Just wondering why h.264 support in mobilephones is a NO-NO in the US

[bacardi/avt]

Can anyone explain why for instance the new SonyEricsson Xperia X1 can record using h.264 codec if you get your phone outside of the US, but the US model does not have this capability?

The hardware is the same and so is the OS (Windows Mobile 6).

Is it some kind of license issue or what?

[yoda313]

Possibly. However I was under the impressionn it is some kind of open source codec - don't quote me on that though

Part of the issue is US cellphones generally lag behind in the wow factor from other regions of the world. I don't know what it is but we just don't get the latest features for a little while - except for the IPHONE I suppose.

[jagabo]

An open source MPEG 4 part 10 encoder would still require royalty payments to the MPEG LA group. The CPU in a cell phone doesn't have the power to run a realtime software based MPEG4 encoder anyway. It will use a hardware encoder.

[jman98]

Can anyone explain why for instance the new SonyEricsson Xperia X1 can record using h.264 codec if you get your phone outside of the US, but the US model does not have this capability?

This is a good question, but you may be unwittingly comparing apples to oranges.

I did some quick research and I found out that the X1 and X1c can do H.264. The X1a cannot. You may be comparing an X1a to an X1 or X1c.

I cannot confirm your blanket statement that US sold models cannot do H.264. It appears to me to be a question of which X1 model you are talking about as to whether or not it can do H.264. If only the X1a is sold in the USA, then it is really a question of the US market only having a model that cannot do H.264 rather than such capability being turned off for the US market.

[edDV]

Explain what you want it to do. H.264 is diificult for high power PC playback. A cellphone would need to get expensive for 1x playback unless the quality is reduced to worthless.

Granted, one man's worthless is another man's miracle.

[theewizard]

well my LG dare will play mp4 encoded with h.264

I normally will not use this codec, because it is CPU intensive, and the file size savings memory saved is not enough to warrant using it on such a small display size 320*240

instead I will use mpeg4 codec or xvid codec, the increase in file size for the same quality is made up for by the fact that it plays with less cpu overhead

as far a WM6, install some codecs on the device and another 3rd party player and you can play your h264 encoded videos

this has a lot more to do with what the carrier wants to install on the device for retail sales, and very little do do with the hardware on the device.

i have a Q9m and the HTC touch aka xv6900 from verizon, they both are both windows mobile and both play h.264 encoded video, after installing the appropriate software

[bacardi/avt]

Explain what you want it to do. H.264 is diificult for high power PC playback. A cellphone would need to get expensive for 1x playback unless the quality is reduced to worthless.

Granted, one man's worthless is another man's miracle.

That is what I am talking about since X1 = world phone, X1c= chinese, X1a=american. they are the same hardware but with slight diffrences in capabilities.

A cellphone would need to get expensive for 1x playback unless the quality is reduced to worthless.

I disagree with you (for once). If the aim is to use the video on handheld devicese then the frame size and therefore the bitrate can be reduced and still produce a adecvat quality.

I enclosed a small clip I took out my window. the only thing I am not sure of if it is using h.264 or what (se mediainfo screen shoot).

mov_0001.3gp

[bacardi/avt]

Mediainfo screen shoot

[jman98]

That is what I am talking about since X1 = world phone, X1c= chinese, X1a=american. they are the same hardware but with slight diffrences in capabilities.

OK, it seems that you understand that there are different models with different capabilities, you just want to know why the American model can't do H.264. I doubt that it is licensing. Maybe it has something to do with how the US mobile phone market works. Here in the USA, almost everybody buys their mobile phones from mobile phone carriers such as T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. These companies sell the phone at a reduced price and the customer has to sign an agreement, usually 1 or 2 years, to use the carrier for that time. You cannot change carriers without paying a large penalty. Yes, it is possible to buy phones without buying them through a carrier (I have done this), but it's not common. Maybe the company that is selling the phone wanted to keep the price of the phone low, so the phone doesn't have H.264 capability.

Since this phone is a GSM phone, it will be sold in the USA by either AT&T or T-Mobile. AT&T does not have it listed on its website and T-Mobile's website is unresponsive as I write this, so I can't tell you who is going to sell the phone here in the USA. If you really must know the reason for this decision, I'd suggest that you do search on Howard Forums and look for a SonyEricsson forum or a forum for whichever company is going to sell the phone in the USA and ask there. Those forums have some mobile phone insiders and somebody will probably know. Like I said it's probably a cost thing, but then again it could just another case of some company deciding that "the US market doesn't need this". You would not believe how many people here whine all the time about how "I just want a phone that's a phone and I don't need anything else." and stupid crap like that, so it doesn't surprise me at all to see a phone being offered here with reduced capabilities.

[bacardi/avt]

@jman98:

That is the same sales model that is used in sweden, and I belive in the rest of europe as well.

And the price being a factor. I do not think so since the chips inside the phone are the same in all the different versions. In my world the price actually goes up the more versions you have to produce (economics of scale).

You would not believe how many people here whine all the time about how "I just want a phone that's a phone and I don't need anything else." and stupid crap like that, so it doesn't surprise me at all to see a phone being offered here with reduced capabilities.

I do belive you, you hear it over here too. Not as much as I can imagine you do in the US but you do hear people saying stuff like that.

Anyhow, I will take a look at the Howard Forum as you suggested.

[theewizard]

like I said, its software NOT hardware

I think perhaps edtv was thinking streaming video on a 1x cell connection

not the exteria 1x model number and pre-recorded / encoded video files being loaded onto the device

the video file being encoded in H.264 codec

it is simply a matter of installing the correct software on your winMobile device, to play your videos

check howardsforums.com in the PDA/smart phones and also check PPC geeks,