H.264 @ 30fps

[akadmon]

I recently bought a Canon dSLR (T1i) that records 720p video in H.264 @ 30fps. According to the official Apple TV spec sheet, it can only handle 720p at 24fps. Is there a workaround? I know I can play this video on an Apple TV if I first convert it to wide screen SD (960x540), but if that's the only option... I might as well burn it to DVD.

 

[dynaflash]

no, not really. You could use hb to drop the framerate to 24 fps but imo you are better off upscaling the 30 fps content from 540p than the jitters you will see from the 6 fps drop in framerate. Just my .02.

 

[akadmon]

no, not really. You could use hb to drop the framerate to 24 fps but imo you are better off upscaling the 30 fps content from 540p than the jitters you will see from the 6 fps drop in framerate. Just my .02.

What do you mean by upscaling? Burning to DVD and playing on an upscaling DVD player?

Is there a technical reason why Apple does not support HD @30fps?

 

[Cave Man]

What do you mean by upscaling? Burning to DVD and playing on an upscaling DVD player?

You can encode at 540p at 30fps with Handbrake (Apple TV preset, I think) for playback on the ATV. The ATV has pretty good upscaling.

Is there a technical reason why Apple does not support HD @30fps?

I suspect it's a combination of the 1 ghz single core processor and the nVidia 7300 gpu in the Apple TV. You could probably play your native 720p 30 fps videos with Plex using your Mac, though.

 

[akadmon]

Would hooking up a Mini to my TV be a better option? That way I wouldn't have to rely on iTunes as my player, i.e., I could play iMovie projects directly without exporting to Quicktime.

 

[Cave Man]

Yes, a Mini running Plex is much better than an Apple TV. For protected video (i.e., iTunes Store purchases or rentals) you'd have to run Front Row from within Plex - a few extra clicks (and the principal reason I don't buy from the iTS).