Different Blu-ray players support different minimal versions of the BD-J, and the BD-J runtime results in significant hardware requirements (similar to a low end PC) which have priced Blu-Ray players out of the mainstream of the market.
My understanding of it is that you can only "share" amongst computers in your home who use the same iTunes account. So if your spouse and kids have their own, you still can't share amongst eachother.
This is the top reason I don't buy from iTunes, that authorized to play thing is just not for me. If I bought it, I am authorized.
Cars and houses are the only thing I would buy where I actually cared about resale value.
With digital media, you can't even give something away. You can't pawn it, you can't ebay it, you can't rummage it. You can't even borrow a book/CD/movie to or from a friend. Want to sell an old game console and bundle all of the games you bought to sweeten the deal? When digital media takes over, you won't be able to. Want to hand it down to a younger sibling or nephew? You won't even be able to do that. All of these limitations, coupled with the lower quality and equal pricing means digital media is only a win for the studios and the companies pedaling their content, like Apple.
With digital media, you can't even give something away. You can't pawn it, you can't ebay it, you can't rummage it. You can't even borrow a book/CD/movie to or from a friend. Want to sell an old game console and bundle all of the games you bought to sweeten the deal? When digital media takes over, you won't be able to. Want to hand it down to a younger sibling or nephew? You won't even be able to do that. All of these limitations, coupled with the lower quality and equal pricing means digital media is only a win for the studios and the companies pedaling their content, like Apple.
And yet, despite all that digital media keeps on growing and growing. While there is no single media that will appeal to everyone, you fail to see that convenience is important factor. By your calculations Hulu should have never had anyone watching it and iTunes should have never had real sales, much less being the #1 worldwide distributor of music. Convenience should never be ignored. There is a long list of “superior” technologies that have failed because they were more cumbersome and/or more costly than “lesser" technologies.
. . . I buy physical media because it lasts longer than computer hardware. For all you who say physical media is dead now...think again.
For all of you thinking that ALL Cds and DVDs last longer than computer hardware . . . think again. I have digital tapes from 12 years ago that still work. Zip cartridges from 15 years ago that still work. Etc., etc., etc. Heck, I even have a Mac FX that still cranks up. But I also have not-so savvy friends who have music CDs that are less than 7 years old that can't play worth a damn. You have to take in care, environment, maintenance, etc. It all depends. It all depends.
And yet, despite all that digital media keeps on growing and growing. While there is no single media that will appeal to everyone, you fail to see that convenience is important factor. By your calculations Hulu should have never had anyone watching it and iTunes should have never had real sales, much less being the #1 worldwide distributor of music. Convenience should never be ignored. There is a long list of “superior” technologies that have failed because they were more cumbersome and/or more costly than “lesser" technologies.
Hulu is free; if they started charging a subscription fee they'd disappear almost overnight. Digital distribution isn't bad for inexpensive things — like 99 cent songs — where consumers can cherry pick just the songs they want for a fraction of the price. Larger investments, like $10 albums or $20 movies, is another story altogether. We know iTunes is killing the album sale; hence the studios pressure to add LP features to sweeten the deal, and extras with movie purchases. I think Apple and the rest of the digital distributors are finding that for $10 - $20, consumers have a harder time feeling like they're getting their money's worth with a virtual copy.
Instant gratification might work for songs — again they are small and cheap — but given that you have to wait hours for your movie to download before you can watch it there's not much of an advantage; I can drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy that costs me the same. Add to that the fact that distribution rights/release windows limit any digital content provider from building an infinite library of movies the way Apple has with music, and you'll never see movies go the way of music.
I can drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy that costs me the same.
That just shows you that convenience is important to even you. I can purchase a video on iTunes, on Netflix streaming, or on Pay-Per-View and have them all start playing right away. If I had a such a slow internet connection to wit I could "drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy” then i would likely be going to the store to rent my movies instead of use these inferior in quality yet vastly faster (for me) options. Convenience is very important and you’ll see video increase year after year.
Hulu is free; if they started charging a subscription fee they'd disappear almost overnight. ...
Hulu is not free.
"Free with ads" is not "free." You are paying to watch the program by being forced to watch the ads.
It's also bit of a mis-characterisation to talk about "free" or "paid" when you are talking about ephemeral things like streamed content and broadcasts. One can never own anything Hulu puts out, you don't "have" anything in your hand or on your shelf at home.
I know this is part of the same argument you are making, but you can't really compare ownership of media with consumption of media streams. That's part of the reason why Jobs insists that people want to own their media, because being a smart guy, he wants to own his.
