Apple promised at WWDC 2008 that Snow Leopard would usher in a redesigned version of QuickTime that "optimizes support for modern audio and video formats resulting in extremely efficient media playback." According to AppleInsider, the playback interface is also getting a pretty serious overhaul as well is the latest test build of Mac OS X 10.6.

Dubbed QuickTime X Player, the new version is said to completely dispense with the window chrome of the current version. All controls mimic those of the current popup overlays used in QuickTime's full-screen mode. The only remaining window chrome is a transparent title bar that disappears when there is no active mousing. From the "artist rendition" based on descriptions given to the site, it seems as though the player mimics full-screen mode in a moveable, floating window.

I think I like the idea of the controls being available only when necessary, though I'm not sure eliminating the title bar is necessary in a non-full-screen mode. Safari 4 already has its share of detractors due to its title-bar tabs that break the existing window paradigm. A sort of floating full-screen viewport seems like it's taking things a little too far.

On the upside, though, QuickTime X Player is also said to gain the availability to export clips in a variety of sizes, echoing earlier reports that Apple may eliminate the vestigial "QuickTime Pro" paid upgrade. The exported clips can be sent automatically to iTunes or shared via a MobileMe account.

AppleInsider's report further noted that the latest Snow Leopard build is currently leveraging a Core Location framework for the Date and Time control panel, marking the predicted location of a user on a world map with a pin. Preview has gained an annotations toolbar, VoiceOver is being revved to version 3, and Finder icons have regained their built-in QuickLook previews. Still, the interface for accessing nested folders in stack that appeared in the last test build has disappeared. Note that Snow Leopard is still in the refining stages, however, so there is no guarantee that some or all of these features won't change before the final release expected this summer.