QuickTime 5.0.2

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: CNET Staff

After 10 years and with millions of users worldwide, Apple's QuickTime player still provides one of the best solutions for digital media. Whether you're watching streaming movie trailers online or diving headlong into QuickTime as a creation platform, you'll find little to quibble about in this veteran player. Its few quirks are quickly offset by the elegant Apple interface and the top-notch audio/video playback quality.

QuickTime 7 comes in two varieties. The free standard player handles popular audio, graphic, and video formats, including the much-ballyhooed H.264 and MPEG-4. Also, for $29.95, you can upgrade to the content-creation-friendly Pro version, which adds features such as full-screen playback, easy editing, H.264/MPEG-4 production, and the ability to save movies from the Web. MPEG-2 support is available, but at an additional cost of $19.95.

High-definition content looks impressive with the new H.264 codec, but hardly better than with similar offerings from Microsoft. The stylish transport controls and the friendly layout work well. Inclusion of the autoupdate and automatic-network-detection features make getting started and staying current easy.

Overall, QuickTime 7 continues to be a must-have for anyone surfing the Web or looking to experience the best in digital media.

Publisher's description

From Apple :

Our editors say:
Though many users regard QuickTime (QT) as a simple multimedia player, it is actually an integrated multimedia architecture: a file format, a media authoring platform, and a suite of multimedia applications rolled into one happy download. The free QuickTime download lets you access images, movies, music, interactive virtual reality, and movable objects (a fun and unique feature).

While intuitive and easy to use, this program lacks modern file-management and batch processing features--the most you can do is add open files to a Favorites list for quick access. The download process is quick and free of advertisements (except for the occasional “Upgrade to QuickTime Pro” pop-up screen when you launch). Access to QuickTime TV has been improved, and updates are also a cinch, because QT can automatically download and install new components as they become available.

QuickTime plays locally stored media adequately, but its true strength lies in delivering online streaming media. Picture quality is noticeably superior to that of other leading player apps, especially when you view live Webcasts. There is a ton of QuickTime-oriented material on the Web, and Apple’s own site makes extensive use of QuickTime through panoramic product images, demo videos, and other goodies.

Unfortunately, QuickTime doesn’t support the proprietary RealMedia or Windows Media formats, but will open just about any other type of media file, from AVIs to SWFs. QuickTime is thoughtfully designed and a must-have if you want to fully experience multimedia on the Web.

Note: The Download Now link will lead you to a form that you must complete before downloading.

Click here to upgrade to QuickTime Pro.

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