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• ffmpeg piped output producing incorrect metadata frame count

  8 décembre 2024, par Xorgon

  The short version : Using piped output from ffmpeg produces a file with incorrect metadata.

  


  ffmpeg -y -i .\test_mp4.mp4 -f avi -c:v libx264 - > output.avi to make an AVI file using the pipe output.

  


  ffprobe -v error -count_frames -show_entries stream=duration,nb_read_frames,r_frame_rate .\output.avi

  


  The output will show that the metadata does not match the actual frames contained in the video.

  


  Details below.

  


  ---

  


  Using Python, I am attempting to use ffmpeg to compress videos and put them in a PowerPoint. This works great, however, the video files themselves have incorrect frame counts which can cause issues when I read from those videos in other code.

  


  Edit for clarification : by "frame count" I mean the metadata frame count. The actual number of frames contained in the video is correct, but querying the metadata gives an incorrect frame count.

  


  Having eliminated the PowerPoint aspect of the code, I've narrowed this down to the following minimal reproducing example of saving an output from an ffmpeg pipe :

  


  from subprocess import Popen, PIPE

video_path = 'test_mp4.mp4'

ffmpeg_pipe = Popen(['ffmpeg',
                     '-y',  # Overwrite files
                     '-i', f'{video_path}',  # Input from file
                     '-f', 'avi',  # Output format
                     '-c:v', 'libx264',  # Codec
                     '-'],  # Output to pipe
                    stdout=PIPE)

new_path = "piped_video.avi"
vid_file = open(new_path, "wb")
vid_file.write(ffmpeg_pipe.stdout.read())
vid_file.close()


  


  I've tested several different videos. One small example video that I've tested can be found here.

  


  I've tried a few different codecs with avi format and tried libvpx with webm format. For the avi outputs, the frame count usually reads as 1073741824 (2^30). Weirdly, for the webm format, the frame count read as -276701161105643264.

  


  Edit : This issue can also be reproduced with just ffmpeg in command prompt using the following command :
ffmpeg -y -i .\test_mp4.mp4 -f avi -c:v libx264 - > output.avi

  


  This is a snippet I used to read the frame count, but one could also see the error by opening the video details in Windows Explorer and seeing the total time as something like 9942 hours, 3 minutes, and 14 seconds.

  


  import cv2

video_path = 'test_mp4.mp4'
new_path = "piped_video.webm"

cap = cv2.VideoCapture(video_path)
print(f"Original video frame count: = {int(cap.get(cv2.CAP_PROP_FRAME_COUNT)):d}")
cap.release()

cap = cv2.VideoCapture(new_path)
print(f"Piped video frame count: = {int(cap.get(cv2.CAP_PROP_FRAME_COUNT)):d}")
cap.release()


  


  The error can also be observed using ffprobe with the following command : ffprobe -v error -count_frames -show_entries stream=duration,nb_read_frames,r_frame_rate .\output.avi. Note that the frame rate and number of frames counted by ffprobe do not match with the duration from the metadata.

  


  For completeness, here is the ffmpeg output :

  


