Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
The Windows Media Player is also available on this operating system but tends to
lag behind the Windows version somewhat and often lacks a few features that the other
has. In particular, the Microsoft advanced video codec is not supported by Windows
Media Player on Mac OS. Windows Media is probably not the best choice for Mac
OS-based applications. The Real Networks player used to be well supported on the Mac
OS Classic operating system, but the support on Mac OS X has been less robust. Recently,
however, the support for Mac OS is improving dramatically; coding Real media is now
possible due to the release of a Real Networks codec plug-in that works with QuickTime.
You still have the option of going for the open-source solutions if you choose. In
some cases, the codecs are made available as QuickTime-compatible plug-ins, which is a
good way to go when using the Mac OS platform. Telestream took this approach when
they introduced a Windows Media codec for the Macintosh (called Flip4Mac).
21.4.3
Linux
Historically, Apple has been reluctant to port QuickTime to Linux. This is probably
because Linux could be seen as a competitor to Mac OS X since they are both variations of
UNIX. Likewise, Microsoft has been reluctant to port Windows Media Player to Linux
because it would cut into Windows sales. Fortunately, the open source MPlayer provides
some solutions, and there is no shortage of people working on the Linux platform creat-
ing applications to play video.
A variety of video players have been implemented on this operating system. Indeed,
the TiVo DVR units are implemented on a Linux-based operating system. You may need
to upgrade your kernel to support real-time video playback. Some open-source kernel
modifications were posted on the TiVo Web site in 2003 and should still be available there
if you need access to this level of support. The optimum choice for Linux is to go for an
open-source solution.
Note that some devices are called personal video recorders (PVRs), a category that
includes all digital and analog devices. Many newer units are being referred to as DVRs,
which may mean “digital video recorder” or “direct video recorder” depending on whose
marketing hype you are reading. This digital recording may be a digitized analog TV serv-
ice (classic TiVo style) or a recording of the digital bit stream (ElGato EyeTV). The record-
ing of a digital service is going to be of a better overall quality.
21.4.4
JavaTV
Sun Microsystems' JavaTV is poised to offer the same cross-platform advantages to inter-
active TV services as it did to computer platforms. This is attractive inasmuch as the devel-
opment programming skills for JavaTV will not be as scarce as those required for OpenTV,
for example.
TiVo kernel patches: http://www.tivo.com/linux/linux.asp
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