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The H.266 Video Codec is Coming. Here’s What it Promises

Andrew Orr ·

The next codec for video compression is H.266, or Versatile Video Codec (VVC). It promises up to 50% better compression than H.265, or High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC).

The JVET decided to build H.266 (VVC) for applications beyond video streaming. The standard has support for beaming 4K to 8K videos seamlessly, along with support for 360-degree videos. This could be useful in VR and AR applications.

Bross mentioned that H.266 is designed in such a way that that you can access different regions of a frame directly in the bitstream. So a video streaming service could choose to streams regions that are not very important in the scence in a lower resolution to save bandwidth.

Podcast

Power Usage and iPhone Terminal — Mac Geek Gab 888

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

Today is full of Cool Stuff Found, tips, and questions, with focuses on your charging and power usage as well as seeing behind the scenes of your iPhone. Of course, there’s always more with your two favorite geeks, including third-party AirTags, migrating email, and maintaining your Mac! Press play and join John and Dave in learning at least five new things!

Cool Stuff Found

Get Up to $30 Off Your Groceries with Instacart and Apple Pay

Jeff Butts ·

From now until September 8, 2021, US customers can get a hefty discount off their grocery order. The latest Apple Pay promotion gets new Instacart customers $30 off any order of $50 or more. Existing customers also benefit from the promotion with a smaller discount.Existing Instacart customers can get $5 off an order of $35 or more. If you subscribe to Apple Pay emails, you should have received a promotion code. If not, you will find a promotion banner to click at the top of the iOS Instacart app once you have Apple Pay enabled.

Cool Stuff Found

Mamma Mia, Here They go Again - ABBA Discusses Comeback on Apple Music

Charlotte Henry ·

ABBA surprised many with news of a return this week, accompanied by new music and upcoming shows. The band’s Björn Ulvaeus sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss the pop legend’s legacy, and why they decided to take a chance on coming back. Two songs from the Swedish super trouper’s upcoming album ‘Legacy’, out in November, are available to preview now.

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Great Suggestions For Repurposing an Older iPad Before You Recycle it

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s always somewhat sad to let an old iPad go to the great recycle bin in the sky, especially as they tend to still be fairly functional. Earlier this week, the Digital Story podcast offered some great suggestions for repurposing the device and getting a bit more life out of it. I really like some of these.

#1 – Fantastic Audio/Visual Remote and Channel Guide I’ve been using my iPhone to surf my Comcast channel guide. It worked fine. Then one day I had the bright idea to use an old iPad mini. Wow! What a difference screen real estate makes. I can can leave it right there on the coffee table. Plus it works nicely for Apple TV and other services. #2 – DIY CarPlay for Older Vehicles I love my 2007 Audi A3, and I doubt that I will ever sell it. But I do miss it having that handy LCD screen that every modern car sports these days. An iPad mini with cellular is a beautiful upgrade. I use a Padcaster for iPad Mini 1-3 frame that actually looks really nice with the interior of the car. And it’s quick release mounted so I can slide the device under the seat of the car when I’m not in it.

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A Larger Apple Watch Screen Means More Informational Faces

Andrew Orr ·

Rumors claim that the Apple Watch Series 7 released Fall 2021 will have bigger screens. As Mark Gurman reports, this means watch faces can add more information.

The bigger model will have a resolution of 396 by 484, versus 368 by 448 on the model it’s replacing. That increase means the device will have about 16% more pixels, allowing it to show more so-called complications — an industry term for the bits of information that appear on watches. The smaller model will see a similar jump, but both watches will have thinner borders around the screens.

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Roblox Moves to Add Voice Chat With Spatial Audio

Andrew Orr ·

Roblox is preparing to add voice chat with spatial audio to make its virtual worlds mimic the physical world better.

Say you’re hanging out in a virtual skatepark in Roblox with spatial audio enabled: skaters in the half pipe with you would sound loud and clear, just like they would in real life. But you wouldn’t be able to hear someone walking around on the sidewalk across the street, since they’re too far away. To have a private conversation with a nearby friend, you might peel off and walk toward a store down the block.

 

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NGO Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple in India

Charlotte Henry ·

India non-profit group Together We Fight Society has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, Reuters reported. It once again focuses on the cut of App Store transactions the company takes.

The allegations are similar to a case Apple faces in the European Union, where regulators last year started an investigation into Apple’s imposition of an in-app fee of 30% for distribution of paid digital content and other restrictions. The Indian case was filed by a little-known, non-profit group which argues Apple’s fee of up to 30% hurts competition by raising costs for app developers and customers, while also acting as a barrier to market entry. “The existence of the 30% commission means that some app developers will never make it to the market … This could also result in consumer harm,” said the filing