  ffmpeg version 2023-06-11-git-09621fd7d9-full_build-www.gyan.dev Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 12.2.0 (Rev10, Built by MSYS2 project)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-static --disable-w32threads --disable-autodetect --enable-fontconfig --enable-iconv --enable-gnutls --enable-libxml2 --enable-gmp --enable-bzlib --enable-lzma --enable-libsnappy --enable-zlib --enable-librist --enable-libsrt --enable-libssh --enable-libzmq --enable-avisynth --enable-libbluray --enable-libcaca --enable-sdl2 --enable-libaribb24 --enable-libaribcaption --enable-libdav1d --enable-libdavs2 --enable-libuavs3d --enable-libzvbi --enable-librav1e --enable-libsvtav1 --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs2 --enable-libxvid --enable-libaom --enable-libjxl --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libvpx --enable-mediafoundation --enable-libass --enable-frei0r --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-liblensfun --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvmaf --enable-libzimg --enable-amf --enable-cuda-llvm --enable-cuvid --enable-ffnvcodec --enable-nvdec --enable-nvenc --enable-d3d11va --enable-dxva2 --enable-libvpl --enable-libshaderc --enable-vulkan --enable-libplacebo --enable-opencl --enable-libcdio --enable-libgme --enable-libmodplug --enable-libopenmpt --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libshine --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libcodec2 --enable-libilbc --enable-libgsm --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopus --enable-libspeex --enable-libvorbis --enable-ladspa --enable-libbs2b --enable-libflite --enable-libmysofa --enable-librubberband --enable-libsoxr --enable-chromaprint
  libavutil      58. 13.100 / 58. 13.100
  libavcodec     60. 17.100 / 60. 17.100
  libavformat    60.  6.100 / 60.  6.100
  libavdevice    60.  2.100 / 60.  2.100
  libavfilter     9.  8.101 /  9.  8.101
  libswscale      7.  3.100 /  7.  3.100
  libswresample   4. 11.100 /  4. 11.100
  libpostproc    57.  2.100 / 57.  2.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'test_mp4.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 0
    compatible_brands: isommp42
    creation_time   : 2022-08-10T12:54:09.000000Z
  Duration: 00:00:06.67, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 567 kb/s
  Stream #0:0[0x1](eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(progressive), 384x264 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:11], 563 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 30k tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-08-10T12:54:09.000000Z
      handler_name    : Mainconcept MP4 Video Media Handler
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
      encoder         : AVC Coding
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 (native) -> h264 (libx264))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] using SAR=1/1
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 SSE4.2 AVX FMA3 BMI2 AVX2
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] profile High, level 2.1, 4:2:0, 8-bit
Output #0, avi, to 'pipe:':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 0
    compatible_brands: isommp42
    ISFT            : Lavf60.6.100
  Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (H264 / 0x34363248), yuv420p(progressive), 384x264 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:11], q=2-31, 30 fps, 30 tbn (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2022-08-10T12:54:09.000000Z
      handler_name    : Mainconcept MP4 Video Media Handler
      vendor_id       : [0][0][0][0]
      encoder         : Lavc60.17.100 libx264
    Side data:
      cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 0/0/0 buffer size: 0 vbv_delay: N/A
[out#0/avi @ 0000018c687f47c0] video:82kB audio:0kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: 3.631060%
frame=  200 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 Lsize=      85kB time=00:00:06.56 bitrate= 106.5kbits/s speed=76.2x    
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] frame I:1     Avg QP:16.12  size:  3659
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] frame P:80    Avg QP:21.31  size:   647
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] frame B:119   Avg QP:26.74  size:   243
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] consecutive B-frames:  3.0% 53.0%  0.0% 44.0%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] mb I  I16..4: 17.6% 70.6% 11.8%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] mb P  I16..4:  0.8%  1.7%  0.6%  P16..4: 17.6%  4.6%  3.3%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:71.4%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] mb B  I16..4:  0.1%  0.3%  0.2%  B16..8: 11.7%  1.4%  0.4%  direct: 0.6%  skip:85.4%  L0:32.0% L1:59.7% BI: 8.3%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] 8x8 transform intra:59.6% inter:62.4%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 48.5% 0.0% 0.0% inter: 3.5% 0.0% 0.0%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] i16 v,h,dc,p: 19% 39% 25% 17%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] i8 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 21% 25% 30%  3%  3%  4%  4%  4%  5%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] i4 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 22% 20% 16%  6%  8%  8%  8%  5%  6%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] i8c dc,h,v,p: 100%  0%  0%  0%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] Weighted P-Frames: Y:0.0% UV:0.0%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] ref P L0: 76.2%  7.9% 11.2%  4.7%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] ref B L0: 85.6% 12.9%  1.5%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] ref B L1: 97.7%  2.3%
[libx264 @ 0000018c68c8b9c0] kb/s:101.19


  


  So the question is : why does this happen, and how can one avoid it ?

  


• FFmpeg RTSP drop rate increases when frame rate is reduced

  13 avril 2024, par Avishka Perera

  I need to read an RTSP stream, process the images individually in Python, and then write the images back to an RTSP stream. As the RTSP server, I am using Mediamtx [1]. For streaming, I am using FFmpeg [2].

  


  I have the following code that works perfectly fine. For simplification purposes, I am streaming three generated images.

