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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."
JP
Mplayer OS X is a nice little package that helps with those files that quicktime can't play/recognize/dies-when-even-mentioned-around.
http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/
Its interface is lighter weight than VLC, though not as flexible, and it tends to "just work" for most files.
Integrate Keynote and LaTeX
There's an update version available at the Apple Store. If you did purchase it from the Apple Store you can re-download an updated version!
We got the Apple MPEG2 playback component with Conmpressor, but its performance is really nothing to write home about. It's about time that Apple integrated MPEG into QuickTime properly (including encoding MPEG1, 2 and MPEG1 Layer 2 and 3 audio) they could then bump up the QT Pro price to a $100 or so and give us the standard toolkit that QT SHOULD HAVE HAD for the last 2 years.
Cleaner is dying, Apple should step up to the plate.
That was classic intercourse!
does this mean I can now get full 64-bit performance with OSX? or if I need it, do I still need to be using Linux? -ASQ
Is the client the one that hqas its desktop mounted remotely or is the cleint the one that has access to remote desktops?
find --mtime 1 / | grep -i remote
and here is what I found: a startup time service.
this cant be good. It seems to be on by default as there is no preferences to control it. It looks like the client is a slave to some other user. So how does this work. If someone guesses my password do they own my desktop?
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
if someone ever hacks my box, either by physical access, user access, trojan horse, ssh access, or some yet-to-happen security hole, then they can get this program running. then I'm basically owned.
Unfortunately, QuickTime as architected can't deal with out of order data in frames, and so can't natively deal with MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or Advanced Simple MPEG-4. I suppose you could make export components for those, but it'll take some serious refactoring before QuickTime could really treat those formats as first class citizen.
As far as QT Pro for $100, I assure you that the user base would go ballistic. Apple does install MPEG-2 encoding (fast, but not very flexible) as a QuickTime component for owners of Final Cut Pro or DVD Studio Pro.
My video compression blog
I have no idea if other files such as xinit and rc files that might start these services were affected by the update. I dont know if there are other ARD files not affected by the update and I dont know if its safe to remove these.
I would like to know where the settings to turn on and off the ARD service are. I dont see them in the System Sharing preferences or in any other obvious place. I'd like to know what ports it uses to invoke itself remotely or to communicate. I'd like to know how to set my firewall using apples firewall gui to block this (manually setting the firewall seems to cause the apple gui to quit and go home).
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
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.
My video compression blog
From MacNN:
Pixlet? As a distribution codec? RTFM.
Pixlet is great if you need an intraframe-only codec for playback on Mac OS X 10.3 systems only (no Jaguar, no Windows). Pixlet is meant for film production workflows, since it offers frame-accurate rough cuts at half D1 resolution on a fast G4. It is in no way useful as a codec to distribute content to end users.
Think of it as a souped up version of Photo-JPEG, or a complexity constrained version of JPEG2000. It no more competes with Sorenson Video than a Freightliner competes with a Ferrari.
Apple's excellent marketing has actually backfired on them a bit here. Pixlet is very useful for what it's meant for, but if you're not a film professional, it isn't meant for you.
My video compression blog
How about some more info? Did the installation fail? What happened exactly? Did Apple tech support say anything interesting about what might have caused this? Anything notable at all that we might watch out for? It would be nice to figure out if it's something that's avoidable in any way.
"I like systems, their application excepted", George Sand (French)