iPhone 3GS plays 1080p video, enjoys sound of jaws dropping

21 August, 2009
The iPhone is making it really hard not to like it - apparently the latest generation of iPhones - the speedy 3GS can play 1080p video. Yep, 1080p. The software is not fully ready yet but the hardware is. So, are we...

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • MWW
  • 23 Aug 2009

Anonymous, 23 Aug 2009How come my HDTV receiver is connected to my 55" plasma via... moresure your HDTV receiver connected with your HDTV Plasma just works flawless but you would notice slightly difference in the pixel clarity if you use HDMI instead of component.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • tVH
    • 23 Aug 2009

    I love how this site has gone from once super-skeptical about the iPhone, to over-supporting it.

    I would like to see the iPhone pull this off, and even if it could, it doesn't make it a better phone.

    I'm just sick of hearing about the same phones over and over again, which goes for Nokia as well as the rest, and others being totally ignored.

    I will get my WX-T923 tomorrow, and a 3.3" WVGA screen on a brilliant flip phone seems to count for nothing these days.
    60% of those coming to this site may be happy to read about three brands, but perhaps we could widen our range a little and find the REALLY interesting news?

    How about the new Solar-Hybrid SHARP phones? That surely counts for something, or not?

      • o
      • oho
      • n9k
      • 23 Aug 2009

      braf, 23 Aug 2009whats the point isnt the resolution of the screen 800x480 w... moreiPhones resolution is 320*480, not 800*480

        • b
        • braf
        • pT8
        • 23 Aug 2009

        sorry i forgot about video output. however i still dont think its very useful ive used my video output once since ive had my n95 and that was to play video on a tv in a hotel abroad which certainly would never have HD capability anyway

          • b
          • braf
          • pT8
          • 23 Aug 2009

          whats the point isnt the resolution of the screen 800x480 which is essentially basic tv resolution (obviously wider but the limiting factor is the height) so why would anybody want to watch a video that is 1920x1080 on a tiny screen that has nowhere near the res required to reach its max potential. Bearing in mind that that all hd vids will take up nearly 3 times the space. like much of the iphones marketing it sounds good and well it is good but really its a showcase thing and has no real practical application.

            • W
            • Win7RTM
            • q22
            • 23 Aug 2009

            guitaroach, 22 Aug 2009I understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't call it a... moreYes that's true as well, I'll retract "gimmick". I guess it can be beneficial to a lot, seeing as how some videos are encoded so, so poorly, and of course, it makes your vids come in clear. To each his own =).

            My other question however, was will this affect the price of the iPhone, or will it retain its $99-199 price mark?

              • E
              • Eagleseye
              • 2FY
              • 23 Aug 2009

              I think display resolution is the most important factor in here. As far as i know most of the popular smartphones now a days (either from Apple, Nokia, Samsung or Sony etc) has lower resolution even than a DVD quality movie, so its impossible for a human eye to detect the difference between a HD vs DVD movie...Thats why i am not interested about playing a HD clip in a smartphone with there small display...Rather just convert your movies from HD to the prefereed format and enjoy any movie even in a mobile cost less than 150$.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • P%n
                • 23 Aug 2009

                Anonymous, 23 Aug 2009"iTunes can deliver HD content OTA, the iPhone is capable o... moreYou left out the bit about outputting video via component to as big a screen as you want.

                Convenient, hey just IGNORE the obvious flaw in your playback on a small screen argument.

                Now component isn't some old fashioned standard like composite as used by Nokia.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • P%n
                  • 23 Aug 2009

                  Anonymous, 23 Aug 2009you can't output proper HD via component so stop being para... moreHow come my HDTV receiver is connected to my 55" plasma via component and seems to work fine?

                  Listen to you:- "Whine, whine, whine oooh it can't do this (*stamping feet, whiny voice)., it just can't..."

                  ...wtf harden up, man.

                  Obviously it can and will probably only need a few driver tweaks so build a bridge and get over it.

