InformIT: Mac OS X Unleashed

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QuickTime 5

What would an Internet experience be like without streaming sound and video? If you have a dial-up connection, the answer is enjoyable—but for those of us lucky enough to have broadband access, streaming media is reasonably feasible through the use of the QuickTime Player provided with Mac OS X. QuickTime is Apple's digital media engine that processes everything from MIDI to movies and still images. For more information about the QuickTime API, see Chapter 1, "Mac OS X Component Architecture."

In this chapter, we're interested in QuickTime's streaming capabilities. QuickTime uses the Internet standard, RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol), to deliver high-quality streams based on any of the QuickTime codecs. In addition, QuickTime can use traditional protocols such as FTP and HTTP.

The difference between FTP/HTTP streaming and RTSP is the TCP/IP transport used to deliver the data. FTP and HTTP are known as reliable protocols. When a server transmits using HTTP or FTP, it must carry on a conversation with the remove client. For each piece (packet) of information that is sent, the remote machine must reply with an acknowledgement (ACK). If the client does not reply, the server resends the data, or, after enough time passes, closes the connection.

RTSP, on the other hand, uses the UDP protocol (a different component of the TCP/IP protocol suite) to deliver unreliable data streams. Although the term unreliable might not sound appealing, in the case of streamed video, it is. RTSP (via UDP) sends data out as quickly as it can. If there is a glitch in the connection, it doesn't have to wait for the remote computer to respond, and it doesn't have to resend data—it just keeps going. The result is a video feed that can recover from errors and doesn't slow down. When watching live video presentations, UDP is the only way to go.

Unfortunately, UDP tends to break behind firewalls or masqueraded connections. To get around this, Apple has provided the capability to stream over HTTP. RTSP is recommended when possible, but HTTPD provides a very comparable streaming experience, although it is susceptible to more hiccups than the UDP-based protocol.

Setting Up QuickTime

There are two places you're most likely to run into QuickTime media—through the QuickTime player and via a Web browser. Before you can use either, you must first configure QuickTime through its System Preference panel. Failing to do so will display the lowest-quality stream. Open System Preferences (Path: /Applications/System Preferences) and click the QuickTime icon to configure your QuickTime settings.

Plug-In

The Plug-In preference panel is shown in Figure 7.32. At the bottom of each QuickTime preference pane are the About QuickTime and Registration buttons. Clicking the About QuickTime button displays information on the version of QuickTime installed, and provides a link to Apple's QuickTime Web site. Choosing Registration allows you to enter registration information for QuickTime Pro. The QuickTime Pro software adds additional features to the Player application—we'll take a look at these a little later.

Figure 7.32 The Plug-In pane controls how the QuickTime browser plug-in works.

The QuickTime plug-in is used when movies are viewed in a browser. There are four configurable options: Play movies automatically, Save movies in disk cache, Enable kiosk mode, and MIME settings.

If you've checked Play movies automatically, QuickTime will start playing a movie after enough of it has been buffered. This applies to nonstreamed movies. If this option is not selected, you must click the Play button to start viewing a movie. If you'd like to save movies that have played in your browser, click the Save movies in disk cache check box. This will speed up commonly accessed movies and is great for those days when you keep pulling up the one funny video clip repeatedly to show your co-workers.

Users who are interested in using QuickTime in kiosks can limit the end user's access to QuickTime controls by clicking the Enable kiosk mode check box. This isn't needed for normal use.

The final available preference, the MIME settings button, opens a list of all the MIME types that QuickTime can handle, and everything it is currently configured to display. Some items are intentionally disabled (such as Flash) because they are better handled by other browser plug-ins.

Connection

The Connection pane, shown in Figure 7.33, configures the type of network access QuickTime can expect your computer to have.

Figure 7.33 Choose your connection speed and transport type for best movie quality.

Choose your network speed from the Connection Speed pop-up menu. This is not the speed you wish you had, but the actual speed of your line. This choice helps QuickTime choose the appropriate type of media to display depending on how fast it can be received.

