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tjcampbell

macrumors 6502a
Aug 14, 2006
826
0
Vancouver
You can't play HD dvd discs, but if you have an HD download (LOST, 24, HEROES) it plays very well. I have a CD MBP hooked up to an HD projector and it's the business! No slowdown, brilliant picture. Projectors are the way to go for sure.
 

xWICKEDGARDENx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 25, 2007
4
0
Wisconsin
So, I have a Apple HD cinema display and I can't watch HD movies. Can you download HD movies from the iTunes store? I hope there is a way. I didn't buy this monitor for just apple HD trailers
 

EricNau

Moderator emeritus
Apr 27, 2005
10,730
287
San Francisco, CA
So, I have a Apple HD cinema display and I can't watch HD movies. Can you download HD movies from the iTunes store? I hope there is a way. I didn't buy this monitor for just apple HD trailers
To answer your question, no, you cannot buy HD movies from the iTunes store.

Exactly what were you expecting to play in HD?
 

xWICKEDGARDENx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 25, 2007
4
0
Wisconsin
Well, I guess I can enjoy my games at higher resolutions, I can record movies in HD and cut them up on Final Cut and then watch em, otherwise, thats it. HD, WoW, its so great, I can Barely use it. Urrgghh
 

Faye

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2007
88
0
You can install BootCamp, Windows XP and PowerDVD Ultra, add an HDDVD drive and then you can play HDDVDs.

You can play Hi Def MKV files with VLC - there are a few TV series floating around the net.

I'm playing HDDVDs on my Mac Mini connected to my HDTV. I'm not sure the Cinema display has HDCP support however, so you may have to get something like AnyDVD HD to remove the HDCP requirement.

I agree though, so much for last year being Apple's "Year of HD"

I think a lot of people are *hoping* that Leopard will contain an HDDVD player app. I can't see it though, unless Apple's new line of laptops include an HDDVD ROM/DVD RW and they release a new line of HDCP compliant displays.. even then you're going to need the new hardware for it to work.


Faye
 

Multimedia

macrumors 603
Jul 27, 2001
5,212
0
Santa Cruz CA, Silicon Beach
Yes You Can Play HD Movies On Your MacBook Pro From EyeTV Recordings & More

You can't play HD dvd discs, but if you have an HD download (LOST, 24, HEROES) it plays very well. I have a CD MBP hooked up to an HD projector and it's the business! No slowdown, brilliant picture. Projectors are the way to go for sure.
Yes you can. Here is the tutorial on how to make High Definition DVDs on standard DVD media with Final Cut Pro 5.1.4, Compressor & DVD Studio 4.

You can also record HD movies off air with EyeTV Hybrid and play them on your MBP as well. :)

TJ: What brand HD Projector with price and link to their web site please?
 

Faye

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2007
88
0
Yes you can.

Sorry I should have said "retail" HD DVDs. These are UDF 2.5 formatted which won't even read in Tiger, even if you DO have an HDDVD drive connected. Of course if you are making your own content then you can do whatever you like and if you're creating it on a mac, it stands to reason you can play it on a mac. If you download a 'ripped' retail HD DVD then you won't be able to play that either, because although Mplayer can apparently play VC-1 codec, it can't demux EVO files...at least any that I've sent it (and yes, I do own the discs)

Your tutorial is interesting though and very useful. If those DVDs also play on commercial HDDVD players then that's even better.
 

Faye

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2007
88
0
If you want to play HDDVDs on your Macbook Pro, you'll want to install Windows/Bootcamp, PowerDVD Ultra HDDVD, new ATI drivers, an XBox360 HD DVD drive (just a USB external HDDVD drive).

EyeTV Hybrid only supports MPEG2 HD so it's no use for the UK's broadcast HD (MPEG4 part 10 AVC with MBAFF). QT's h.264 implementation lacks MBAFF support but you can use VLC... just not with EyeTV.

Neither Mac Mini's graphics card, nor Apple's Cinema Displays support HDCP.

Last year was Apple's year of HD.. for authors only.
 

shu82

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2007
697
4
Rocket City, AL
I would have expected apple to be way ahead in this area by now. I am an HDTV addict and they are just teasing me. Stand alone players are a thing of the past. I just want to use my mini with a tuner, and my projector and 5.1 system for all my entertainment. Alas to be legal. A 2000 dollar fine for pirating seems about equal to what over the past 2 years I would have paid to Steve if he was more on the ball.
 

dvader

macrumors regular
Feb 17, 2007
111
0
Sorry about the rant, but this subject with apple really has me peaved. I would have expected apple to be way ahead in this area by now. I am an HDTV addict and they are just teasing me. Stand alone players are a thing of the past. I just want to use my mini with a tuner, and my projector and 5.1 system for all my entertainment. Alas to be legal. A 2000 dollar fine seems about equal to what over the past 2 years I would have paid to Steve if he was more on the ball.
Are there rumors for HD to come out for Apple's computer line? At least that's something to go on even if it's just a rumor.
 

shu82

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2007
697
4
Rocket City, AL
Its more than a rumor. Apple is in the blue-ray camp. Jobs teased everybody with HD when he introduced the itv this fall. It its coming!
 

