We always suspected the iPhone 3GS was capable of 1080p HD video playback, and now we've got proof. Although Apple lists the iPhone 3Gs's max video playback res at just 640x480,
iLounge linked to Chinese forum post claiming that the 3GS could do 30Mbps 1080p playback earlier today -- and when we saw that the only thing we needed to do to test it out was download the free FileAid app, well, you know how we've just spent the last 20 minutes. We tested out a bunch of HD trailers from Apple's QuickTime trailer site, some videos we shot with a Lumix DMC-GH1 and some other random videos with general success, but there were some major hiccups: high bitrate 720p video off the GH1 stuttered during playback, and loading the
Avatar trailer consistently crashed the phone's audio driver until we restarted. We tried the same thing on an iPhone 3G and just got error messages at almost every resolution, so it seems like it's a combination of the 3GS's extra horsepower and different built-in software at work here -- software that's clearly not ready for prime-time, as evidenced by the bugs. We're hoping Apple is polishing that up and getting ready to unlock this functionality, since it'd be sweet to just plug into an HDTV and play video -- anyone listening out there in Cupertino? Video after the break.
Read - Apple iPhone specs
Read - Chinese forum posts claiming 30Mbps 1080p playback
posted Aug 20th 2009 6:59PM
Why would you even want to plug the phone into an hdtv and watch the video in the phone screen rather than the TV screen? In any case, its amazing how people are straining their precious eyes by watching movies on phone screen even when they have laptop/tv nearby them. I have seen many people doing that even when they are sitting inside their house.
The point is that you'd be able to plug the iPhone into an HDTV and play 1080p video from the iPhone on the HDTV. The iPhone's purpose would be to decode the video and send it out over an AV cable.
@hary536
your absolutely right. Plugging my phone into an HDTV to view the picture on my phone is absolutely retarded because a) tv is an output device and b) it makes no sense. Nobody wants to plug the iPhone into the HDTV to watch on the tiny screen. What makes more sense is people plugging their iPhones into the tv to play stuff on the iPhone in HD TO the tv. I do it all the time ... I don't fiddle with burning anything. I just put the movies on my phone and go. Voilà! Instant movie night!
Funny thing is 1080p is only noticeable on 50+inch screens.
Depends what you're using it for. I use a 46inch LCD in my bedroom as a computer display.
1080p makes a HUGE difference in that case, no matter what distance you're sitting.
1080p playback on a 480X320 screen.
Why does anyone care in the slightest?
I assume its so Apple can claim they invented 1080p and added it as a "feature" on the new iphone. Idiots.
You and everyone else asking this question just don't get it.
It's not to watch 1080p on the iphone, it's to output it to a TV.
You'd basically be looking at the iphone becoming a BluRay player replacement.
Not a replacement for your large screen display.
@badchad
wow you like to think in your obviously tiny little world and never deviate. I put HD movies on my iPhone for the purpose of having a movie weekend with my girlfriend by plugging my iPhone into her high def TV. My Tilt would hickup trying to do it and same with my Zen. My iPhone 3Gs does it perfectly however. This is much more convenient than encoding to DVDs because ultimately you lose quality burning your own DVD movies. I just put them on my phone and go. That's it.
On your tilt?
Did the Tytn2 have VGA Out?
Well, either way there wasn't the horsepower to play high-def video, so of course it would stutter... the original iPhone also didn't have enough power for high def video out. Its comparing Apples to Oranges.
The Touch Pro, however, is plenty capable of playing back full quality video, especially since it is a more recent generation of hardware. If you make use of the qtv driver, one can easily output any divx file from a PC to a TV.
I'm not sure about 1080, I would assume that most mobiles can't keep up with that- but how many of us have 1080 encoded content to play it with, honestly? I don't even have a 1080 screen to attempt it with...
@mobile enthusiast
well the first generation iPhone is capable of 480p playback and used that resulution to play back movies on my tv. So naturally I tried putting the same videos on my Tilt but it stuttered like crazy.
First of all, you do all realize that watching a movie in 480x320 on the iPhone is NO DIFFERENT than watching a movie in 1920x1080 on the SAME RESOLUTION SCREEN, right?. Of course you did, moving on...
What medium cable does everyone expect to use if 1080p output can be achieved on an iPhone? Some magical Apple pin connector>HDMI?! The best quality you could possibly get is to use the Apple component TV-out connector, and even that lowers the quality to make 1080p worthless (though possible over component, very unlikely).
Cool idea though, just remember to keep things in perspective. OmniaHD owners are killing themselves trying to watch 720p movies on their nHD screens without knowing any better (the "n" stands for NOT).
@JohnnyBruha
The point I was making is that there is a reason to have higher than 480x320 resolutions on your iPhone. I constantly play 480p movies from my iPhone at 720x480 resolution using the cables I got from the Apple store. And yes, there is definitely a huge difference between playing a movie at 480x320 on your iPhone vs movies at 720x480. OF COURSE it won't make a difference when you view it on the iPhone screen. Everyone that knows what resolution the iPhone screen is knows that. Playing 480p videos on your iPhone screen will just be down-sampled to 480x320.
Now, I am not sure about 1080p videos through the cable ... because I mainly play movies on a 42" Panasonic plasma that is only capable of 480p at 852x480. BUT, I have played videos that size on my 3Gs just to see if it will work ... and it plays. Although I saw no difference between the 480p movies, it played them without a hitch.
Weird the same thing happened to me when I was on 2.0. I watched an HD video from gametrailers and the audio had difficulties and because of that the video was glitching alot but it still could play. It took a long time to load though. But the big difference was that I was on an iPod touch 2g instead of an iPhone.
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@chcox
So then, please help me expand my "tiny little world" given that:
1. Its pointless to have 1080p playback on a 420X320 device... AND
2. The same 1080p content CANNOT be output to a larger HDTV.
What exactly is the point again? If you can't output a particular format, or make use of it, then why have it?
I agree, there is no point. I guess to prove that iPhone is fast??? But then, we can just look at its spec to know that.
It absolutely CAN output a higher resolution video than what the internal display can handle.
Don't make bold statements when you obviously don't know what you are talking about.
So you are all saying that you think Apple will not come out with some kind of dock or *SOMETHING* that will allow you to output 1080P video? Is this because its impossible to push that amount of data through the standard cable connect of the ipod?
@Matt, let's put it this way; if the capability IS there, Apple won't create an accessory for it until they find the best possible way to milk iPhone owners for as much money as possible. That'll include the an official announcement from their marketing militia, 1080p downloads available in iTunes, and a new dock at $50+. I don't know enough about Apple's pin connector to say whether or not it could handle the output, but in its current form, I doubt it.
The output from the iphone dock connector is USB 2.0, which theoretically can handle about 480mbps.
HD output should not be a problem as far as data throughput is concerned.
The issues would be whether or not apple wants to make and HDMI cable for the iphone, and whether or not they would rather just wait and make an iphone HD next year to sell us a new device.
I'd guess, we'll get an iphone HD next year...