The Apple iPad: Good For Video Stuff Or Not?

[admin]

Well the secret is out, and Apple's iPad is the device everyone's talking about, although the focus has mainly being on the stuff that the iPad is missing, namely USB support, multi-tasking, phone features and basically many of the things that people thought a Tablet PC ought to have.

When it comes to video, it's no different. The 1024x768 screen of the iPad reminds us of the time before widescreen LCDs were the norm, and while the display itself is an LED unit and so quite excellent, the lowered resolution won't help with video playback. 720p is what people want these days (at the very least), but the 1024x768 screen just does not have enough pixels to natively display the 1280x720 video. The non widescreen ratio of the iPad also means letter boxing for most videos.

The worst part of it is the lack of Flash support, which means no online videos either. Of course, YouTube and Vidmeo will start using HTML5 soon, and this would at least allow video playback from these two websites on the iPad, but there are still many video and non video websites that won't work on the iPad.

And Blu-ray? Forget about it. Despite Apple being on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association, they have no interest in adding Blu-ray support to any of their products, including the iPad. For now at least. The lack of an HDMI connector on the iPad basically rules out using it as a Blu-ray player that connects to your TV, and whether the iPad itself is powerful enough to even play Blu-ray or 1080p H.264 movies is something that has yet to be determined, as we await more detail on the graphical side of things leading up to the March release date.

There's a whole bunch of other video stuff that the iPad doesn't do (while existing media players can do).

I had always imagined the iPad being something like a cross between a netbook (for Internet, computing applications), a Logitech harmony (universal smart remote control), an iPhone (for the phone and media playback capabilities) and the iPad does many of these things. But you do get the feeling that the current version will be the one lacking essential features that nobody will want when the next version comes out, just like the very first iPhones.

[dr_ml422]

Apple is doing what many manufacturers have been doing for a while now. going after the young and wannabe in crowd as far as fashion etc... Nike's been doing it for the longest starting w/the Jordan line of sneakers. Timberland has also made a killing appealing to the base desires of this crowd. apple sucks in all those like I mentioned before want to attract attention and get good w/the in crowd.

Reports here in The Apple have already called it nothing more than a larger ipod touch. Hey, but if you want to turn some heads in a yuppy cafe ala StarBucks etc... then just buy one and start plucking away at a table or chair. Most likely you might walk out w/a iBimbo for the night...

Apple better hope all this doesn't fade soon, especially w/the icrowd. Maybe it won't though as Barnum and Bailey said there's a sucker born every second or minute.

That said I wonder what the kickback is for being on the Blu-ray Disc Association and still not adding any support for Blu-ray as you mentioned.

I definitely have to get into some legal con. A friend of mine long ago said there was more money to be made legally than illegally if you know how to do it.

[blutach]

I dunno how good it is or not - all I've been told (by Mrs Tach) is to buy one, cos she's been waiting for something like this for years (she wants to get online books and the kimble is not available here - at least in a large size).

Regards

[dr_ml422]

Lol... I hear that. How you doing? Happy and Healthy belated New Year to you and yours.

Otn, I came here via some reply by yearofthehao? You took him out? Obviously, I just read the 1st 3 words in my e-mail and hit the link here to try and decipher the rest.

[drfsupercenter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DYuVN6nuY

Looks so much cooler than an iPad if you ask me.

[dr_ml422]

Now this is really cool. good snatch from the web there drf. I thought the iPad name was copyrighted though by Apple? Guess not. Someone drop in and elaborate on this. I'd like to know. Thnx.

[admin]

I dunno how good it is or not - all I've been told (by Mrs Tach) is to buy one, cos she's been waiting for something like this for years (she wants to get online books and the kimble is not available here - at least in a large size).

Regards

The iBook application (the eBook reader) may be not available in Australia at launch:

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/computers/awe-and-shock-busting-through-the-ipad-hype-20100128-n0z0.html

[dr_ml422]

The iBook application (the eBook reader) may be not available in Australia at launch:

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-lif...0128-n0z0.html

What kind of censorship if any is going on down under if any? Only available in the USA?

Otn, Admin is the iPad name open to anyone to use w/their products?

[admin]

Not censorship, but licensing agreements I suspect. It took a while for Amazon to get the Kindle down to Oz, and that's still with a much reduced library of books that can be purchased.

Otn, Admin is the iPad name open to anyone to use w/their products?

Not sure what this means?

I personally think that iTab is a better name, although it really isn't a tablet in the strictest sense.

[blutach]

Well, I doubt we'll be buying it unless the ibooks app is there then.

Regards

[dr_ml422]

Not censorship, but licensing agreements I suspect. It took a while for Amazon to get the Kindle down to Oz, and that's still with a much reduced library of books that can be purchased.



Not sure what this means?

I personally think that iTab is a better name, although it really isn't a tablet in the strictest sense.

What I mean is that doesn't Apple own the rights to anything i? They did invent the iPhone correct? I would figure if anyone else wanted to come out w/a product using the i in it they would have to go through Apple.

No one I think can come out w/a product w/the Windows name w/out Uncle Bill n crew's permission.

[admin]

Well, Apple sued the store Woolworth here in Australia because they said the Woolworth logo sort of looked like an Apple, even though it's actually also supposed to be a "W";



I don't believe they have a lock on all names starting with a small caps "i", but if the device that uses an "i" name does something similar to an Apple device, then that's probably not allowed.

[dr_ml422]

Wow Woolworths! They were great here in the Apple but they took them out over 30 yrs. or so ago. They and Gimbels and some others.

That's what I thought and that Lenovo does look like it's doing some Apple stuff. Windows 7 though? Uncle Bill is not playing even as a civilian.

[drfsupercenter]

What about the iRiver? Remember those knockoff players a few years ago?

[chrisjkirk]

The ipad does play 720p video but would scale it down to 1024x576 (same number of horizontal lines as a PAL DVD) so at least you don't have to keep two versions of the same video. I suppose you could watch the video in 4:3 and keep the 720 lines but lose the widescreen.

The reason people were dissapointed with the iPad is that they thought it was going to be a touch screen netbook. If you think about it as a competitor to the Amazon Kindle it starts to make more sense.

The Kindle just reads books; the iPad reads books, plays music and video, browses web etc etc and both cost $400. If i was thinking about buying a Kindle last month I would be buying an iPad this month. Unfortunatly for Apple and Amazon I dont want either.