Apple Working on a New Video Format?

Apple may be preparing a new video format as it works towards becoming a major player in the video and television market, according to HardMac.

A transition towards better codec, dropping the efficient but CPU-consuming encoding codec H.264 for adopting Wavelet transform-type of codec which will allow even better compression rate while offering better efficiency. This type of compression was already used for the JPEG 2000 format. If we did not get confirmation yet, we can suspect that Apple will be using a format evolving or directly originating from Dirac. In addition, this format is now a standard (and open source format) known under the name of VC2, while the VC1 is a proprietary format from Microsoft found in BD media with H.264. The ultimate goal for Apple would be to promote this new format to support 4 K video (up to 4096x2160.

HardMac notes that most customers don't have a 4K compatible device; however, they believe Apple could enter the market with a high-end device (perhaps an Apple TV) that offers increasing definition.


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