Blu-ray special features coming to App Store

[AppleInsider]

The last to embrace the Blu-ray high definition video format, Universal is poised to become the first to tie home theater with Apple's App Store, bringing companion features to the iPhone and iPod touch.

Home Media Magazine reported Monday that Universal Studios Home Entertainment was prepared to announce the App Store-Blu-ray tie-in, with the first release, the film "Fast & Furious," hitting stores July 28.

"For the first time, iPhone and iPod Touch users will be able to control interactive content on their Web-connected Blu-ray Disc players," the magazine writes. "On subsequent Universal Blu-ray Disc releases coming later in the year, consumers will be able to access bonus content found on their Blu-ray Disc releases and download it onto their iPhone or iPod Touch. They’ll also be able to use the devices as a virtual remote to control their Blu-ray Disc features and access additional information while watching the movie."

The "Fast & Furious" App Store release will include a "Virtual Car Garage" that allows viewers to check out the movie's vehicles in 360 degrees, and to look up car specifications.

The studio announced that future releases will also tie in to Facebook and Twitter to update friends on movie-related activites.

“By harnessing Blu-ray technology and combining it with Apple’s highly acclaimed iPod touch and iPhone, we continue to raise the bar in delivering an array of unprecedented, user-friendly home entertainment experiences,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms. “Bridging these platforms further broadens the scope of the digital landscape by paving the way for innovative new applications and interactive content enhancements that continue to uniquely engage consumers.”

The App Store has made the iPhone and iPod touch platform a very successful endeavor for Apple. Just last week, as the App Store crossed its one year anniversary, Apple announced that more than 1.5 billion applications had been downloaded from the service.

There are more than 40 million devices capable of accessing the App Store in consumers' hands. The three iPhone models and the iPod Touch serve customers in 77 different countries.

[holywarrior007]

This is interesting. However, when will Steve Jobs break his reservation on Blu-ray enabled drives in MBPs? It really sucks not have these in MBPs.

[teckstud]

Cool- new features for both my blu-ray, iPhone and iPod Touch. What's not to like? Can't wait til Blu-ray comes to the iMac- maybe 2010?

[Chintan100]

"The "Fast & Furious" App Store release will include a "Virtual Car Garage" that allows viewers to check out the movie's vehicles in 360 degrees, and to look up car specifications."

This will be cool...

Hey techstud,

Got my MBP and iPod Touch yesterday.

Its really as great as i expected it to be though i wish i had gone for 15 inch.

The iphone simulator looks so BIG..

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by holywarrior007

This is interesting. However, when will Steve Jobs break his reservation on Blu-ray enabled drives in MBPs? It really sucks not have these in MBPs.

I'm hoping we will get them with Snow Leopard support- first on the MacPros and iMacs and then on the MacBook Pros. How long can they hold out? Afterall- we have SD card slots now- right?

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The last to embrace the Blu-ray high definition video format, Universal is poised to become the first to tie home theater with Apple's App Store, bringing companion features to the iPhone and iPod touch....

What a lot of boring, stupid dreck.

As a consumer who *has* all the above mentioned technology I must say this doesn't entice me at all. This is just a way of justifying the high prices they are charging for the media.

The only thing that's even half-way handy is the digital copy, but for most movies if you already have the disc, you don't need the digital copy and vice versa. There are movies that are worth paying Blu-Ray prices for and there are movies that are only worthy of playing on your iPod on the bus. They are hardly ever the same movie IMO.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Chintan100

This will be cool...

Hey techstud,

Got my MBP and iPod Touch yesterday.

Its really as great as i expected it to be though i wish i had gone for 15 inch.

The iphone simulator looks so BIG..

That's fantastic- a free Touch - right?
I want the MBP 13" myself but I need to wait and see how my AT&T payments amounts to monthly. I may need to up the minutes (plan).
What's the iPhone simulator?

[holywarrior007]

Yeah I hope so. Though I really can't wait for these. Hope Apple does it sooner than later.

[holywarrior007]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I'm hoping we will get them with Snow Leopard support- first on the MacPros and iMacs and then on the MacBook Pros. How long can they hold out? Afterall- we have SD card slots now- right?

Yeah I hope so. Though I really can't wait for these. Hope Apple does it sooner than later.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

What a lot of boring, stupid dreck.

As a consumer who *has* all the above mentioned technology I must say this doesn't entice me at all. This is just a way of justifying the high prices they are charging for the media.

