SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Computer released a new, preview version of its QuickTime multimedia software for Windows Monday, which will stream and playback high definition video, the company said.
QuickTime 7 Player and QuickTime 7 Pro for Windows, are "the industryis first mainstream H.264 solution for streaming and playback of High Definition (HD) video on the Windows platform," the company said.
The H.264 video codec delivers high quality video across a broad range of bandwidths, from 3G for mobile devices to iChat AV for video conferencing to HD for broadcast and DVD. H.264 has been adopted by both the DVD Forum and Blu-ray Disc Association for the next generation of high definition DVDs.
QuickTime 7 Player for Windows features support for H.264, support for playing up to 24 channels of audio, including 5.1 and 7.1 audio, new and improved playback controls, including jog shuttle and variable speed playback options, zero-configuration streaming for easy access to the optimal streaming experience, and live resizing for smooth playback as a user changes the size of the QuickTime 7 Player window.
QuickTime 7 Pro for Windows features H.264 video encoding, support for configuring and encoding 5.1 audio, new full-screen controls for easy access to player controls in full- screen mode, native support for VBScript, enabling QuickTime workflow automation, background exporting to allow users to continue working during exports, and all-new movie settings for movie authoring.
QuickTime 7 Player can be downloaded for free, while QuickTime 7 Pro costs US$29.99 per user.
The final versions of QuickTime 7 Player and QuickTime 7 Pro for Windows will be available this summer, the company said.