG-4 interoperate with other MPEG-4 technologies? .mp4 file containing compliant MPEG-4 video and AAC audio should interoperate with QuickTime 6. If you find any interoperability issues please let us know.
Other technologies that report to be MPEG-4 compliant, yet are not contained in an .mp4 file, will not interoperate with QuickTime 6 or other MPEG-4 players. Divx and MPEG-4 from Microsoft are common examples.
The MPEG-4 specification is large and contains provisions for many technologies. However, any
Well, there you kinda of have it, no. Although I heard that DivX5 will be completely compatible. But I don't know for sure.
Apple decided to actually follow standards, and not just jump on the "buzzword bandwagon" and do their own thing. Only time will tell if it pays off.
sin(6cos(r)+5A)
Apple doesn't need statistics re-worked to get better market share. They have to do very few things.
First, make the player on Windows not suck ass. As in, re-code the app. Right now it's too bloated. Make it more responsive. Optimize optimize optimize. Even MP7 isn't as slow, and that's saying a lot.
Second, use native codecs when possible. MPEG-2, for example. If you're not going to optimize your codecs for x86/pentium (and that would take a lot of work, I'm sure) then use the work of those who have. In addition to quicktime formats, use the native windows CODECs. They're all registered already, all you have to do is hook in.
Third, fix the plugin/associations. For people who know what's what, Quicktime isn't a problem (anymore), but for the average user, taking over PNG from the browser is stupid, especially since it doesn't add better handling anyway. Likewise for most other formats. Make all non-Windows non-Mac file formats open in or plugin with Quicktime by default, UNLESS there are other associations for them. Mac file formats open with QT. Windows file formats don't get touched unless the user requests it.
Basically, QT does three things. Lags my system down, wastes clock cycles doing decoding poorly, and trashes my associations unless I'm careful. Fix these three things, and more people will install it.
You can't get market share if your product sucks. Just ask Steve Case. Er, wait..
--Dan
... who are compaining about the annoyances with QT for Windows, you have two simple options.
.rm files.)
1. Send your suggestions/compaints to Apple. The current Apple isn't the same as the circa-1995 Apple that wouldn't listen to its users. Apple seems strangely eager to cater to users nowadays. Go to their site and make your thoughts known.
2. Get a Mac. I'm not being a smart-ass or a nutball Mac advocate, but Apple specializes in Mac software. Their Windows version of QT is so-so, but the Mac version is beautiful. I've used WMP, Real and QT on both platforms, and QT on Mac is light-years ahead of any other combination (with the possible footnote that Real's audio streaming seems to have a *very slight* edge, although QT's audio stream doesn't litter your drive with those annoying
I have a feeling that Apple will likely never make Windows QT better or equal to QT on the Mac and I can't say I totally fault them for it (not justifying it, but I can't see the rationale.)
--Rick
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
Have any of you who are whining about QT on windows ever used WMP on a Mac? I think not, it's bloated, only supports the WMP native format, and not responsive at all. Yet, I never hear any one on the mac side complaining, that's because we know it's there just so Microsoft can say it is.
When companies can lobby to change stats in their favour, what stats am I supposed to believe? Very interesting coming on the heels of "Macs Now Found To Be Cheaper Than PCs".
Lies about crimes
Indeed. .divx is NOT a MPEG-4 compatible file format. It is MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio in a .AVI file. Now, QuickTIme knows how to play MPEG-4 video, and MP3 audio, and AVI files, so it might work, but it won't work because of QuickTime's .mp4 compatibility.
.divx shouldn't use those (GMC and quarter pel motion estimation are just fine, and quarter pel especially has a good quality boost).
QuickTime's MPEG-4 playback doesn't do B-frames (so that only every other frame of a B-frame encoded file will be shown). Folks targeing QT playback with
My video compression blog
Read the article.
.movs downloaded per month?
.movs streamed to web browsers weren't counted? That's what Apple convinced Nielson to do. Count embedded .movs.
Apple got them to recalculate the stats in their favor because their earlier algorithms were, um, erroneous.
Then think about this quote, from Mark Twain I believe. "There are three kinds of lies. Lies, damn lies, and statistics."
Statistics is all about taking raw data and making predictive or explanatory statements from them.
How can you count Quicktime usage?
How about downloads per month?
How about upgrades per release?
How about hits to Apple.com/quicktime per month?
How about number of
All of them are reasonable.
