Apple briefs staff on wireless iPhone movie and TV downloads

[AppleInsider]

The iPhone 3.0 operating system release will include new support for direct downloads of movie and TV content from the iTunes Store, according to people familiar with Apple's internal training materials.

Last week, a Salon blogger covered initial reports of a new iTunes Store interface for downloading movies and TV directly on the iPhone, including support for movie rentals.

Beta testers of iPhone 3.0 can already access the new interface from a special URL.

The new interface is mostly functional, although featured content blocks were marked with F.P.O (for positioning only) placeholder art and all attempts to download any video content return the error "the item you've requested is not available."

Now however, AppleInsider has learned from people familiar with Apple's training program that new self-guided training materials being distributed to familiarize AppleCare agents with the features of iPhone 3.0 software "definitely covered" the ability to directly download movies and TV shows on the device itself, rather than just syncing video content through iTunes.

Those people noted that the advanced training was unique, saying that "Apple never puts out product training this far ahead of a product launch." This training material is roughly 6 weeks early, they said, having arrived in the form of a single training module on Tuesday.

Apple already supports direct downloads of free video podcasts within the mobile iTunes app, as well as video content from YouTube on the iPhone and iPod touch, so direct video downloads of rented or purchased videos from iTunes would be an incremental and unsurprising step over the current selection of directly downloadable music for sale within the app. It would, however, cement Apple's lead in delivering paid content to mobile users.

What isn't yet known is whether Apple will immediately enable video downloads over 3G mobile networks. The company originally limited iTunes music downloads to WiFi, and even originally called the feature the iTunes WiFi Store. That measure was likely done to gauge the demand for bandwidth that users would create.





Since then, the WiFi limitation has been removed and it is now possible to directly access iTunes music over 3G mobile networks. Apple touted mobile music downloads on the iPhone as being no more expensive than music purchased over WiFi or directly from iTunes running on a desktop computer, a direct blow to other mobile network operators and mobile content stores that charge extra fees when users try to obtain content over their mobile network.

Since videos are much larger than music files, it is likely that video and TV downloads and rentals might initially be limited to WiFi. AT&T's plans to double the speed of its American 3G network to HSPA 7.2 Mbps service and its parallel efforts to bolster its back end networks to better support mobile data demands -- specifically video steams -- may likely play into how soon iPhone users can expect to download videos from iTunes outside of a WiFi hotspot.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[brucep]

i guess the zune is back out again

hey one day on top is good

[dagamer34]

Originally Posted by brucep

i guess the zune is back out again

hey one day on top is good

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

[coasterswim]

If the materials were available on Tuesday and were 6 weeks early, that means OS 3.0 won't launch until after July 7, right?

[pats]

Originally Posted by coasterswim

If the materials were available on Tuesday and were 6 weeks early, that means OS 3.0 won't launch until after July 7, right?

I think the 6 weeks means from last years launch of the Iphone 3G, which means the 3.0 software will be released sooner if they are already training on the features.

[chronster]

Can't wait to see this in action with AT&T's upgraded network!

Originally Posted by brucep

i guess the zune is back out again

hey one day on top is good

Really needed to quote the entire article? lol

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

Well it might start out as something like, buy the movie, let it download overnight as you sleep, or something annoying like that, but eventually it'll get to the point where the connection speeds are fast enough to stream movies. I mean, 7mpbs has to be enough to stream a decent quality movie on the little screen. It's a start though, and that's better than nothing.

[Tac22]

Originally Posted by pats

I think the 6 weeks means from last years launch of the Iphone 3G, which means the 3.0 software will be released sooner if they are already training on the features.

No they said that they normaly don't get the training material this early cuz they said they know it not being released for about another 6 weeks. I don't think they need a software update to let us dowload movies cuz last week I could open up the link in iTunes to the unfinished movie section but they disabled it later... So they might be announcing it and emeidietly letting us use the feature come wwdc... And 3.0 will hopefully be releases sometime short after July 7th along with hopefully that new iphone were all so excited about

[Chris_CA]

Originally Posted by brucep

i guess the zune is back out again

hey one day on top is good

Nice quote of the entire article...

[Lafe]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The iPhone 3.0 operating system release will include new support for direct downloads of movie and TV content from the iTunes Store, according to people familiar with Apple's internal training materials.

Means nothing to me, since I'm still trapped living in EDGE-land. AT&T has
forgotten me and my region. Well, I guess maybe I could drive to the
nearest McDonalds and send a text message to AT&T to ask them if I
can use the WiFi. Then I can order some fries while I download some
video.

