It is official! XBOX 360 will support h.264 and mpeg-4 part 2
April 10, 2007
http://joostteam.com posted:
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Microsoft is officially announcing the following information regarding changes of video format support:
- Added H.264 video support: Up to 10 Mbps peak, Baseline, Main, and High profiles with 2 channel AAC LC.
- Added MPEG-4 Part 2 video support: Up to 5 Mbps peak, Simple Profile with 2 channel AAC LC.
- Show folder hierarchy for video content played from all devices.
- Bookmarks are stored for each video that the user plays remembering the users last location in the file as well as the aspect ratio that the user choose for that file.
- Video trick modes (fast forward, rewind, chapter skip) can now be used while downloading Video Marketplace content.
- Skip forward and backward functionality has been improved to skip to the next or previous chapter. Each video is divided into 10 “chapters” allowing you to quickly skip around video content.
- The information bar that is turned on via the On Screen Display (OSD) now shows you exactly where you are in the playback of the video file. In addition it will also show for Video Marketplace content how much of the file has been downloaded and where the “chapters” exist in the file.
It appear as if h.264 and mpeg-4 part 2 audio will be limited to AAC LC audio format. This might seriously restrict playback of xvid/divx files containing mp3 or AC3 audio formats. Let hope that Microsoft just omitted to list MP3 and AC3 support.
Another hurtle for xvid/divx playback will be the statement that the XBOX 360 will only support MPEG-4 Part 2 SP… and not ASP. Without ASP there is no B frames, Qpel and GMC to name a few.
It is also unclear what container will be supported for mpeg-4 part 2 and h.264. MPEG4 file format (.mp4) is a likely candidate but the venerable AVI format deprecated years ago by Microsoft will most certainly not be supported.
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Xbox 360 to get keyboard controller attachment
April 8, 2007
That two year old rumor that the Xbox 360 was to get a qwerty keyboard attachment has been resurrected, with the appearance of another Gamespot article (leak?) referring to a 47 key keyboard which snaps onto the Xbox 360 controller and communicates through the headset jack. Gamespot says that the peripheral is to be used in conjunction with the cross-platform instant messaging capabilities to be added to the Spring dashboard update. Apparently it’ll be available in the Summer for an as yet unnamed price. Bring on the tired thumbs.
Blu-ray Disc Specification Change Threatens Current Players
April 3, 2007
The Blu-ray Disc Association has mandated that all players of the format released after October 31 must adhere to a specific feature set that is currently not standard for today’s hardware. All Blu-ray Disc players after the fall date must support BD Java, a programming language for Blu-ray Disc media used mainly to deliver picture-in-picture for in-movie commentary and special features.
“Blu-ray player requirements and BD-Java specifications have been gradually changed over and over again, which has caused a good amount of grief for player manufacturers,” said optical storage analyst Wesley Novack. “The new specification and requirements will ensure that all Blu-ray players manufactured past October will be able to support the full range of BD-Java capabilities, including picture in picture and more.”
Novack continued, “This might be bad news for early adopters who have already purchased a player, but it will not prevent them from playing back future Blu-ray movies. Owners of first generation Blu-ray players will probably not be able to use the full range of interactive features available on future Blu-ray Disc titles.”
Owners of current Blu-ray Disc players who are concerned about the future utility of their hardware are assured by manufacturers that current players won’t be made completely obsolete with the new standard.
“As is common in new format introductions, future products will include some additional features such as picture-in-picture,” said Philips VP Marty Gordon to Video Business.
HDi, an XML-based format developed by Microsoft and Toshiba, is mandatory on all HD DVD players and enables picture-in-picture special features to run alongside the feature length film.
The studio released Mission: Impossible 3 on both HD DVD and Blu-ray, though the HD DVD version features a video picture-in-picture commentary, while the Blu-ray version does only with audio.
Source: http://www.joostteam.com/
