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QuickTime 4 Preview Release
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Contact and Other Information
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| Manufacturer: |
Apple Computer, Inc.
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| Web Site: |
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
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| Description: |
Multimedia Creation, Editing and Playback
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| Address: |
Apple Computer, Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, California 95014-2084
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| Price: |
Free (basic) $29.95 (pro)
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| Telephone: |
408-996-1010
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| System Requirements: |
- 68020 or higher processor, PowerPC for certain advanced features
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- 8MB RAM, 16MB for PowerPC
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- Mac OS 7.1 or later
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By John F. Braun
Introduction
Back in January, we thought that the release of QuickTime 4 was imminent, due to a reference to it at Jobs' last MacWorld keynote. As you probably know, QuickTime 4 Preview Release, for both Mac OS and Windows 95/NT, was released on April 19. Having had a chance to play with it, we though we'd give you the low-down on the many new features.
New Installer
The first difference you'll notice is the method of installing this package. With a download that is around 400K, you may start to wonder. Once you launch the installer and see references to download size, visions of installing IE on Windows may come to you. In other words, this installer actually downloads additional components. Although this may be an inconvenience for those without full-time connections, the benefit of downloading only what you need makes up for it. And if a component is needed when you attempt to play something, it will be downloaded on the spot. Pretty slick.
You can choose from Basic Playback, Deluxe Playback, QuickTime Authoring and Custom installation options. The resulting download can range from 2 to 6 megabytes, but if you have the time and disk space, you might as well go for the gusto and Select All from the Custom option.
New Look
While your system is rebooting, you'll notice newer, rounded icons for QuickTime components. A Blue and White theme, no doubt in honor of the new G3 systems, is evident. For some fun, open up your System Folder, then your Extensions. Look for things that start with QuickTime, as well as items in a folder titled QuickTime Extensions. Turn on Balloon Help and pass your cursor over these items. Not your ordinary help messages!
Once you've tired of this silliness, open the QuickTime Folder that you just installed. You'll notice QuickTime Player, which replaces the old Movie Player. Launch it, and you'll immediately notice the snazzy, brushed metal look to the new control panel, reminiscent of the DVD control panel. You can grab anywhere in the top portion of the control, not just the title bar, to move it.
Give Me Control
Some controls, like the volume, play and pause buttons, are obvious. An info button will display copyright or other info about the clip. Another button with four dots, when pressed, reveals additional controls including balance, bass and treble adjustments that really work. Of questionable usefulness is a drawer where icons of your favorite clips can be stored. Since the icons for each entry are small, it is hard to tell exactly what they represent.
More Options
In addition to a spiffy new player, QuickTime 4 support new media formats. You can now handle Macromedia Flash, Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Session Description Protocol (SDP), and (finally) MP3 audio files. On the graphics side, the viewer now supports the FlashPix (FPX) format, typically used with digital cameras and other imaging devices.
Performance Issues
For movie playback, there were no noticeable improvements in playback quality, at least on a 300 MHz G3 test system. Attempts to play back the new QT4-specific Star Wars Trailer did result in occasional choppy video on our 300 MHz G3 system, but not on a 400 MHz G3 system. This was attributed to the increased sample rate (44 kHz) and compression scheme (QDesign Music 2) introduced with this clip. Hopefully, performance using these parameters will improve in the final release.
Conclusion
This preview continues to position QuickTime as a system which can handle almost any audio or video format you can throw at it. The addition of new formats, including streaming audio and video, plus MP3, shows that Apple is keeping up with the latest developments in the exciting area of Internet media. If performance issues are addressed, the release of this package should be a winner.
Apple QuickTime
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