[Tac22]

I'd imagine the training manuals like 10 seconds long... More like a sticky note, what exactly do they need to know besides that you can download videos. Now???

Could it include step by step directions?
1 open itunes store
2 enter new video content section
3 download movies*

* video downloading currently restricted to wifi only

[brucep]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

<<<< of note is it 7g netwok or 7mpbs network ???>>>>
Well its the new 7g AT&T NETWORK
So if get at least 5.4g power it will be blazing fast .For me the true test of what will work is.Taking the new iphone/touch and trying to stream HULU tv while in an open area, in midtown nyc . In truth after 7pm IS when the data rush is over is when you could D/L stream fast . If its wifi only i have no idea .

Would the new MIFI card work with the 7g network ??

[Mr.Scott]

Amazing what Apple is up to! Now if AT&T can keep up....

[Tofino]

Originally Posted by Lafe

Means nothing to me, since I'm still trapped living in EDGE-land. AT&T has
forgotten me and my region. Well, I guess maybe I could drive to the
nearest McDonalds and send a text message to AT&T to ask them if I
can use the WiFi. Then I can order some fries while I download some
video.

does it take that long to get fries at macdonalds where you live?

[brucep]

Originally Posted by chronster

Can't wait to see this in action with AT&T's upgraded network!



Really needed to quote the entire article? lol


Well it might start out as something like, buy the movie, let it download overnight as you sleep, or something annoying like that, but eventually it'll get to the point where the connection speeds are fast enough to stream movies. I mean, 7mpbs has to be enough to stream a decent quality movie on the little screen. It's a start though, and that's better than nothing.

3.5mpbs is enough for me. I did the speed test online . I pay for 7 mpbs DSL but get 3.5mpbs . Still 24 or Heroes in hifi / full screen on hulu in the middle of the work day rocks . No ?


PEACE

9

[brucep]

Originally Posted by Chris_CA

Nice quote of the entire article...

Really ?? thanks

i was so nervous being number one .

I guess tomorrow there will another >> tit for tat zune leak .

peace

9

[addabox]

Originally Posted by Tac22

I'd imagine the training manuals like 10 seconds long... More like a sticky note, what exactly do they need to know besides that you can download videos. Now???

Could it include step by step directions?
1 open itunes store
2 enter new video content section
3 download movies*

* video downloading currently restricted to wifi only

Reminds me of a Brian Regan routine about the instructions on a Pop Tart box:

1-- Open package.
2-- Place in toaster.
3-- Go ahead. Put it in the toaster.
4-- Hey, are you still reading this?

[teckstud]

Too bad AT&Tt can't keep up day-and-date with Apple.
Oh Apple, why o why do you dance with such a bag of hurt?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by Tac22

I'd imagine the training manuals like 10 seconds long... More like a sticky note, what exactly do they need to know besides that you can download videos. Now???

Could it include step by step directions?
1 open itunes store
2 enter new video content section
3 download movies*

* video downloading currently restricted to wifi only

Coming soon to an expanded Genius Bar near you.

[Carniphage]

I think the really interesting possibility is putting the whole AppleTV interface as an application on the iPod.

Including the ability to drive an HDTV via an HDMI dock.

Suddenly instead of costing $299, the AppleTV is free with every iPod touch.

Something like that could turn the hobby into a part-time job.

C.

[NasserAE]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

iTunes and App store downloads are limited to 10MB on EDGE and 3G. I believe this will still be the case here, WiFi only.

[SpamSandwich]

Since videos are much larger than music files, it is likely that video and TV downloads and rentals might initially be limited to WiFi. AT&T's plans to double the speed of its American 3G network to HSPA 7.2 Mbps service and its parallel efforts to bolster its back end networks to better support mobile data demands -- specifically video steams -- may likely play into how soon iPhone users can expect to download videos from iTunes outside of a WiFi hotspot.

I guess video "steams" are caused by videos coming into close contact with hotspots.

[Ireland]

iTunes "TV" ?

Sounds like Apple is up to something. What kind of hardware has that word in it?

[Dorotea]

I agree... it has to bemore than wifi video for training materials to appear. Maybe a RedBox type of service where you can load up on video and then watch either on iPhone/touch or on your TV?

[melgross]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

Not necessarily. You might be away from home and decide that you want to watch a movie later, start downloading it now, and when you want it, it's ready.

