Better Airplay Quality in the Future due to ProMotion?

[darkarn]

Random thought I have recently: Seeing how ProMotion allowed content to be 120 fps instead of just 60 fps, to allow people to mirror these content to screens that support such frame rates, Apple may be working on improving AirPlay to make it efficient enough to push the higher amount of data needed.

This will mean AirPlay will be improved in future iOSes (as soon as 11?) and also any AirPlay related hardware (e.g. Apple TV and Lightning Digital AV adapter) will receive such improvement whether via updates for software/firmware respectively, or even hardware refreshes to accommodate this.

What do you all think?

 

[KrisLord]

Promotion allows 120hz screen refresh, which isn’t necessarily the same as 120fps.

Assuming most airplay is to send video and not simply mirror the iOS screen, it could have done higher frame rates without ProMotion. So I don’t think this is something Apple will be looking at.

 

[darkarn]

Promotion allows 120hz screen refresh, which isn’t necessarily the same as 120fps.

Assuming most airplay is to send video and not simply mirror the iOS screen, it could have done higher frame rates without ProMotion. So I don’t think this is something Apple will be looking at.

The impression I am getting from the keynote is that 120fps content can be played on the iPad and be seen as such though

Either way Airplay seem to max out at 1080p 60fps currently

 

[Cryates]

ProMotion is 60fps, not 120fps.

 

[KrisLord]

The impression I am getting from the keynote is that 120fps content can be played on the iPad and be seen as such though

Either way Airplay seem to max out at 1080p 60fps currently

Yup I think it can do 120fps, but is there any real content with that frame rate? I think Apple are more likely to use any additional bandwidth between an iOS device and an Apple TV to do other stuff - whether that’s 4K with a future Apple TV or higher bit rates, I think they’re more likely than 120fps.

 

[KrisLord]

ProMotion is 60fps, not 120fps.

ProMotion is really about the screen refresh rate and not frames per second. It allows 120hz refresh rates.

 

[Cryates]

ProMotion is really about the screen refresh rate and not frames per second. It allows 120hz refresh rates.

Ah, I thought I had read somewhere it was 60 FPS. Thanks for clarification.

 

[WilliamG]

Ah, I thought I had read somewhere it was 60 FPS. Thanks for clarification.

ProMotion is really about the screen refresh rate and not frames per second. It allows 120hz refresh rates.

Well, to be fair - they're closely related. At its most base level, 120hz = the "potential" of 120fps, and refers to the number of times per second the screen can refresh. If your GPU can't output that frame-rate than a 120hz display is pointless. In the case of the 2nd gen iPad Pro, the screen is 120hz, and the GPU is more than capable of outputting the matching 120fps.

Apps not designed to take advantage of it (games etc) will still run at their original 30fps output or 60fps output. I don't believe there are any games on iOS that run at 120fps. This means games running on e.g. the 1st gen iPad Pro (or earlier iPads!) at 30fps/60fps will run at EXACTLY the same frame-rate on the 2nd gen iPad Pro.

So to say that ProMotion is about screen refresh rate and not frames per second is not really true. They're both two pieces of a puzzle. Anyway, iOS running at 120fps is gorgeous on the new iPad. Going back to the last-gen iPads is painful now. So it goes!

 

[darkarn]

Yup I think it can do 120fps, but is there any real content with that frame rate? I think Apple are more likely to use any additional bandwidth between an iOS device and an Apple TV to do other stuff - whether that’s 4K with a future Apple TV or higher bit rates, I think they’re more likely than 120fps.

My Xperia XZs can create slo-mo videos that are 120fps for example

And as long they are focusing on getting more bandwidth, this is a win in my books seeing that the bandwidth can be used for either 4K or 120fps at lower resolutions

Well, to be fair - they're closely related. At its most base level, 120hz = the "potential" of 120fps, and refers to the number of times per second the screen can refresh. If your GPU can't output that frame-rate than a 120hz display is pointless. In the case of the 2nd gen iPad Pro, the screen is 120hz, and the GPU is more than capable of outputting the matching 120fps.

Apps not designed to take advantage of it (games etc) will still run at their original 30fps output or 60fps output. I don't believe there are any games on iOS that run at 120fps. This means games running on e.g. the 1st gen iPad Pro (or earlier iPads!) at 30fps/60fps will run at EXACTLY the same frame-rate on the 2nd gen iPad Pro.

So to say that ProMotion is about screen refresh rate and not frames per second is not really true. They're both two pieces of a puzzle. Anyway, iOS running at 120fps is gorgeous on the new iPad. Going back to the last-gen iPads is painful now. So it goes!

Thanks, within a few hours of using ProMotion, I find it tempting to move ALL my hardware to become 120 fps ready! I am ok with iOS games being at 60 fps, I just need AirPlay's bandwidth to be increased to allow smoother mirroring of these games