Would you believe, that until now, Quicktime
GPL Deconstructed
You do what you always do: read the fine print about how the study was run, and what it measured.
Apple lobbied Neilson because their methadology was really, really, bad, and way overcounted Real and way undercounted QuickTime. The linked article shares some details about what went wrong before, and what they changed.
Draw your own conclusions from that about how the final numbers are relevant to what you're trying to do.
Honestly, it's hard to say what decisions these kinds of studies help us understand. They tell us how many individual users watched what file types. That doesn't really tell us all that much.
My video compression blog
I have been able to play all MPEG-4 and DivX versions of AVI except for DivX 5.0.2 with Quictime 6 beta and a few components downloaded free from Versiontracker.
For DivX 5.0.2, you can use the free (GPL) program VirtualDub (www.virtualdub.org) on Windows to convert the file to a codec which QuickTime can understand and then transfer the file back to a Mac. Be warned, it took hours for Windows to convert a file I had from DivX 5.0.2 to Cinepak. Fortunately, it only took minutes for QuickTime Pro on the Mac to convert the file back from Cinepak to standard MPEG-4.
Why would you use Cinepak? Isn't it a much lower-quality codec? There should be some sort of QuickTime encoder on the PC... if there isn't, it's a shame. One should be able to go straight to QuickTime MPEG-4.
Maybe I'm just an idealist.
Cinepak is a fully supported video codec under QuickTime.
That was classic intercourse!
There are two *newer* stories on cnet than the one referenced:
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-938423.html
and
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-938827.html.
The result? Apple is closer to it's competitors, but Real still leads, and is losing it's lead to MSFT.
A better link for Nielsen/Net Ratings (or whatever they're called - at least it's not "monday"):
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/
Yes, and it's about 400 years old and looks exactly that way.
There are two rules for success:
1. Never tell everything you know.
I set the year to 2060 and QT crashed...and crashed.
I for one would prefer that Apple keeps to the spec. It maintains a better operating client because then they don't have to maintaing two branches of the file reading routines (one to handle the official, and one to handle the hacked). Also, with the DivX video codec, I imagine that it will not be included with QT because of its shady history. In its current incarnation, it has a chance if the lovely people at divx.com would get their act together and put out a decent version of the codec for QT.
If you want to play DivX WELL in MacOS X, get vlc. It plays VCD's, SVCD's, DVD, DivX, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, and supposedly MPEG 4. The MPEG 4 part is the only aspect I have yet to test in this client.
Apple has the problem of supporting stuff and at the same time keeping in good legal standing with other companies that might try to sue them. If they were to release a DivX codec, they might be walking a tightrope. Also, they may have code under a licence to read the avi file that doesn't allow them to modify to read VBR MP3's.
In short, put yourself in their place and try to figure out why they may not do something before you critisize them. I am not sure which country you are from, but in the US (where Apple is based) and most other countries, a companies primary goal is to maximize profit. I doubt that VBR MP3 in avi is a profitable venture for them, and so they are not likely to do it.
You see? It's like I've always said. You can get more with a kind word and a 2x4 than you can with just a kind word.
Or... You could get the DivX codec (v. 5) from divx.com and then convert to MPEG 4 in QT.
Warning: it is Alpha, and I have not tested it on QT 6. I currently use vlc to play DivX and have not come across a file that it cannot play.
You see? It's like I've always said. You can get more with a kind word and a 2x4 than you can with just a kind word.
I have the DivX codec (v. 5) on QT 6 and it does not play the DivX 5.0.2 AVI clips which I have. I don't know if that means it supports only up to 5.0 and 5.0.2 is too new or whether there is some other glitch. I did rule out an incorrect fourCC as explained in the DivX Tool 1.2 documentation.
If I had another 8 GB or so free on my HD, I would have converted it to uncompressed video instead of Cinepak. Cinepak is the only codec which comes with VirtualDub that is common to QT and also has no restrictions on proportions, framerates, etc. Converting to Cinepak as the intermediate format does cause the end product to be a little grainy but, at least, I can have a look at what's in the movie.
Please tell me where I was critisizing anything? I was merely stating things as I knew them, without any commentary on what I thought of it.
I personally don't care how Apple handles .AVI files. AVI files aren't a very good design to begin with. I would rather have proper MPEG 4 take over this mess that is DivX, considering all the people coming up with different fourcc codes for the same encodings, and incompatible encodings with poor performance such as DivX 5.
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