We don't yet know what the rez is with this. It would be interesting if you downloaded a rez for the phone, which would take much less time, but then when back at your computer, you would have the higher quality file download to that. If this were true, downloading for the phone might not take as long as you think.

I would go for that.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by Lafe

Means nothing to me, since I'm still trapped living in EDGE-land. AT&T has
forgotten me and my region. Well, I guess maybe I could drive to the
nearest McDonalds and send a text message to AT&T to ask them if I
can use the WiFi. Then I can order some fries while I download some
video.

Do what everyone else who bought an iPhone and who only has EDGE does—move.

[JeffDM]

The upper left picture looks very much like the screen of a twitter app (twitterfon?), but I don't understand why it would have that ad already, and I don't recall ads on it. But it's really late, if I care in the morning, I'll try to understand what's going on with a more alert mind.

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

Not only that, you're downloading something like 250MB per 20-some minute episode unless Apple offers some bitrate-reduced version for iPhone and hopefully instruct iTunes to download the regular bitrate from your computer one for computer use, kind of like how an HD download also gets you an SD copy too. The comparison to video podcasts and YouTube doesn't quite fly in my opinion, lots of video podcasts are a few minutes long, at least all the ones I subscribe to, the same goes for most YouTube videos, going to primarily 20+ and 40+ minute shows, possibly high bitrate ones at that, is quite a leap. iTunes does offer music videos though, so that's some short media that can be bought.

I don't recall iPhone downloading very quickly even over WiFi. Wouldn't the battery be dead or nearly dead before it's downloaded? The first impression that I got with that first image was that it might have been an app that tells your iTunes program on your computer to download it.

[Aquatic]

Originally Posted by dagamer34

Unless you're able to start watching the movie/tv show while it's downloading, there isn't much point to this since downloading over WiFi can take forever depending on the connection you're on (and public WiFi often isn't the greatest in the first place).

That's what I never understood. In fact I wrote to Apple about this. Why can't you start watching what you've already downloaded? It's not like it's a scrambled-up file like a torrent download. Seems easy, Apple please do this.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Aquatic

That's what I never understood. In fact I wrote to Apple about this. Why can't you start watching what you've already downloaded? It's not like it's a scrambled-up file like a torrent download. Seems easy, Apple please do this.

You can, I do it all the time, though it does appear that a certain amount of the file based on your download speed has to be complete before it lets you.

[Constable Odo]

Can I download videos from Apple using my Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm? Hell, no!

Apple is making it harder and harder not to buy an iPhone. I don't care how much hardware the competitors are throwing at the iPhone, it's this type of flexibility that is going to keep the iPhone and iPod Touch platform at least one step ahead.

I can certainly see some uses for that billion dollar server farm a couple of years down the road when it comes to using the 4G network. I can see Apple just having every newspaper, magazine, movie, TV show, book, and music company storing data on their servers and being able to summon it up on demand. What else could a facility that that size be used for except for archiving massive amounts of all types of media. Awesome.

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by Constable Odo

Can I download videos from Apple using my Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm? Hell, no!

Which is why I have no desire to buy downloadable videos from ANY provider. I don't want to be stuck watching only on Apple hardware, or Sony hardware, or Microsoft hardware, etc.

Apple is making it harder and harder not to buy an iPhone. I don't care how much hardware the competitors are throwing at the iPhone, it's this type of flexibility that is going to keep the iPhone and iPod Touch platform at least one step ahead.

I don't know how you can call this flexibility. The only portable hardware that iTunes videos work on is Apple hardware. How exactly is that flexible?

I can certainly see some uses for that billion dollar server farm a couple of years down the road when it comes to using the 4G network. I can see Apple just having every newspaper, magazine, movie, TV show, book, and music company storing data on their servers and being able to summon it up on demand. What else could a facility that that size be used for except for archiving massive amounts of all types of media. Awesome.

Yippie, an Apple-controlled monopoly on media content. [sarcasm]What an exciting future.[/sarcasm] Locked into a company that controls both the hardware and software and then the media content. Please tell me how that would be a good thing?

[brucep]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

I guess video "steams" are caused by videos coming into close contact with hotspots.

Is that a red tube thing ?

[brucep]

Originally Posted by Constable Odo

Can I download videos from Apple using my Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm? Hell, no!

Apple is making it harder and harder not to buy an iPhone. I don't care how much hardware the competitors are throwing at the iPhone, it's this type of flexibility that is going to keep the iPhone and iPod Touch platform at least one step ahead.