The only thing that's even half-way handy is the digital copy, but for most movies if you already have the disc, you don't need the digital copy and vice versa. There are movies that are worth paying Blu-Ray prices for and there are movies that are only worthy of playing on your iPod on the bus. They are hardly ever the same movie IMO.

Too bad.
What do digital copies have to do with extra features?

[Wiggin]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I'm hoping we will get them with Snow Leopard support- first on the MacPros and iMacs and then on the MacBook Pros. How long can they hold out? Afterall- we have SD card slots now- right?

But the blu-ray disc will only insert 2/3s of the way into the computer, so when you are playing a movie you'll have to keep your hands clear of the spinning disc sticking out of the side of your MBP.

[Wil Maneker]

Originally Posted by holywarrior007

This is interesting. However, when will Steve Jobs break his reservation on Blu-ray enabled drives in MBPs? It really sucks not have these in MBPs.

Am I the only one who thought by "Special Features" they were referring to Commentary/Deleted Scenes/Making-of.../Alternate Ending/etc...?

And by "App Store" they meant iTunes Movie Store?

The way Universal is headed sounds little more intriguing then a toy in a cereal box.

[Jerseymac]

Funny how Universal is the last to embrace the blu ray format when they have their own hi def cable channel, Universal HD.

In anticipation of the new Harry Potter movie I bought some of the older movies in blu ray. I already have them in DVD and HD DVD so why not buy them again.

If anyone is thinking of doing the same, DON'T. According to the Amazon website all new versions of the movies are in the works. I'm sure they will have remastered sound, picture quality and great new features. Let the double dipping begin anew.

Steve Jobs was absolutely right. Blu Ray is nothing but a bag of hurt I totally brought upon myself.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by holywarrior007

Yeah I hope so. Though I really can't wait for these. Hope Apple does it sooner than later.

While I agree- better late than never!
It's a control issue, I've read- fees, specs, etc. that Apple can't control.
Blu-ray seems like it's really taken off this year- this holiday should be an even bigger year for Blu-ray. I've even seen Porn now advertised in Blu-ray!
Apple needs to get on board like they did with DVD. I mean- you can create HD movies in iMovie HD yet we can't burn them on a Blu-ray? Does that make sense?

[holywarrior007]

Originally Posted by Wil Maneker

Am I the only one who thought by "Special Features" they were referring to Commentary/Deleted Scenes/Making-of.../Alternate Ending/etc...?

And by "App Store" they meant iTunes Movie Store?

The way Universal is headed sounds little more intriguing then a toy in a cereal box.

You are not the only one. I was just commenting on the lack of Blu-Ray drives in MBPs. If Apple really promotes HD media in any way, they should seriously think about putting Blu-ray drives in notebooks.

[holywarrior007]

Originally Posted by teckstud

While I agree- better late than never!
It's a control issue, I've read- fees, specs, etc. that Apple can't control.
Blu-ray seems like it's really taken off this year- this holiday should be an even bigger year for Blu-ray. I've even seen Porn now advertised in Blu-ray!
Apple needs to get on board like they did with DVD. I mean- you can create HD movies in iMovie HD yet we can't burn them on a Blu-ray? Does that make sense?

Yeah I agree with you. The licensing process is complex which could make these drives a bit more expensive. But I think this is no excuse. These could definitely be provided as an option if Apple isn't comfortable about including them in the current price range.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Wiggin

But the blu-ray disc will only insert 2/3s of the way into the computer, so when you are playing a movie you'll have to keep your hands clear of the spinning disc sticking out of the side of your MBP.

OOOoohh- I forgot all about that issue!
That reminds me of one of the vintage 45 portable record players where the only arm held the disk yet the disc was basically eposed, while it spun around. Did people complain as much about technology back in those days?

[zunx]

Apple, Blu-ray playback and recording support, built-in on Mac OS X, NOW!!!!

Please!!!!!!!!

Thanks.

[JavaCowboy]

Here's a question that I have: Is it possible for a hardware or software manufacturer to include access to a Blu-Ray drive without the media? That is, could I potentially buy a Mac with a Blu-Ray drive that is only usable for file storage but that doesn't read Blu-Ray movie disks? Or does the whole kit and caboodle have to be licensed as a "bag of hurt"?

Just curious. I'm sure many OS X and Linux users would love to be able to use Blu-Ray exclusively for file storage.