  


  import time
import numpy as np
import subprocess

width, height = 640, 480
fps = 25
rtsp_server_address = f"rtsp://localhost:8554/mystream"

ffmpeg_cmd = [
    "ffmpeg",
    "-re",
    "-f",
    "rawvideo",
    "-pix_fmt",
    "rgb24",
    "-s",
    f"{width}x{height}",
    "-i",
    "-",
    "-r",
    str(fps),
    "-avoid_negative_ts",
    "make_zero",
    "-vcodec",
    "libx264",
    "-threads",
    "4",
    "-f",
    "rtsp",
    rtsp_server_address,
]
colors = np.array(
    [
        [255, 0, 0],
        [0, 255, 0],
        [0, 0, 255],
    ]
).reshape(3, 1, 1, 3)
images = (np.ones((3, width, height, 3)) * colors).astype(np.uint8)

if __name__ == "__main__":

    process = subprocess.Popen(ffmpeg_cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
    start = time.time()
    exported = 0
    while True:
        exported += 1
        next_time = start + exported / fps
        now = time.time()
        if next_time > now:
            sleep_dur = next_time - now
            time.sleep(sleep_dur)

        image = images[exported % 3]
        image_bytes = image.tobytes()

        process.stdin.write(image_bytes)
        process.stdin.flush()

    process.stdin.close()
    process.wait()


  


  The issue is, that I need to run this at 10 fps because the processing step is heavy and can only afford 10 fps. Hence, as I reduce the frame rate from 25 to 10, the drop rate increases from 0% to 100%. And after a few iterations, I get a BrokenPipeError: [Errno 32] Broken pipe. Refer to the appendix for the complete log.

  


  As an alternative, I can use OpenCV compiled from source with GStreamer [3], but I prefer using FFmpeg to make the shipping process simple. Since compiling OpenCV from source can be tedious and dependent on the system.

  


  References

  


  [1] Mediamtx (formerly rtsp-simple-server) : https://github.com/bluenviron/mediamtx

  


  [2] FFmpeg : https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg

  


  [3] Compile OpenCV with GStreamer : https://github.com/bluenviron/mediamtx?tab=readme-ov-file#opencv

  


  Appendix

  


  Creating the source stream

  


  To instantiate the unprocessed stream, I use the following command. This streams the content of my webcam as and RTSP stream.

  


  ffmpeg -video_size 1280x720 -i /dev/video0  -avoid_negative_ts make_zero -vcodec libx264 -r 10 -f rtsp rtsp://localhost:8554/webcam


  


  Error log

  


