iTMS not first for movie download to own???
According to this article, a UK company plans to start download to own movie sales next month.
Universal Pictures is in on it... King Kong, for starters.
Universal Pictures is in on it... King Kong, for starters.
Comments
Originally posted by Bergermeister
According to this article, a UK company plans to start download to own movie sales next month.
Universal Pictures is in on it... King Kong, for starters.
You know, I've thought long and hard about this, and I just couldn't see myself buying a movie offline. First off, look at the cost - $17.50 - $35? Are you joking? For that why the hell don't I just buy the DVD ($20 - $25 new, used somewhere around $10 - $20) and then rip it to the computer or iPod? Also, what if I want to loan it to my friends? Most people I know have a DVD player, but not too many of them are gung-ho about watching a movie on a computer screen.
I watch movies and TV shows on my iMac all the time, but usually when I'm doing some other work, or eating or some other task. If I want to relax and watch a movie, then I can't really do that by putting it on my 17" iMac. Apple would also have to start selling higher quality downloads to satisfy everyone.
Also, in order to avoid serious bitching by crazy people, Apple would probably have to sell a movie that's capable of being played full screen on the computer and on the iPod, problem is higher resolution downloads require more decoding and more battery life on the iPod, so we'll have people gripe about why they can't watch the extended versions of the LOTR movies in HD in one battery lifetime.
If Apple does come out with a Movie Store, then I might be tempted to buy a movie from there to check it out, but I much prefer the DVD. Apple also has to relaize that they'll need to be priced cheaper than this company's $35 price point. (Of course, some consumers are probably too stupid to relaize that the DVD is cheaper and with Universal already having established a price point in another market, it'll be difficult for Apple to convince them to lower that price in the US, where invariably they would make much more money off such a service.)
Originally posted by AgNuke1707
look at the cost - $17.50 - $35? Are you joking?
The dollar is shit right now, and has been for the last 4 years, so don't base your judgment on the exchange rate. This is not all that expensive for a DVD premiere in the UK. To give you an idea, most new DVDs are usually listed around 19.99 pounds. If you buy from amazon or virgin, you might pay 12-15 pounds.
--B
Originally posted by bergz
The dollar is shit right now, and has been for the last 4 years, so don't base your judgment on the exchange rate. This is not all that expensive for a DVD premiere in the UK. To give you an idea, most new DVDs are usually listed around 19.99 pounds. If you buy from amazon or virgin, you might pay 12-15 pounds.
--B
Eh, I wouldn't call it *shit* ... It continues to fluctuate based on wild market antics. It's the same reason oil jumps $5 a barrel every time a Saudi farts. But anyway, that's another discussion...
I wasn't basing my assumption off the excahnge rate. I'm basing it off what a real DVD costs here in the States. If I go to Walmart to buy a new DVD, I might pay anywhere between $15 and $25 for it. I can buy them used on the web or at a Blockbuster or Hastings (depending on how old the movie is) for somwhere between $5 and $20. I'm not buying something digital for $25. I don't have a way to easily transport it, I don't get the special features and I can guarantee you I'll lose some of the quality. Maybe if Apple priced them at $9.99 I could see it as worth it, but $20 or $25 - no way in hell. I like having the freedom to watch a movie wherever I want. If I want to watch it at my computer when I'm working, I pop the dvd in, set it to a window mode and watch it that way. If I want to watch it on my TV, I stick it in the DVD player and watch it. I don't want to go to the hassle of burning my digital copy to a DVD. I also wouldn't wanna go to the hassle of outputting the signal from my laptop to the TV. Maybe Apple will surprise everyone by doing something different that what we're all thinking ... who knows...
Originally posted by AgNuke1707
Eh, I wouldn't call it *shit* ... It continues to fluctuate based on wild market antics.
...
I'm not buying something digital for $25. I don't have a way to easily transport it
As for the 1st comment, see the following graph. Buying something with dollars in Europe for the last 2.5 years has consistently cost 20% more, and the dollar hasn't gotten back to 1:1 with the Euro since Jan 03.
As for the 2nd comment, read the article again. "Consumers will get the film in three formats: two digital files available for instant download -- one for a PC or laptop and one for a portable device -- and a DVD copy sent by mail."
So, to put 2+2, it costs about the same as a new DVD, just that you get it in 3 formats instead of one, on the day of the film's DVD release. Doesn't sound that bad.
--B
Originally posted by bergz
As for the 1st comment, see the following graph. Buying something with dollars in Europe for the last 2.5 years has consistently cost 20% more, and the dollar hasn't gotten back to 1:1 with the Euro since Jan 03.
A Euro is worth so many dollars, fine. The Euro and dollar aren't 1:1, fine also. Where I'm having the problem though is that if I'm paying $1.25 for a 20 US fl. oz. bottle of Coke in the US, why am I paying ?2.50 for a half liter in Paris? I'm getting less product at more than double the price.
I'm paying $1.99 a video at iTMS here in the states. Why are they paying £1.89 in Great Britian and ?2.49 in the rest of Europe? Seems like they're getting a bad deal to me. Ol' boy in Ireland is paying upwards of $3.00 USD for what can be had in the states for $2.00 USD.
I guess it's relative though to what area of the world you're in. If you live in the States and you try to buy from this service, I can't see you as getting your money's worth for it. If you're used to paying that in the UK or Europe, then fine, but if they hope to expand their business model to an American market, wouldn't they have to drop their price point to make it economically feasible to the consumer?
Originally posted by bergz
[B]As for the 2nd comment, read the article again. "Consumers will get the film in three formats: two digital files available for instant download -- one for a PC or laptop and one for a portable device -- [SIZE=3]and a DVD copy sent by mail."
My apologies. I'm sorry I didn't catch that the first time I read through it. If that's the case, then sure, I'm all for them doing it. It'd still be much easier for you to go buy the DVD yourself and rip it. If the same company were to launch a US store and price it at $20 - $25 for each NEW movie, then it just might be worth it to save your time and buy from them (provided the DVD they're sending is the same thing as what you'd buy off a brick & mortar shelf), but as it is, they wouldn't make too much money outside of Europe for the time being. This would give Apple a chance to see how such a service works in a smaller market before attempting to implement it themselves.