Apple Updates G5 Firmware, ARD Client; Not MPEG-2 Decoder

obirt writes "A G5 firmware update provides changes for initializing and running your Power Mac G5. It provides some performance improvements for some PCI-X configurations, patches a security hole and improves fan behavior in Open Firmware." sandrift writes "Software Update just popped up with a new version of the Apple Remote Desktop Client; the version 1.2.4 update delivers improvements to security, performance, and reliability of the Apple Remote Desktop 1.2 client software running on Mac OS X versions 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3." ARD Client is included with Mac OS X 10.3. tdemark writes "MPEG-2 decoding is not supported by default in QuickTime; it is added by purchasing an additional component. Those of us that have this component discovered that it stopped working as of yesterday; it will not run after December 14, 2003. The suggested workaround is to set your clock back. VideoLAN can also be used in emergencies while Apple fixes the issue."

Comments

Re:VLC gives better playback anyway!

[Pope]

Already people balk at paying the US$30 for QT Pro just to get full screen playback, $100 would be too much.

QuickTime lost to Windows Media a long time ago

[benwaggoner]

Actually, I think Apple quit trying to fight Windows Media quite a while ago. They're not pushing or enhancing the .mov file format anymore - the best codec available is still Sorenson Video 3, which shipped two and a half years ago.

QuickTime's importance to Apple today is much more as a digital media SDK, and hence the foundation of their very successful products like iMovie, iDVD, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, iTunes, iPhoto, etcetera.

QuickTime is also the best authoring architecture out there, with wonderful features like reference movies.

But as a delivery format, Apple has been letting it linger, but isn't putting much effort into enhancing it. They've talked a lot about MPEG-4 being the future of the file format, but haven't done much technically to make that viable either.