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Also, iPads can go up to Baseline 3.1, 1024x768, IIRC.

I would be very surprised if all the > 3GS IOS devices couldn't handle Main 3.1 (or even High 3.1). You might be gated by iTunes from putting the bitstream on the device, but the decode hardware is almost certainly capable.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I used to work on video at Apple. No inside knowledge was used to make this post.

Care to speculate on the hardware video encoding capabilities of the capable iDevices?

Gated by the needs of FaceTime, I would suspect. 720x480 @ 30fps, baseline? H.264 is highly asymmetric, so they're not going to waste silicon on encoding hardware beyond the basics.

It can but Apple doesn't recommend that size for "mobile" use. You can see all the Apple recommendations here: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/technotes/tn2010/imag...

Great link. It's specifically for HTTP Streaming, so you can get away with higher quality for videos downloaded before being watched. But even for regular old HTTP Progressive Download, these guidelines are very useful.

You made my week with that link. Thank you.

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