[Carmissimo]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Cool- new features for both my blu-ray, iPhone and iPod Touch. What's not to like? Can't wait til Blu-ray comes to the iMac- maybe 2010?

I don't buy the notion that Apple thinks they can make Blu-Ray go away by pretending it's not there.

Right now I have an HD hybrid camera but my previous gen mac mini can't really handle properly editing the resulting footage. And even worse, I have no means of producing an HD equivalent of a DVD because there's no Blu-Ray in my hardware chain.

I just can't imagine all those people like me shooting HD footage being OK with never producing an HD disc of their work because Steve Jobs wants everyone to download their HD movies via iTunes rather than buy physical media containing said content.

And the size of people's digital libraries is growing so rapidly that DVD just doesn't cut it any more. A higher capacity disc storage system is simply going to have to become a part of the process and clearly since Blu-Ray is already with us, that's the format that will become a standard element of our digital arsenal.

But, here's the catch. Right now, even if I made a Blu-Ray home movie, who would I share it with? Most of my relatives and firends do not have a Blu-Ray player. As such, I can understand Apple taking its time to embrace Blu-Ray. What I can't fathom, though, is the notion that Apple thinks it can kill off Blu-Ray with iTunes serving as the Trojan Horse. Rather, I think Apple figures Blu-Ray needs to become a more affordable option and there have to be more Blu-Ray players in the hands of consumers before the format takes hold. I'm guessing, too, that the slowdown in the economy is a factor in that Apple is trying to lower the cost of its equipment and Blu-Ray would increase it. Let's not forget that economies of scale would cause a Blu-Ray option to be so expensive few would add it making it even more costly per unit for Apple to implement. So when it does get added, I see Apple wanting to bring it into the mix in a big way so as to have it make economic sense.

Blu-Ray will come to Apple when the economic climate improves and the installed base of Blu-Ray players reaches critical mass. I'm guessing 2011, maybe nearing the end of 2010. My HD footage will pile up in the meantime. Guess a little patience is required.

[Chintan100]

Originally Posted by teckstud

That's fantastic- a free Touch - right?
I want the MBP 13" myself but I need to wait and see how my AT&T payments amounts to monthly. I may need to up the minutes (plan).
What's the iPhone simulator?

Yaa, a free Touch...

iPhone Simulator is an application (included in the iPhone SDK) for Mac which simulates iPhone environment.

Resolution on iPhone is more than on Mac and so, the same screen size looks big on simulator because Mac packs less number of pixels for the same area.

iPhone apps generally should not be tested on the simulator because it has the power of Mac behind it and performance issues may not be felt which may arise when running on iPhone.

Thats were my iPod Touch will come in handy. Otherwise music? Well, i still use my 3.5 years old Sony Ericsson W550i.

[holywarrior007]

Originally Posted by Carmissimo

I don't buy the notion that Apple thinks they can make Blu-Ray go away by pretending it's not there.

Right now I have an HD hybrid camera but my previous gen mac mini can't really handle properly editing the resulting footage. And even worse, I have no means of producing an HD equivalent of a DVD because there's no Blu-Ray in my hardware chain.

I just can't imagine all those people like me shooting HD footage being OK with never producing an HD disc of their work because Steve Jobs wants everyone to download their HD movies via iTunes rather than buy physical media containing said content.

And the size of people's digital libraries is growing so rapidly that DVD just doesn't cut it any more. A higher capacity disc storage system is simply going to have to become a part of the process and clearly since Blu-Ray is already with us, that's the format that will become a standard element of our digital arsenal.

But, here's the catch. Right now, even if I made a Blu-Ray home movie, who would I share it with? Most of my relatives and firends do not have a Blu-Ray player. As such, I can understand Apple taking its time to embrace Blu-Ray. What I can't fathom, though, is the notion that Apple thinks it can kill off Blu-Ray with iTunes serving as the Trojan Horse. Rather, I think Apple figures Blu-Ray needs to become a more affordable option and there have to be more Blu-Ray players in the hands of consumers before the format takes hold. I'm guessing, too, that the slowdown in the economy is a factor in that Apple is trying to lower the cost of its equipment and Blu-Ray would increase it. Let's not forget that economies of scale would cause a Blu-Ray option to be so expensive few would add it making it even more costly per unit for Apple to implement. So when it does get added, I see Apple wanting to bring it into the mix in a big way so as to have it make economic sense.