Click the Transport Setup button to choose the protocol used for streaming. By default, QuickTime will attempt to choose the best transport based on your network topology. It's best not to change these settings unless you know your network supports them. Users behind a firewall can choose the ports used for either HTTP or UDP transports. It's best to talk to your network administrator before changing anything.

By default, QuickTime allows only a single media stream. If your bandwidth allows, click the Allow Multiple Simultaneous Streams option to stream many sources at once. This option is automatically selected when selecting a high-speed network.

Music

QuickTime supports multiple plug-in synthesizers when playing MIDI music. By default, it uses the QuickTime Music Synthesizer, as shown in Figure 7.34.

Figure 7.34 Set the default QuickTime synthesizer.

If you install software that offers another synthesizer plug-in, you can select it from the list in this preference pane. Highlight the item you want to use by default and click Make Default. This will set it as the default synthesizer used by any application playing QuickTime MIDI files.

Media Keys

Some media files may be secured with an access key. The Media Keys pane allows you to enter keys directly into the QuickTime preferences so that the files can be accessed transparently at any time. Figure 7.35 displays the Media Keys pane in the QuickTime System Preference panel. Use the Delete, Edit, and Add buttons to modify your access keys.

Figure 7.35 Add keys to access protected QuickTime media.

Update

QuickTime supports automatic updating in much the same way as the Mac OS X operating system (see Chapter 29 for more information). Unlike the operating system, however, QuickTime checks for updates outside of the normal system updater context. When you're using QuickTime, it will occasionally scan for updates and additions that can be downloaded.

The Update pane, pictured in Figure 7.36, allows you to force an update of QuickTime software at any time.

Figure 7.36 Force a QuickTime software update.

The QuickTime updater can also be used to add third-party software, such as new codecs, to the system.

Click the Update or install QuickTime software or Install new 3rd-party QuickTime software radio buttons, and then click Update Now to start. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

To toggle the QuickTime auto-update feature, click the Check for updates automatically check box.

When you're finished setting up QuickTime, close the System Preferences application.

Browser Plug-in

Many QuickTime movies play from within your browser window. This is probably the most common place you'll view streaming media, so let's take a look at the controls of the QuickTime browser plug-in. Figure 7.37 shows a QuickTime movie playing in the Internet Explorer browser.

Figure 7.37 Most users will experience QuickTime through their browser.

The movie controls are located across the bottom of the video. If you've used a VCR or other media player, you've certainly seen these before. There are, however, a few shortcuts you might want to know.

The volume control, for example, can be instantly muted by clicking the speaker icon. You can also control the volume level using the up-arrow and down-arrow keys on the keyboard. To increase the volume beyond its normal limit, hold down the Shift key while dragging the volume control.

Playback controls can be activated from the keyboard, saving the need to mouse around on your screen. To toggle between playing and pausing, press the space bar. To rewind or fast forward, use the left-arrow and right-arrow keys, respectively.

At the lower far-right of the control bar area is the QuickTime menu. This provides quick access to QuickTime settings. QuickTime Pro users can use this menu to save movies to their hard drive. (Note: Saving a streaming movie saves a reference to the movie, not the actual contents of the movie.)

If the movie being played is streaming from the remote server, some of these controls might not be available. For example, live streams can't be fast-forwarded or rewound, but streamed files can be. The available controls depend entirely on the movie you're viewing.

The QuickTime

The QuickTime Player application (Path: /Applications/QuickTime Player) provides another means of viewing movies and streams. In fact, many users might be surprised to find that they can use the player application to tune in a variety of interesting streams—ranging from news to entertainment, without the need for a Web browser.

Apple has been working with entertainment and news outlets for the past few years to develop QuickTime TV. The stations that comprise QuickTime TV provide streaming media 24 hours a day. Don't have a good source for NPR in your neighborhood? Use QuickTime TV to play a high-quality NPR stream, anytime, anywhere.

QuickTime TV

To start using the QuickTime player, open it from its default home in the Dock, or from the System Applications folder. The QuickTime window should open directly to the QuickTime TV view, as seen in Figure 7.38.

Figure 7.38 QuickTime Player opens to the QuickTime TV view.

