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Embedded content gets new look with Apple's QuickTime X

Apple is reportedly exploring a new design interface for Web-embedded content in QuickTime X, eschewing the current gray palette and adopting a sleek, black look for the controls while viewing media.

According to information from an AppleInsider reader, the new QuickTime X interface for embedded media is similar to a design tweak reportedly given to the QuickTime player for content accessed locally. Much like the proposed tweaks to the QuickTime X standalone player, the cosmetic changes for embedded content controls would signal a shift from the program's longstanding traditional look.

QuickTime X is the latest iteration of Apple's media software. It is due to ship with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard this September. Apple has described the update as an application that "optimizes support for modern audio and video formats resulting in extremely efficient media playback."


The new QuickTime X design for embedded content adopts a black theme.

Earlier this year, AppleInsider unveiled the proposed new look of the QuickTime X Player. Unlike the current version of QuickTime Player 7.6 — which reserves considerable real estate for sizable, platinum-themed video controls at the base of the each player window — QuickTime X Player is said to forgo all traditional interface controls in favor of video overlay controls (like those that appear when you mouse over video in full-screen mode of the current Player software).

QuickTime X
An artist's mockup of the minimal QuickTime X Player window interface in Snow Leopard.

The only window-based interface element in the QuickTime X Player is reportedly the title bar, which is reminiscent of the iPhone's semi-transparent black glass interface while also adopting hues from the video frames playing beneath it. However, this too fades away and disappears with the new overlay controls so videos appear to float on the screen with nothing more than a deep shadow surrounding all four sides.



45 Comments

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virgil-tb2 16 Years · 1416 comments

I wish they would just make it play flash movies or open them in the quicktime desktop app in h264 like on the iPhone so we could dump flash altogether.

It's so lame that I can browse the web without flash on my phone and have no problems at all, but on the desktop computer this can't be done for some stupid reason?

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phizz 18 Years · 128 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

I wish they would just make it play flash movies or open them in the quicktime desktop app in h264 like on the iPhone so we could dump flash altogether.

That only works for YouTube movies doesn't it?

But yeah, looking forward to browsers using real hardware accelerated platform independent video as standard.

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bryanhauer 16 Years · 58 comments

I'm looking forward to the day when I can easily copy n paste code from a quicktime video into a webpage. I know it can currently be done, but it's a pain in the ass since it's not nearly as easy and a YouTube video.

I couldn't tell from the article if this might be a feature that is planned, but I'd switch to that in a second on any of my sites as the quality tends to be much higher.

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cougar 20 Years · 55 comments

That looks nice, but I fail to see the point of the giant 30 sec rewind button.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

I wish they would just make it play flash movies or open them in the quicktime desktop app in h264 like on the iPhone so we could dump flash altogether.

It's so lame that I can browse the web without flash on my phone and have no problems at all, but on the desktop computer this can't be done for some stupid reason?

If you want to disable flash, you should check out the free ClickToFlash plugin. Does what it says.

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logisticaldron 15 Years · 833 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cougar

If you want to disable flash, you should check out the free ClickToFlash plugin. Does what it says.

That solution also has the added benefit of being to load any Flash video that uses the H.264 codec in Quicktime, which will then allow you to download the video from sites like YouTube.