XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone, rec.photo.digital   
   From: mariasophia@comprehension.com   
      
   knuttle wrote:   
   > Why does MS have to change?   It is Apple's iOS that is using a non   
   > standard video format that is used on the majority of computers   
   >   
   > The situation is similar to Bluetooth.  I use Bluetooth to make all of   
   > my transfers of files between my phone, my laptop, my desktop, and other   
   > peoples computers in meetings etc.  It is native to Windows.   
   >   
   > For IOS to do the same you need to go through the cloud or add a piece   
   > of software.   
      
   This PSA mixed digital-photo tricks with Windows 10 tricks to solve issues.   
   (I'm not sure if Win11 ships with an HEVC decoder for thumbnails though.)   
      
   As such, this PSA was mainly to let others know a simple, free, privacy   
   protecting & effective method to generate iOS-sidecar thumbnails on Win10.   
      
   Since I never disagree with any sensibly logical point of view, I heartily   
   agree with your broader point about Apple choosing formats & workflows that   
   we feel do not interoperate as well as other platforms do with Windows 10.   
      
   Hence, I agree with your overall point that when Apple does things   
   differently (like when they broke Linux compatibility) they can't just act   
   as if no other operating system exists but Apple's ecosystem.   
      
   It's their profitable strategy not to interoperate, not a technical excuse.   
      
   Being a daily user of Apple, Windows & Android devices myself, I agree with   
   the interoperability concept in general, where it's actually something to   
   crow about when we finally do get Apple products to "play nice" in the real   
   world (which includes all the common consumer platforms, including Linux).   
      
   What I ran into on Windows 10 was that the file explorer did not (and could   
   not) decode HEVC based MOV files unless a suitable codec or a third   
   party thumbnail provider is installed. MPC-BE can play them because it   
   uses its own internal decoders, but Explorer cannot generate thumbnails   
   without help.   
      
   Interestingly, specific to the topic of digital photos, today I found a   
   practical use for those Apple-created MOV sidecar files. I was testing   
   a free hundred-dollar LED clock for an Amazon Vine review. The still   
   images could not capture all LED segments at once, but the MOV sidecar   
   contained one or two frames that did. By stepping through the MOV I was   
   able to save a clean frame that no still image could capture.   
      
   So the MOV sidecar file has its place.   
      
   Who knew?   
   Not me.   
   Now I do.   
      
   In keeping with the purposefully helpful nature of this PSA, if anyone on   
   Windows wants to extract a still frame from a Live Photo MOV using MPC-BE,   
   these are the steps I employed.   
      
   1. Doubleclick on the MOV file which opens in MPC-BE.   
   2. Quickly hit the pause key (as they're only about 3 seconds long)   
   3. Press the Control+arrow keys to step forward/backward 1 frame   
   4. When the desired frame is visible, use File, Save Image.   
   5. Choose PNG or JPG and save the frame for the Vine review.   
      
   On the interoperability of iOS with Windows, nobody would ever say it is   
   even in the least interoperable, especially when using USB-C cables.   
      
   I used a USB-C cable. It works, but only one way. Windows can pull files   
   from the iPad, but iOS will not easily accept files pushed from Windows.   
   That is an Apple design choice. Windows 11 does not change that behavior.   
      
   Your Bluetooth point is understood. Bluetooth is native to Windows and   
   works well for small file transfers. The PSA was not about transfer   
   methods though. It was about what happens after the files are already   
   on the Windows system and Explorer cannot display thumbnails for HEVC   
   based MOV files.   
      
   So the intent was to document a Windows specific fix for a Windows   
   specific problem (yes, "caused" by Apple's file format decisions), and not   
   to argue that Microsoft should change anything about Bluetooth or file   
   transfer workflows. Besides, it's easy enough to run OFF Live Capture.   
      
   I hope this clarifies the scope of the PSA and why the MOV sidecar   
   files can be useful in real world photography tasks, and I do agree   
   with your logically stated assessment that Apple has no intention   
   of ever "playing nice" with any other platform unless forced at gunpoint.   
   --   
   It used to be that Apple only told the truth in court, but in 4/2025 Judge   
   Gonzalez Rogers referred Apple for possible criminal contempt after finding   
   Apple's sworn testimony "replete with misdirection & outright lies".   
      
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)