A button in the window represents each of the QuickTime TV stations. Clicking a station might load streaming video, a Web page, or a menu to choose between different possible subchoices. For example, clicking HBO shows the current HBO offerings, as demonstrated in Figure 7.39.

Figure 7.39 Clicking a station may load a menu with additional choices.

When QuickTime starts to load a streaming video clip, it will go through four steps before displaying the video:

Connecting— Connection is made to the streaming server.
Requested Data— Waits for acknowledgement from remote server.
Getting Info— Retrieves information about the QuickTime movie.
Buffering— QuickTime buffers several seconds of video to eliminate stuttering from the playback.

If the player stalls during any of these steps, it might be a problem with the remote server or your transport setting. Try another streaming source, and if it still fails, use the QuickTime Preference panel to select an alternative transport.

Other QuickTime Sources

You can use the QuickTime Player to play information from other sources in addition to QuickTime TV. You can open local movie files by choosing Open Movie from the File menu (Command+O) or by dragging a movie file onto the QuickTime Dock icon. If you have a streaming server URL, you can select Open URL (Command+U) from the File menu to directly open the stream.

QuickTime refers to any media type as a movie. For example, you can open and play CD audio tracks and MP3s using the Open Movie command. Even though there aren't any visuals, these media types are still referred to as movies in QuickTime's vocabulary.

QuickTime Player Controls

The QuickTime Player, shown in Figure 7.40, works much like a VCR. The top of the window holds the video pane. Directly below the video is a status bar to display the progress of the player and any feedback it needs to provide to the user.

Figure 7.40 If you've used a VCR, you can control the QuickTime Player.

There are three components to the status bar: the elapsed time, the playback progress, and a miniature frequency monitor. Dragging the arrow above the progress bar quickly moves the current position in the movie (except in the cases of live streams, for reasons that should be obvious).

Although the frequency monitor is of little value as-is, clicking it will toggle the status bar to and from basic sound controls—balance, bass, and treble control. Use the + and - buttons to adjust the values of these settings.

Below the status bar are the main playback controls, that provide the basic control over movie playback. In addition, you'll find a TV button that quickly opens the QuickTime TV stations.

Because many video clips are small, the QuickTime Player window can be resized by using the window resize handle in the lower-right corner. By default, QuickTime Player resizes the window to maintain the same aspect ratio. To squeeze or stretch the window, hold down Shift while resizing. To switch between common sizes, use the Movie menu to select from Half Size (Command+0), Normal Size (Command+1), Double Size (Command+2), and Fill Screen (Command+3).

QuickTime Favorites

To keep track of your favorite movies (either local files or streaming), you can use the QuickTime Favorites panel. Open the Favorites panel by clicking the QuickTime TV button, and then selecting the heart tab. The Favorites panel is shown in Figure 7.41. You can also choose Show Favorites from the QTV menu and Favorites submenu.

Figure 7.41 QuickTime Favorites can store commonly accessed media files.

To add movies to your list of favorites, drag them from the Finder into one of the available spaces in the Favorite view. Alternatively, use Add Movie As Favorite (Command+D) from the QTV menu's Favorites submenu.

Within the Favorites view, you can rearrange movies by dragging their icons from icon well to icon well. To delete a movie reference altogether, drag its icon to the trashcan. To display the movie name under each icon, choose Show Labels from the QTV Favorites menu.

If you'd rather use the Finder to launch your favorite QuickTime clips, you can create a Finder shortcut by dragging the icon to a Finder window. Finally, to delete from the Favorites panel, drag the icon to remove into the trashcan.

Getting Movie Information

There are two ways to get extended information about a movie, including the codecs used, FPS, duration, and other useful tidbits. For a summary of information, choose Show Movie Info (Command+I) from the Window menu.

The collapsed Movie Info window displays only the title and copyright information. Click the disclosure arrow to display additional data. The expanded Movie Info window can be seen in Figure 7.42.

Figure 7.42 The expanded Movie Info window contains summary data on the currently playing file.

The type of information shown is dependent on the type of movie being played. Streaming video, for example, includes network data such as bit rate and quality.

To view even more detailed information, choose Get Movie Properties (Command+J) from the Movie menu.

