Plaback of HD DVD .EVO files

[jcrhunter]

Is there anything available in Mac OS X which can play HD DVD .EVO files? VLC recognizes the correct length of my EVO files, but doesn't see the audio or video data. I've tried searching the net, but the only program I found which plays HD DVD files is the CyberLink Power DVD Ultra, and they don't offer a Mac version.

[bdraw]

I have come to the same conclusion.
I wonder if 10.5 will be able to play them with DVD player or if VLC can be modified.

[almostinsane]

They'd play like crap anyway w/o any HW accelleration. I hope they code this in to the new DVD player in 10.5, and a rewrite of the mpeg2 decoder and deinterlacer.

And before anyone says "But they clips I DL from the quicktime gallery in 1080p play perfect!" then imagine tripling the bitrate and see how they play. The files from the quicktime library are low bitrate and really look like crap compared to HD-DVD's.

[bdraw]

I find it hard to believe that a Core Dou processor won't have the power to play back HD DVD flawlessly. Sure the bit rate is lower on the Apple samples, but I can still decode them without even hitting 50% utilization.

[D_A_Haas]

They'd play like crap anyway w/o any HW accelleration.
I find it hard to believe that a Core Dou processor won't have the power to play back HD DVD flawlessly.

Right now Core2Duo looks to be the best to use CPU-wise, from what I've read.
However, HDCP is a factor. No Apple Cinema Displays have HDCP-compliance, and only a small number of HDCP-capable computer monitors have hit mainstream.
We have yet to hear of whether ATI or NVidia's Mac graphics cards have HDCP enabled (and who knows about sideliner Intel GPUs).

It's a "just wait and see," I bet...
I hope they code this in to the new DVD player in 10.5
Me too

[almostinsane]

I find it hard to believe that a Core Dou processor won't have the power to play back HD DVD flawlessly. Sure the bit rate is lower on the Apple samples, but I can still decode them without even hitting 50% utilization.

Your right, for some reason I was just thinking about the G5's (Probably because that's what I'm typing on). But the missing HDCP from the video cards and displays is a major issue.

[lsarver]

However, HDCP is a factor.
But is it still a factor, if you're playing rips? (Both HD-DVD and BD have been cracked recently.)

[jcrhunter]

But is it still a factor, if you're playing rips? (Both HD-DVD and BD have been cracked recently.)

You don't need HDCP compliance for playing RIPs, but since I have a G5 Quad with a GeForce 7800GT (no hardware acceleration) I don't believe there's anything out there (software or hardware) which has sufficient power to play them.

[Brandon B]

HDCP displays are kind of irrelevant until the output on the mac applies HDCP in the first place. Which it does not do right now, does it?

BB

[Jimwesternguy]

Some people claim various video cards in macs are HDCP compliant but I haven't seen confirmation on any tech site. Perhaps someone here can post a link. I just have an intel mac mini and it is definitely not HDCP compliant.
Various models of Samsung, Dell, etc. monitors are now HDCP compliant. You have to look at the specs for specific confirmation.

[Andrew67]

(1) I'm not sure where one legally acquires these files, so whether the mac supports HDCP may not be relevant. HDCP is only required for legal content. (2) Someone made a comment above about mpeg2 hardware assisted decoding. These files could be mpeg2 or mpeg4, so while hardware based decoding is always desired a variety of protocols would need to be supported.

[bdraw]

alt.binaries.hdtv

[lsarver]

I don't believe there's anything out there (software or hardware) which has sufficient power to play them.
On the contrary: people (on the "other" side) report success with HD-DVD rips. See this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=786910) and those it links to, e.g., at Doom9. (And both WinDVD and PowerDVD are available for the discs.)