It all started where most phone-related discoveries usually start: a Chinese forum. Some users discovered that the iPhone 3GS was capable of playing back fullHD (1080p) video, and pretty soon, the whole Web was abuzz with it.
It’s a significant achievement for the ‘do-it-all’ device, especially for multimedia lovers. We were impressed at first too, but on reflection, the novelty died out and we were left wondering, “Err… so what?”
Here’s how it all happened: Surfing the Web on our usual haunts, we stumbled across a post on Engadget where they talked about the playback compatibility. The authors saw the same Chinese forum, found that the iPhone 3GS could apparently do 1080p playback at a bit rate of 30Mbps, and all it required was a free-to-download app.
Engadget set about testing it with HD trailers from Apple’s QuickTime site, videos from a digicam and some other random videos. They found that the playback stuttered at times, crashed the audio driver and was simply incompatible with the iPhone 3G. There’s even a video at their site, if you want to check out the playback.
These software bugs are all fine, though, as Apple still officially says it can’t do 1080p and is probably sorting out the issues to enable this functionality.
However, you have to wonder how this is going to help in the end. Sure, it’s great to have 1080p on your tiny screen, but can you honestly make out the difference between that and an HQ trailer?
We also thought at first that this could mean we can plug in our iPhone to the TV and avail of fullHD playback – no annoying dock needed, like the Zune HD! In theory, it’s quite possible to plug the iPhone, but in practice, can you imagine putting your phone near your TV to connect it and sitting back to watch a movie. What happens when the phone rings? How do you control playback?
It’s great that the iPhone has 1080p video compatibility, really, it is. But till it becomes practical to stream the same wirelessly to your TV or monitor, it’s just another ‘cool thing that the iPhone can do without any real-life functionality’.
Source: Engadget