Movie properties can be used to view information about every component of a video file or stream. Figure 7.43 displays a graph of the bit rate data for a streaming video.

Figure 7.43 Use movie properties to view detailed information about the components of a QuickTime movie.

At the top of the Properties window are two pop-up menus. The menu on the left selects the object to examine—video tracks, audio tracks, or the movie as a whole. The pop-up menu on the right selects between the different properties that can be viewed. Common properties include Annotations, such as author, title and copyright, Movie Format, Size, and Bit Rate (streaming transmission rate).

QuickTime Preferences

The application Preferences menu actually contains three different choices: Player Preferences, QuickTime Preferences, and Registration.

The Player Preferences set preferences for the Player application itself, whereas the QuickTime Preferences refer to the QuickTime System Preferences panel discussed earlier. If you're interested in registering QuickTime (which we highly suggest), the Registration option provides an input area for entering your registration code.

The Player preferences are shown in Figure 7.44.

Figure 7.44 Choose how QuickTime Player reacts to opening and playing movies.

Use the following options in the Player Preferences to control how the application handles multiple movies and playback:

Open movies in new players— By default, QuickTime Player reuses existing windows when opening new movies. To open new movies in new windows, check this option.
Automatically play movies when opened— Does what it says! When checked, the player will start playing a movie immediately after it is opened.
Play sound in frontmost player only— By default, sound is only played in the frontmost player window. To hear sound from all playing movies simultaneously, uncheck this option.
Play sound when application is in background— If checked, sound will continue to play even when QuickTime Player isn't the frontmost application.
Ask before replacing favorite items— When manipulating Favorites items, dragging an icon on top of another will replace that favorite. Uncheck this check box if you'd rather not be warned before replacing an item.

Click OK to save the application preferences.

Menus

As always, we end our look at the QuickTime Player with an overview of the menus and their available options.

File

The File menu is used to open new Player windows (Command+N), movie files (Command+O), or URLs for online streaming sites (Command+U). Nothing out of the ordinary can be found here.

Movie

Using the Movie menu, a user can control how the movie is presented on his screen. These options are useful for presentations and making small or short movies more easily visible:

Loop (Command+L)— Play the current movie continuously in Loop mode.
Half Size (Command+0)— Display the movie at one-half its normal size.
Normal Size (Command+1)— Display the movie at its native size.
Double Size (Command+2)— Display the movie at twice its size.
Fill Screen (Command+3)— Enlarge the movie to fill the computer screen.
Show Sound Controls— Display the balance, bass, and treble controls.
Get Movie Properties (Command+J)— Show the properties (track information, bit rate data, and so on) for the current movie.

QTV

The QTV menu provides quick access to QuickTime TV and the Favorites panel. Because it's easier to just click the TV button on the Player window, it's unlikely you'll need this menu.

Window

The Window menu provides access to the open Player windows. The Show Movie Info (Command+I) option displays a summary of the currently playing movie.

QuickTime Pro Features

For most users, the standard version of QuickTime is probably more than enough to handle their media needs. If you're interested in creating or editing digital movies, you can upgrade to QuickTime Pro and gain access to some interesting new features. There isn't anything additional to install, just a registration code to enter—so it's very easy to get up and running with QuickTime Pro.

Upgrading gives you access to a number of video editing functions, such as copying and pasting portions of video tracks, applying effects filters, and altering video codecs. Users can extract and covert audio and video tracks—even export video tracks as image sequences.

Basic playback features are also improved. Users can present a movie on the entire screen, rather than just a window, as well as control contrast, tint, and brightness on a per-movie basis. If you've ever played a movie with improper gamma settings (way too dark), you'll greatly appreciate these features.

If you're solely interested in QuickTime Pro for its added playback capabilities, you might want to look into one of these free players:

inMotion—http://homepage.mac.com/edotsoftware/prods/inmotion/inmotion.html
DrDJ Free—http://studwww.rug.ac.be/~lbdkeyse/softs/
Pix Lite— http://www.swssoftware.com/products/piclitex.html

Although QuickTime can play streaming audio, it isn't necessarily the best tool for the job. For that, iTunes is a more appropriate choice.

iTunes | Next Section

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