                  Face it the iPhone ROCKS and has been TOTALLY UNDERESTIMATED once again.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • MWW
                    • 23 Aug 2009

                    "iTunes can deliver HD content OTA, the iPhone is capable of playing it on it's screen"

                    it's useless to play 1080p on a tiny resolution screen panel, the video would be downscaled to standard resolution. i download HD videos from rapidshare and move them to my playstation 3 hard disk, hassle free LOL

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • MWW
                      • 23 Aug 2009

                      Anonymous, 23 Aug 2009Do you need a tissue to wipe away the tears... iTunes ca... moreyou can't output proper HD via component so stop being paranoid you just simply cannot, the frame rate and pixel clarity doesn't flow well through a component cable, if you knew anything about technology you must know that 600mhz cpu with a tiny graphic accelerator can't handle full HD content without lags. even my P4 which is 3ghz with 256mb geforce 5500 lags when playing full HD let alone a 600mhz.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • P%n
                        • 23 Aug 2009

                        [deleted post]The iPhone 3GS was only released a couple of months ago.

                        I agree that the NOKIA SHEEP do seem like a bunch of whiners, I don't know about the stupid part but they sure do flock in here to have a cry.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • P%n
                          • 23 Aug 2009

                          Anonymous, 23 Aug 2009what a load of nonsense... honestly... the hardware is read... moreDo you need a tissue to wipe away the tears...

                          iTunes can deliver HD content OTA, the iPhone is capable of playing it on it's screen OR (now this is the useful bit) output it to a HDTV via COMPONENT video out, all you need is the cable.

                          Now don't feel too bad that you CAN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND new technology but the world is changing at a very fast pace.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • MS3
                            • 23 Aug 2009

                            what a load of nonsense... honestly... the hardware is ready for 1080p? did i miss anything? the spec still says 320 x 480. that is not even close to 720p. seriously... i'd have expected better from gsmarena. apparently i can remove gsmarena from the list of well-informed and neutral sources for information/news about phones. sad.

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                              • Brenda
                              • 4TL
                              • 22 Aug 2009

                              Anonymous, 22 Aug 2009After read all your comments, most people suggested that wi... moreI agree with you. I personally, wouldn't even use my iphone, or any phone, for this purpose. It's just that there are iphone haters who just over reacts on anything good about the iphone. But then they're haters, so I guess that's just their nature =)

                                • g
                                • guitaroach
                                • kPp
                                • 22 Aug 2009

                                Win7RTM, 22 Aug 2009It's not that anyone can't do it, it's why should anyone do... moreI understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't call it a gimmick though, if it does it well. A phone that is a portable HD player can be quite unnecessary for some people, but there are still plenty of people out there that would use this feature on a regular basis. You would be able to make the same argument about any powerful feature where a phone can replace a stand-alone device if this was the case. Why an X-mp camera? Why GPS or wifi? Why a 3.5 jack? It's simply convenient. I personally think that's the whole point of a smartphone.

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                                  • TechnoFILE
                                  • fqy
                                  • 22 Aug 2009

                                  Anyway, all that Iphone lovers do is making a lot of noise for nothing. Well u will like to play 1080p (i doubt possible) with a processor of only 600mhz, pff, OK WITH MAYBE 1hr of battery life, then wats the deal, LOL... Omnia II got a 800Mhz processor an a far better screen, and a 1500mAH battery!!!, and no one is trying to make non-sense. I can say the same for Omnia HD. IPhone has always been marketing success thats all Thumps up for their marketing strategy, thats all.. the phone got nothing!!

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                                    • Touch HD user
                                    • tRh
                                    • 22 Aug 2009

                                    Regarding video playback, WM 6.x devices like Omnia 2 is a way better option than iPhone because it supports 800x480 or 2.5 times of iPhone's.

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                                      • Touch HD user
                                      • tRh
                                      • 22 Aug 2009

                                      HD video on mobile is indeed useful.
                                      But the mobile phone must have higher resolution, to view 720p at full quality the mobile phone should have 1280x720 resolution or higher.

                                      Playing 1080p on iPhone is nonsense, it has very low resolution at 480x320 pixels. It will just eat battery.

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                                        • TechoFILE
                                        • fqy
                                        • 22 Aug 2009

                                        Win7RTM, 22 Aug 2009It's not that anyone can't do it, it's why should anyone do... moreHey man u will find it pretty useful if u take bout an hour to n from work by bus evryday!!! I have OMNIA II ya man its wonderfull, particulty in the traffic jam :).. I watch videos 720*480 its better than DVD quality, not yet HD but the 3.7" OLED screen is just marvellous!!!