Blu-Ray will come to Apple when the economic climate improves and the installed base of Blu-Ray players reaches critical mass. I'm guessing 2011, maybe nearing the end of 2010. My HD footage will pile up in the meantime. Guess a little patience is required.

But Blu-ray format is already making a very impressive start and the DVD sale is falling. I bet it would be in notebooks in 2010. But 2011 would be too far and I would never like it. How much would a Blu-ray drive cost? Sony and Dell are already shipping these in their products and it doesn't look like that it will send the prices of MBPs over the moon. Remember the 15'' MBPs aren't cheap anyway.

[Quadra 610]

Blu Ray players and physical disc media?

Already on the way out. The sooner we're rid of that extra crap the better. More Discs in boxes piling up in the corner of your house somewhere. Too funny.

By the time Blu Ray truly goes mainstream (it still hasn't), we'll be getting all our HD content online, and then you can transfer it to any device as you wish. Wirelessly even.

$30 CDN for your average Blu Ray flick that is halfway popular at Best Buy. LOL. And a decent Blu-Ray player is $200+ CDN, for example. A quality player will set you back about $400. Panasonic's portable Blu Ray player is $999 Canadian. What a joke.

Do people really want Blu Ray functionality in Macs? Apple's numbers suggest otherwise. At their current price points, Macbooks and Macbook Pros are FLYING off the shelves. Apple has a lock on the Premium end of the market, and guess what, these people don't give a sweet damn about Blu Ray drives in Macs. Tuesday's numbers will bear this out. Apple does whatever it pleases and people are lining up to buy. The market has spoken.

Once again, Steve Jobs and Co. foresaw the direction of the market. As usual.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Carmissimo

But, here's the catch. Right now, even if I made a Blu-Ray home movie, who would I share it with? Most of my relatives and firends do not have a Blu-Ray player. As such, I can understand Apple taking its time to embrace Blu-Ray. What I can't fathom, though, is the notion that Apple thinks it can kill off Blu-Ray with iTunes serving as the Trojan Horse. Rather, I think Apple figures Blu-Ray needs to become a more affordable option and there have to be more Blu-Ray players in the hands of consumers before the format takes hold. I'm guessing, too, that the slowdown in the economy is a factor in that Apple is trying to lower the cost of its equipment and Blu-Ray would increase it. Let's not forget that economies of scale would cause a Blu-Ray option to be so expensive few would add it making it even more costly per unit for Apple to implement. So when it does get added, I see Apple wanting to bring it into the mix in a big way so as to have it make economic sense.

Blu-Ray will come to Apple when the economic climate improves and the installed base of Blu-Ray players reaches critical mass. I'm guessing 2011, maybe nearing the end of 2010. My HD footage will pile up in the meantime. Guess a little patience is required.

Blu-ray players have now approached $200 with features that would have cost 3X as much 2 years ago. Blu-ray will make major penetration this year. Expect friends and family to buy now everytime they upgrade a DVD player to their new HDMI ready flat screen TVs. 'The future is Blu."

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

Blu Ray players and physical disc media?

Already on the way out. The sooner we're rid of that extra crap the better. More Discs in boxes piling up in the corner of your house somewhere. Too funny.

By the time Blu Ray truly goes mainstream (it still hasn't), we'll be getting all our HD content online, and then you can transfer it to any device as you wish. Wirelessly even.

$30 CDN for your average Blu Ray flick that is halfway popular at Best Buy. LOL. And a decent Blu-Ray player is $200+ CDN, for example. A quality player will set you back about $400. Panasonic's portable Blu Ray player is $999 Canadian. What a joke.

Do people really want Blu Ray functionality in Macs? Apple's numbers suggest otherwise. At their current price points, Macbooks and Macbook Pros are FLYING off the shelves. Apple has a lock on the Premium end of the market, and guess what, these people don't give a sweet damn about Blu Ray drives in Macs. Tuesday's numbers will bear this out. Apple does whatever it pleases and people are lining up to buy. The market has spoken.

Once again, Steve Jobs and Co. foresaw the direction of the market. As usual.

Right and that's why an SD slot finally- mid 2009?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Chintan100

Yaa, a free Touch...

iPhone Simulator is an application (included in the iPhone SDK) for Mac which simulates iPhone environment.