  ffmpeg version 6.1.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2023 the FFmpeg developers&#xA;  built with gcc 12.3.0 (conda-forge gcc 12.3.0-5)&#xA;  configuration: --prefix=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_h_env_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_placehold_plac --cc=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_build_env/bin/x86_64-conda-linux-gnu-cc --cxx=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_build_env/bin/x86_64-conda-linux-gnu-c&#x2B;&#x2B; --nm=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_build_env/bin/x86_64-conda-linux-gnu-nm --ar=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_build_env/bin/x86_64-conda-linux-gnu-ar --disable-doc --disable-openssl --enable-demuxer=dash --enable-hardcoded-tables --enable-libfreetype --enable-libharfbuzz --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libopenh264 --enable-libdav1d --enable-gnutls --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libvpx --enable-libass --enable-pthreads --enable-vaapi --enable-libopenvino --enable-gpl --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libaom --enable-libsvtav1 --enable-libxml2 --enable-pic --enable-shared --disable-static --enable-version3 --enable-zlib --enable-libopus --pkg-config=/home/conda/feedstock_root/build_artifacts/ffmpeg_1712656518955/_build_env/bin/pkg-config&#xA;  libavutil      58. 29.100 / 58. 29.100&#xA;  libavcodec     60. 31.102 / 60. 31.102&#xA;  libavformat    60. 16.100 / 60. 16.100&#xA;  libavdevice    60.  3.100 / 60.  3.100&#xA;  libavfilter     9. 12.100 /  9. 12.100&#xA;  libswscale      7.  5.100 /  7.  5.100&#xA;  libswresample   4. 12.100 /  4. 12.100&#xA;  libpostproc    57.  3.100 / 57.  3.100&#xA;Input #0, rawvideo, from &#x27;fd:&#x27;:&#xA;  Duration: N/A, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 184320 kb/s&#xA;  Stream #0:0: Video: rawvideo (RGB[24] / 0x18424752), rgb24, 640x480, 184320 kb/s, 25 tbr, 25 tbn&#xA;Stream mapping:&#xA;  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (rawvideo (native) -> h264 (libx264))&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 SSE4.2 AVX FMA3 BMI2 AVX2&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] profile High 4:4:4 Predictive, level 2.2, 4:4:4, 8-bit&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] 264 - core 164 r3095 baee400 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec - Copyleft 2003-2022 - http://www.videolan.org/x264.html - options: cabac=1 ref=3 deblock=1:0:0 analyse=0x3:0x113 me=hex subme=7 psy=1 psy_rd=1.00:0.00 mixed_ref=1 me_range=16 chroma_me=1 trellis=1 8x8dct=1 cqm=0 deadzone=21,11 fast_pskip=1 chroma_qp_offset=4 threads=4 lookahead_threads=1 sliced_threads=0 nr=0 decimate=1 interlaced=0 bluray_compat=0 constrained_intra=0 bframes=3 b_pyramid=2 b_adapt=1 b_bias=0 direct=1 weightb=1 open_gop=0 weightp=2 keyint=250 keyint_min=10 scenecut=40 intra_refresh=0 rc_lookahead=40 rc=crf mbtree=1 crf=23.0 qcomp=0.60 qpmin=0 qpmax=69 qpstep=4 ip_ratio=1.40 aq=1:1.00&#xA;Output #0, rtsp, to &#x27;rtsp://localhost:8554/mystream&#x27;:&#xA;  Metadata:&#xA;    encoder         : Lavf60.16.100&#xA;  Stream #0:0: Video: h264, yuv444p(tv, progressive), 640x480, q=2-31, 10 fps, 90k tbn&#xA;    Metadata:&#xA;      encoder         : Lavc60.31.102 libx264&#xA;    Side data:&#xA;      cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 0/0/0 buffer size: 0 vbv_delay: N/A&#xA;[vost#0:0/libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01080] Error submitting a packet to the muxer: Broken pipe   &#xA;[out#0/rtsp @ 0x5e2ef8afd780] Error muxing a packet&#xA;[out#0/rtsp @ 0x5e2ef8afd780] video:1kB audio:0kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: unknown&#xA;frame=    1 fps=0.1 q=-1.0 Lsize=N/A time=00:00:04.70 bitrate=N/A dup=0 drop=70 speed=0.389x    &#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] frame I:16    Avg QP: 6.00  size:   147&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] frame P:17    Avg QP: 9.94  size:   101&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] frame B:17    Avg QP: 9.94  size:    64&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] consecutive B-frames: 50.0%  0.0% 42.0%  8.0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] mb I  I16..4: 81.3% 18.7%  0.0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] mb P  I16..4: 52.9%  0.0%  0.0%  P16..4:  0.0%  0.0%  0.0%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:47.1%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] mb B  I16..4:  0.0%  5.9%  0.0%  B16..8:  0.1%  0.0%  0.0%  direct: 0.0%  skip:94.0%  L0:56.2% L1:43.8% BI: 0.0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] 8x8 transform intra:15.4% inter:100.0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] coded y,u,v intra: 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% inter: 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] i16 v,h,dc,p: 97%  0%  3%  0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] i8 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu:  0%  0% 100%  0%  0%  0%  0%  0%  0%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] Weighted P-Frames: Y:52.9% UV:52.9%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] ref P L0: 88.9%  0.0%  0.0% 11.1%&#xA;[libx264 @ 0x5e2ef8b01340] kb/s:8.27&#xA;Conversion failed!&#xA;Traceback (most recent call last):&#xA;  File "/home/avishka/projects/read-process-stream/minimal-ffmpeg-error.py", line 58, in <module>&#xA;    process.stdin.write(image_bytes)&#xA;BrokenPipeError: [Errno 32] Broken pipe&#xA;</module>

  


• Fun With Tablets And Amazon’s App Store

  24 décembre 2011, par Multimedia Mike — General, amazon, android, app store, cyanogenmod, ios, smurfs, tablet

  I bought an Android tablet a few months ago. It is less expensive than the best tablets but no where near the bottom end of the market. I think it’s pretty good. However, one downside is that it’s not “certified” to use Google’s official marketplace. That would seem to be somewhat limiting, however…

  Enter Amazon’s Android App Store
  Amazon got into the business of selling Android Apps some time ago. I started experimenting with this on a Nexus One phone that Google gave me. When I installed the App Store on the Android tablet and logged in, I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my Amazon apps ready for downloading onto the tablet.

  So I have an App Store for use with this Android tablet.

  Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because I managed to screw up this tablet in an unusual and humorous manner. You might be wondering if an app downloaded from the Amazon App Store requires the App Store to be present in order to run. The answer is : Oh yeah ! It works like this :

  
  
  

  This means that if — perhaps out of curiosity, for example — you login to the Amazon App Store, download an app, install it, and then subsequently log out of the App Store or uninstall it altogether, the downloaded app will decline to run until you log back into the store.

  Here’s the thing– I wanted to provide a minimal level of security for my Android tablet. At the very least, I wished to lock the Amazon App Store itself since Amazon is famously (and, let’s face it, understandably) reluctant to deliberately add any friction to their shopping processes. I.e., without any external protection app, the App Store app would allow anyone to purchase any app using my tablet.

  So I purchased App Protector Pro from the Amazon App Store and it worked quite well. By default, it also password protects against modifying any system settings as well as installing new apps.

  So, here’s where I screwed up : App Protector Pro was doing its faithful duty and I uninstalled the Amazon App Store as an experiment. Suddenly, no apps obtained from the App Store would work unless I reinstalled the App Store. Okay, fair enough, except for one thing– App Protector Pro wouldn’t run without the App Store. Well, it did, it started to, tried to, but then exited. So I couldn’t re-install the App Store :

  
  
  Oops
  

  I eventually learned how to perform a factory reset of the unit which solved the problem. And, as indicated earlier, all of my apps were available for me to re-download.

  Modding, Cyanogen-style
  Open source aficionados will likely point out that there are alternate firmware options which allow me to take control of my Android tablet in a free and open manner. Among these options is CyanogenMod. After I got stuck in the situation described above, I thought I would have to resort to such an option.

  On the plus side, researching alternative firmware options is what taught me to boot the device into a recovery mode and ultimately restore to a factory default setting. But if you’ll allow me to indulge in a mini-rant regarding accessibility of open source software : I was more than a little frustrated in trying to understand what CyanogenMod could possibly offer me. Their homepage says it’s “an aftermarket firmware”. I’m not entirely sure what that means or how it can benefit me. Fortunately, they have a full feature list linked from the front page. They are, in order : Lockscreen gestures, phone goggles, OpenVPN, incognito mode, themes support, and DSP equalizer. I can’t say that any of those really add any value for me. I’d love to know if CyanogenMod supports Google Android Market and various other Google apps (such as maps and GMail). That’s a question that I can’t seem to find the answer to.

  The themes feature opens another old wound for me. Back around 1999 when I was first getting into Linux in a serious way, I remember that themes were a big theme at the Linux User Groups I would attend. I also remember lots are online articles at the time that emphasized how highly customizable the Linux desktop was in comparison to Windows 9x. I was bothered for 2 reasons : First, I thought there were more pressing problems that needed to be addressed in Linux ; and second, none of these customization options seemed particularly straightforward ; many apparently required hours of compiling and tinkering.

  Small digression. Anyway, back to CyanogenMod, I was glad to see that they prominently display a button in order to “View Video Tour”. Ah, internet video has us so spoiled these days. I was eager to see this aftermarket firmware in action to see what it could do for me. However, the link leads to… a forum post ? The thread seems to discuss how it would be a cool idea if the community could put together a video tour. At this point, the investigation just seems bizarre. It feels like a bunch of kids doing their best to do things the grown-up way.

  Okay, sorry, rant over. I try to stay positive these days. I’m sure the CyanogenMod folks are doing great, fun, and interesting work on their project. The problems they choose to solve might lack mainstream appeal, however.

  Free iPad
  Ultimately, I recently unloaded the little Android tablet because, well… when a free iPad comes your way, lower spec tablets feel a little silly to keep around. Yeah, it’s great to play around with. Though here’s one unsettling thing I noticed about Apple’s App Store. While browsing for worthwhile games to indulge in, I noticed that they had a section for “Top Grossing Games”. This was a separate list from the “Top Apps” charts. I found the list weird for 2 reasons : 1) Why do I care which games are raking in the most cash ? How does this communicate value to me, personally ? Seriously, why would I base a purchasing decision around which vendor has earned the most money ?

  Anyway, let’s move on to reason #2 this was scary : Most of the games in this list had a price of FREE. One of them was that Capcom Smurfs game that stirred up controversy some months ago because of kids making unsupervised in-app purchases of virtual smurfberries. I tend to think that a top-grossing, free to play game is probably one that heavily encourages in-app purchases. Strange how this emerging trend actually encourages me to seek out games from the “top paid” list vs. “top free”.