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Apple snuck in the final release of QuickTime 4 today. Many Mac users may have noticed their QuickTime installer automatically updating them with the new components. At the same time Apple has announced a few more big names that are providing QuickTime content which have been attracted to the 5 million copies of QuickTime that have been downloaded since the first initial beta version. According to Apple:
Apple today released the final shipping version of QuickTime® 4, its industry-leading multimedia software for both Macintosh® and Windows platforms. QuickTime 4 features "streaming" of live and stored video and audio over the Internet and is the first Internet streaming solution to use non-proprietary industry-standard RTP and RTSP protocols. More than five million copies of QuickTime 4 public beta software have been downloaded from Apple's web site during the first 50 days since its release in April.
Apple today also announced that FOX News Online and FOX Sports Online have joined the growing lineup of QuickTime content providers offering live programming, which also include BBC WORLD, Bloomberg, HBO, NPR and WGBH Boston. The Weather Channel joins the QuickTime programming lineup with on-demand weather forecasts.
QuickTime 4's new Internet streaming capabilities allow users to play live and stored video and audio, enabling them to experience high-quality playback even over 28.8Kbps modems. Key features in QuickTime 4 include:
- QuickTime Player, providing intuitive user controls, a stunning new look and feel, and one-click access to Internet content. QuickTime Player also features audio controls for balance, volume, bass, and treble;
- QuickTime PictureViewer, delivering still image support for a wide range of formats including BMP, GIF, JPEG, PICT, PNG, SGI, TIFF, Adobe Photoshop, and FlashPix;
- QuickTime Web Browser Plug-in, enabling Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and America Online web browsers to display QuickTime-based media directly inside web pages; Compression technologies, allowing content providers to optimize the playback of their content for dial-up Internet access and CD-ROM. These include MPEG-1 layer 3 (MP3), Sorenson Video, QDesign Music, Qualcomm PureVoice, H.261, H.263 and GSM;
- Network protocol support for Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) streaming standards, RTP, RTSP, SDP, FTP and HTTP; Support for video and animation formats, such as AVI, DV, Macromedia Flash, OpenDML, GIF and FLC;
- QuickTime for Java allowing Java applets to interface with QuickTime's entire API;
- New small, intelligent installer to speed the download process, especially for QuickTime 4 users with low bandwidth Internet connections. By enabling users to download only the parts of QuickTime they immediately need and offering automatic updates, customers get the fastest possible access to QuickTime content.
QuickTime 4 Pro includes all the features of QuickTime 4 while unlocking the software's advanced authoring and playback capabilities, including:
- Multi-format editing, allowing users to integrate video and audio from anywhere, in any QuickTime supported format, including streaming;
- Advanced export capabilities, enabling users to manipulate still images and convert them to standard publishing formats, such as Adobe Photoshop, TIFF, BMP, PICT, PNG and JPEG;
- Ability to create slide shows that integrate pictures and sound;
- New Lens Flare and Zoom filters to further enhance movies and images;
- Easy preparation of QuickTime movies for streaming distribution.
- Availability, Pricing and System Requirements
Basic QuickTime 4 for either platform is free and can be downloaded from Apple's web site. QuickTime 4 Pro is priced at US$29.99. QuickTime 3 Pro customers are automatically upgraded to QuickTime 4 Pro free of charge upon downloading the QuickTime 4 software.
The Mac Observer Spin: This is a big day for Apple. QuickTime 4 is all about controlling Internet multimedia standards. The battle is between Microsoft, RealNetworks and Apple. To be honest, Apple looks as if it will in fact win this particular battle hands down. Though Apple has been pretty harsh to RealNetworks since QT4 was released, our prediction is that Apple and RealNetworks will actually come to some form of alliance with RealNetworks adopting QT4 in some fashion. That is pure speculation, but the battle is going to be heating up over the next 6-12 months.
QuickTime
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