Resolution on iPhone is more than on Mac and so, the same screen size looks big on simulator because Mac packs less number of pixels for the same area.

iPhone apps generally should not be tested on the simulator because it has the power of Mac behind it and performance issues may not be felt which may arise when running on iPhone.

Thats were my iPod Touch will come in handy. Otherwise music? Well, i still use my 3.5 years old Sony Ericsson W550i.

Thanks for that info- I have to hunt for the Simulator tonight!

[TenoBell]

Blu-Ray will not have the success DVD had in 2000 . DVD sales are stagnent and Blu-ray is not filling the gap.

Originally Posted by teckstud

Blu-ray players have now approached $200 with features that would have cost 3X as much 2 years ago. Blu-ray will make major penetration this year. Expect friends and family to buy now everytime they upgrade a DVD player to their new HDMI ready flat screen TVs. 'The future is Blu."

[TenoBell]

How many people commonly use SD slots? Annecdotally most people I see just plug the camera into the computer and never remove the SD card. If most people never remove the card, it's not so crucial to have the slot.

Originally Posted by teckstud

Right and that's why an SD slot finally- mid 2009?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

Blu-Ray will not have the success DVD had in 2000 . DVD sales are stagnent and Blu-ray is filling the gap.

That's like saying casettes will not have the success of 8 Tracks. Blu-ray is the format of the future and will be around for a long time coming. Screen resolution has long passed DVD specs. Apple needs to get on board now- the train has long left the station.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by TenoBell

How many people commonly use SD slots? Annecdotally most people I see just plug the camera into the computer and never remove the SD card. If most people never remove the card, it's not so crucial to have the slot.

Really? Then why did Apple put it there? Apple must obviously thinks its important, even if you don't.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Jerseymac

Funny how Universal is the last to embrace the blu ray format when they have their own hi def cable channel, Universal HD.

I don't know if they were prepared for the collapse of HD DVD. They probably had a big pipeline of movies that was disrupted as a result, after all, they produced most of the HD DVDs that were offered.

If anyone is thinking of doing the same, DON'T. According to the Amazon website all new versions of the movies are in the works. I'm sure they will have remastered sound, picture quality and great new features. Let the double dipping begin anew.

I mostly rent from Netflix.

I don't think any format is ever going to be immune to "double dipping". I don't know if iTunes has prevented it, but if they do, they probably do it by not offering the updated version.

Originally Posted by Carmissimo

I don't buy the notion that Apple thinks they can make Blu-Ray go away by pretending it's not there.

Right now I have an HD hybrid camera but my previous gen mac mini can't really handle properly editing the resulting footage.

What recording format? My original mini was able to do HDV, though it struggled. An Intel dual core mini should be able to do AVCHD, you need either the latest iMovie or latest Final Cut Express. It might render and output pretty slowly.

But, here's the catch. Right now, even if I made a Blu-Ray home movie, who would I share it with? Most of my relatives and firends do not have a Blu-Ray player.

You can at least post to Vimeo, but if it's a private family moment, I don't know what the solution is other than sending a DVD with an HD file.

[Audioslave]

It's not new. Iron Man Bluray already had an iPhone remote feature…

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Too bad.
What do digital copies have to do with extra features?

Digital copies were mentioned as one of the "extra features." It kinda seems like they want you to connect to the website with the Blu-Ray player to get them though which seems pretty annoying to me.

I'm sure other people may like this stuff. I'm just not a big fan of marketing and advertisements and so forth myself (which is pretty much what all this is about really).

[milkmage]

Originally Posted by teckstud

While I agree- better late than never!
It's a control issue, I've read- fees, specs, etc. that Apple can't control.
Blu-ray seems like it's really taken off this year- this holiday should be an even bigger year for Blu-ray. I've even seen Porn now advertised in Blu-ray!
Apple needs to get on board like they did with DVD. I mean- you can create HD movies in iMovie HD yet we can't burn them on a Blu-ray? Does that make sense?

i think you can burn them (maybe not with imovie), you just can't play what you made.

[solipsism]

Cue the “They have Blu-ray players for under $200 with all sorts of features for my TV so just putting in a simple Blu-ray drive into a Mac should be really easy and cheap” comments. When I read the title I knew the mention of Blu-ray would spark the short-sided desires for Blu-ray in a Mac.

While it would be great for Snow Leopard to offer Blu-ray support we are nearing GM for SL and there is still no AACS to even support 3rd-party drives running over USB or FW. The only evidence of Blu-ray support we have yet to see is Gracenotes supporting it within iTunes, and I don’t think Apple has anything to do with that.