I can certainly see some uses for that billion dollar server farm a couple of years down the road when it comes to using the 4G network. I can see Apple just having every newspaper, magazine, movie, TV show, book, and music company storing data on their servers and being able to summon it up on demand. What else could a facility that that size be used for except for archiving massive amounts of all types of media. Awesome.

archiving massive amounts .....
yes something wonderful is unfolding .
mega farms juicing nice white fluffy clouds.

[brucep]

Originally Posted by caliminius

Which is why I have no desire to buy downloadable videos from ANY provider. I don't want to be stuck watching only on Apple hardware, or Sony hardware, or Microsoft hardware, etc.



I don't know how you can call this flexibility. The only portable hardware that iTunes videos work on is Apple hardware. How exactly is that flexible?



Yippie, an Apple-controlled monopoly on media content. [sarcasm]What an exciting future.[/sarcasm] Locked into a company that controls both the hardware and software and then the media content. Please tell me how that would be a good thing?

Itunes is getting very large and it is growing even faster . So all your anti apple whines aside why should apple buy bandwidth from hp or google?
Why not own your own bandwidth ??

Apple controls no content at all.
Apple puts all the media file's from many places in one very cool location .

Apple makes a great machine for media playback and a great place to buy the media content from. And that is why they are so popular.


And if you want choice ? Fine
Buy a zune and DL from amazon or from Vernon music stores . There are many stores out there that sell music and movie's and there are dozens of mp3 players too . and i am sure DL podcasts from these places is a breeze .


Funny thing about the MS fan boys.They never see that dozens and dozens of p/c makers all using a single shabby OS . That my friend is a great lack of choice .

9

[phalanx]

Originally Posted by brucep

Funny thing about the MS fan boys.They never see that dozens and dozens of p/c makers all using a single shabby OS . That my friend is a great lack of choice .

So you prefer a business model that removes yet another choice (h/w). Brilliant logic!!!!!!

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by brucep

Funny thing about the MS fan boys.They never see that dozens and dozens of p/c makers all using a single shabby OS . That my friend is a great lack of choice.

The funny thing about Mac zealots is that the seem to lack basic English comprehension skills. Instead, anyone who dares say anything even remotely derogatory is immediately a "MS fanboy." I believe the last Microsoft product I purchased was a mouse and ironically it's the mouse that's now hooked up to my iMac because apparently Apple can't produce a decent mouse to save Steve Jobs' life.

Itunes is getting very large and it is growing even faster . So all your anti apple whines aside why should apple buy bandwidth from hp or google?
Why not own your own bandwidth ??

When did I say anything about bandwidth?

Apple controls no content at all.
Apple puts all the media file's from many places in one very cool location .

Fine, iTunes is a content distributor. Point is, I don't want Apple to be the only company I can buy content from. Simple enough for you? And if had bothered to actually understand my comments instead of flying instead of jumping into Apple Defense Force mode, I said I didn't like the idea whether it was Microsoft, Sony, Apple, Amazon or any other content distributor. I won't get behind ANY download service for video until the studios get off their butts and put together a common schema that all the particular download vendors can use.

Apple makes a great machine for media playback and a great place to buy the media content from. And that is why they are so popular.

And I never said otherwise. All I said is that I don't want to be locked into that ecosystem which is what ALL current video download services do, tie the purchaser to a very narrow ecosystem.

And if you want choice ? Fine
Buy a zune and DL from amazon or from Vernon music stores . There are many stores out there that sell music and movie's and there are dozens of mp3 players too . and i am sure DL podcasts from these places is a breeze .

I'm way ahead of you, bub. I never bought much DRM'ed music from iTunes (mostly it was to get the exclusive tracks) and besides some music videos (which don't have DRM), most of the TV shows I own were handed out for free by iTunes.

Please stop being an Apple zealot and actually read my comments next time...

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Constable Odo

Can I download videos from Apple using my Palm Pre or BlackBerry Storm? Hell, no!

Still can't download paid videos from Apple using Apple hardware, that hasn't been announced, so it's best not to count those eggs as having hatched. It's not an edge, yet.

I'd still like to know how much battery power and time it takes to download a 250MB 20 minute TV episode using an iPhone OS device.

Until it's announced and actually tried in practice, I suggest not getting too excited. People get themselves overly excited on an Apple rumor and turn angry when the rumor doesn't pan out the way they hoped, and they go blind to what does get announced.