Comments on: Why iTunes videos are not widescreen http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2006-05-09/why-itunes-videos-are-not-widescreen The personal weblog of Peter Hosey. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:10:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mac-arena the Bored Zo http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2006-05-09/why-itunes-videos-are-not-widescreen#comment-70 Mac-arena the Bored Zo Wed, 10 May 2006 14:00:00 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2006-05-09/why-itunes-videos-are-not-widescreen#comment-70 Very informative. Thank you. Very informative. Thank you.

]]> By: Sören 'chucker' Kuklau http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2006-05-09/why-itunes-videos-are-not-widescreen#comment-69 Sören 'chucker' Kuklau Wed, 10 May 2006 01:23:00 +0000 http://boredzo.org/blog/archives/2006-05-09/why-itunes-videos-are-not-widescreen#comment-69 Actually, aspect ratio is *not* the reason: many iTVS shows *are* widescreen by now (recent Battlestar Galactica episodes, for example). So, clearly, black bars isn't what Apple is worried the most about. The most significant reason the resolution is so low is simply performance. The iPod only supports H.264 video up to a resolution of 400x300 (or something like that), and only with the Baseline Profile (as opposed to QuickTime, which supports the Main Profile), and "only" at 24 fps. Anything like 480p, let alone 720p, would simply not play at a remotely sane framerate. Actually, aspect ratio is *not* the reason: many iTVS shows *are* widescreen by now (recent Battlestar Galactica episodes, for example). So, clearly, black bars isn't what Apple is worried the most about.

The most significant reason the resolution is so low is simply performance. The iPod only supports H.264 video up to a resolution of 400x300 (or something like that), and only with the Baseline Profile (as opposed to QuickTime, which supports the Main Profile), and "only" at 24 fps. Anything like 480p, let alone 720p, would simply not play at a remotely sane framerate.

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