Options are great but without even any hint that aftermarket drives will get AACS support and the ever present desire for Apple to push its digital media that is “good enough” for PC users while many consumers are finding cheap up-converting DVD players (or worse regular DVD players) as “good enough” it’s not looking too good for Blu-ray support in OS X.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by milkmage

i think you can burn them (maybe not with imovie), you just can't play what you made.

Well that's the whole point- why do I want to downgrade an HD recoding to DVD specs? That defeats the whole purpose of recording in HD.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Queue the “They have Blu-ray players for under $200 with all sorts of features for my TV so just putting in a simple Blu-ray drive into a Mac should be really easy and cheap” comments. When I read the title I knew the mention of Blu-ray would spark the short-sided desires for Blu-ray in a Mac.

While it would be great for Snow Leopard to offer Blu-ray support we are nearing GM for SL and there is still no AACS to even support 3rd-party drives running over USB or FW. The only evidence of Blu-ray support we have yet to see is Gracenotes supporting it within iTunes, and I don’t think Apple has anything to do with that.

Options are great but without even any hint that aftermarket drives will get AACS support and the ever present desire for Apple to push its digital media that is “good enough” for PC users while many consumers are finding cheap up-converting DVD players (or worse regular DVD players) as “good enough” it’s not looking too good for Blu-ray support in OS X.

Great- the more you say it's not gonna happen the most like it will, based on your track record.
Keep naysaying it, please.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

Digital copies were mentioned as one of the "extra features." It kinda seems like they want you to connect to the website with the Blu-Ray player to get them though which seems pretty annoying to me.

I'm sure other people may like this stuff. I'm just not a big fan of marketing and advertisements and so forth myself (which is pretty much what all this is about really).

A "digital copy' is just that - an extra copy. It has nothing to do with accessing extra features. I welcome getting those features to go (on my Apple device) rin addition to connecting my Blu-ray to the internet.

[holywarrior007]

Originally Posted by Quadra 610

Blu Ray players and physical disc media?

Already on the way out. The sooner we're rid of that extra crap the better. More Discs in boxes piling up in the corner of your house somewhere. Too funny.

By the time Blu Ray truly goes mainstream (it still hasn't), we'll be getting all our HD content online, and then you can transfer it to any device as you wish. Wirelessly even.

$30 CDN for your average Blu Ray flick that is halfway popular at Best Buy. LOL. And a decent Blu-Ray player is $200+ CDN, for example. A quality player will set you back about $400. Panasonic's portable Blu Ray player is $999 Canadian. What a joke.

Do people really want Blu Ray functionality in Macs? Apple's numbers suggest otherwise. At their current price points, Macbooks and Macbook Pros are FLYING off the shelves. Apple has a lock on the Premium end of the market, and guess what, these people don't give a sweet damn about Blu Ray drives in Macs. Tuesday's numbers will bear this out. Apple does whatever it pleases and people are lining up to buy. The market has spoken.

Once again, Steve Jobs and Co. foresaw the direction of the market. As usual.

Very flattering. May I remind you that we have to first solve the problem of hi-speed net connection and the feature called DRM for internet downloading to succeed. What you download from the iTunes store terming HD is nothing but a compressed crap that can never equal the HD quality. Besides that you never get to see the extra features that are available on a disc.

How much MBs and MBPs are flying off the shelves, we will come to know tomorrow. People do give a damn about Blu-ray, and I bet when Apple includes them probably you will be the first one to run to a store nearby.

[TenoBell]

Cassettes tapes did successfully replace 8 tracks. Cassettes offered clear advantage to 8 tracks and vinyl records, but were not expensive. In the late 70's early 80's cassette tapes were the only option for portable music.

Blu-ray primary advantage is a slightly better picture and slightly better sound at a premium price. Today Blu-ray competes directly with OTA HD broadcast, HD cable, HD video on demand, standard DVD, downloading, streaming, iPods and phones.

Few of these alternatives existed when DVD became mainstream. Now that they exist, Blu-ray has to compete directly against them, it will be impossible for any future physical medium to have the success DVD has had.

Originally Posted by teckstud

That's like saying casettes will not have the success of 8 Tracks. Blu-ray is the format of the future and will be around for a long time coming. Screen resolution has long passed DVD specs. Apple needs to get on board now- the train has long left the station.