Multimedia

macrumors 603
Jul 27, 2001
5,212
0
Santa Cruz CA, Silicon Beach
Apple Might Be On The HD Fence

Its more than a rumor. Apple is in the blue-ray camp. Jobs teased everybody with HD when he introduced the itv this fall. It its coming!
Apple may be on fence with regard to HD. Although they acted like they were Blu-ray only supporters last year, now they are a member of the HD-DVD group as well as the Blu-ray group. So there's no way to be sure which way they are going to go. They may be agnostic and offer both types or a recorder-player that does both - coming soon from Samsung and others.

So far I plan on using Bul-ray because of the higher storage capacity. Plus I'm kind of a Sony whore. ;) :eek: :rolleyes:
 

dvader

macrumors regular
Feb 17, 2007
111
0
Apple may be on fence with regard to HD. Although they acted like they were Blu-ray only supporters last year, now they are a member of the HD-DVD group as well as the Blu-ray group. So there's no way to be sure which way they are going to go. They may be agnostic and offer both types or a recorder-player that does both - coming soon from Samsung and others.

So far I plan on using Bul-ray because of the higher storage capacity. Plus I'm kind of a Sony whore. ;) :eek: :rolleyes:

Regarding the Blu-ray vs HD debate, do you think we'll know which direction Apple will commit to by the end of this year? If not, how about by the end of 08?
 

Rod Rod

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2003
2,180
6
Las Vegas, NV
I agree though, so much for last year being Apple's "Year of HD"
The "Year of HD" was 2005. The declaration coincided with iMovie HD's release (iMovie 5) and a Sony executive (Ken Kutaragi?) sharing the stage at MWSF (January 2005). Steve Jobs showed a Sony FX-1 HDV camcorder during the keynote presentation.
If those DVDs also play on commercial HDDVD players then that's even better.
Yes they do.
Last year was Apple's year of HD.. for authors only.
2005, and yeah, because DVD Studio Pro 4 came out in the middle of 2005, with HD DVD-R authoring (HD-DVD on red-laser discs).
Its more than a rumor. Apple is in the blue-ray camp. Jobs teased everybody with HD when he introduced the itv this fall. It its coming!
The Apple TV doesn't prove that much about HD. According to its current specs, the highest resolution it can play back is 1280x720, and that at 24 frames per second. Apparently it would choke on 720p30, let alone 720p60, 1080i60 or 1080p24.
Apple may be on fence with regard to HD. Although they acted like they were Blu-ray only supporters last year, now they are a member of the HD-DVD group as well as the Blu-ray group.
Apple was a member of the DVD Forum (the group behind HD DVD) before it joined Blu-ray. Apple never acted one way or the other. I'll link you to a primary source.

Apple press release dated April 17, 2005:
"Apple is committed to both emerging high definition DVD standards—Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Apple is an active member of the DVD Forum which developed the HD DVD standard, and last month joined the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association."

The subsequent press release, announcing FCS and from the same day, highlights high definition but makes no mention of Blu-ray while playing up HD DVD authoring.

Please take note of the chronology. The DVD Forum was founded back in 1997. I'm not claiming that Apple was a founding member but it stands to reason that it joined a little before 2001 when the authoring tool DVD Studio Pro 1.0 came out (which Apple bought from Astarte the year before).

So we've had red-laser HD DVD authoring capability for almost two years now in DVDSP 4. Maybe we'll get Blu-ray movie disc authoring this year, but at that point HD DVD will have had a two year jump.

Toast 8's Blu-ray write capability (at the moment) pertains to data, not movies (meaning having formatted menus, chapter indexes, special features and such).
Regarding the Blu-ray vs HD debate, do you think we'll know which direction Apple will commit to by the end of this year? If not, how about by the end of 08?
Apple is committed to both. A significant part of Apple's business comes from content creators. This group needs the capability to output to both formats.

I don't get why HD DVD writers and blank media are at the moment nowhere to be found though. If someone knows where they are, please fill me in. Thanks.
 

Rod Rod

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2003
2,180
6
Las Vegas, NV
Great info. But how long do you think it will be before we can download real HD through itunes?

That's anybody's guess, but 720p24 does qualify as "real HD," so once the Apple TV ships, offering 720p24 content might be an incentive to drive sales of it and iTunes store content. However, scaled-up 640x480 / 640x360 material (that's the current resolution of iTunes store video) might not look bad to a lot of people.
 
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