Even though ownership of digital media items is a somewhat lesser ownership than owning a physical copy, and even though owning a physical DVD or Cd is somewhat of a lesser ownership than owning older media like a book or film, it's still ownership of some kind.
For all of you thinking that ALL Cds and DVDs last longer than computer hardware . . . think again. I have digital tapes from 12 years ago that still work. Zip cartridges from 15 years ago that still work. Etc., etc., etc. Heck, I even have a Mac FX that still cranks up. But I also have not-so savvy friends who have music CDs that are less than 7 years old that can't play worth a damn. You have to take in care, environment, maintenance, etc. It all depends. It all depends.
well, your friends must have the worst CD etiquette on the planet then. My first CD (the 3" single of "One" by metallica) still plays and is flawlessly clean. It boggles my mind when i get rentals from blockbuster or Netflix that's all scratched up. which is one of the reasons why i stopped going to Blockbuster, netflix is way better about care with DVD's.
Out of the the 400+ CD's i own, i've had only to re-purchase one because it fell out of my bag and hit the concrete. The rest are flawless, and i'm not really all that careful. Plus, not that they are all safely downloaded on iTunes i have my entire collection in my pocket.
Studio CD's (from what i've read) are supposed to last up to 100 years. Way longer than any human needs and for Technology to trump it.
If a CD is out lasted by a piece of computer hardware, then you've got problems.
I'd love to buy all new movies as downloads but simply refuse to pay the same price as physical DVDs or Blu Rays, why should I?
They don't have to burn it to disc, seal it, ship it and pay shops commision, downloads should reflect this but they don't!
Amen. It's preposterous that the have same prices. Shipping burning mass producing and store costs with actual stock and clerks can't be equates to the same price digitally. I will pirate the heck out of them unless they do so. I got 3000 vinyl titles why should I repay them for content I own and no dload someone elses rip of the same title off the torrents?
Also, APple please give us an easy composer of .ite content off our own cd scans.
Otherwise this superb innovative feature, which to be honest should of been there already way back, will be a sham and just another way to triple buy the same music for a
That just shows you that convenience is important to even you. I can purchase a video on iTunes, on Netflix streaming, or on Pay-Per-View and have them all start playing right away. If I had a such a slow internet connection to wit I could "drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy” then i would likely be going to the store to rent my movies instead of use these inferior in quality yet vastly faster (for me) options.
Maybe I'm remembering it incorrectly, since I do not have a slow internet connection. Does the Apple TV have instant playback upon rental/purchase? The xBox's rental system required waiting until the movie had downloaded to a certain point; I tried both of them out briefly before signing up with Netflix.
Convenience is absolutely a factor, I don't disagree. But with the way the distribution rights work for movies, digital rental or purchase is not a one stop shop the way it is for music. The inability to rely on iTunes or your cable provider for all of your movie needs (you don't know what they'll have or if they'll still have it the next time you check) makes it an inconvenience compared to Netflix or Blockbuster, who will undoubtedly have the movie I want and in the highest quality available to date.
I rent from Netflix; it's cost effective and there's not a movie they don't have. Sure I can't have a movie instantly, but if I can't stay on top of managing my queue and mailing movies back I'm probably too busy to watch a movie anyway. I only buy the movies I want the most, and pick them up at the store on the way home the day of their release. Can't get a whole lot more convenient than that.
Now, if I knew I could rely on Apple to have the movie I wanted streamed to my television in Blu-Ray quality for a low monthly subscription fee, of course I would be all over that. But with the current pricing, quality and selection it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Comments
I bought Iron Man last year from iTunes, can I now upgrade it to the newer version with the extra features?
You can sell your copy on eBay and buy the Blu-ray version.
Different Blu-ray players support different minimal versions of the BD-J, and the BD-J runtime results in significant hardware requirements (similar to a low end PC) which have priced Blu-Ray players out of the mainstream of the market.
You mean, a bit like Apple's products?
You can sell your copy on eBay and buy the Blu-ray version.
Another flaw of digital media; absolutely zero resale value.
Another flaw of digital media; absolutely zero resale value.
Cars and houses are the only thing I would buy where I actually cared about resale value.
My understanding of it is that you can only "share" amongst computers in your home who use the same iTunes account. So if your spouse and kids have their own, you still can't share amongst eachother.
This is the top reason I don't buy from iTunes, that authorized to play thing is just not for me. If I bought it, I am authorized.
If I bought it, I am authorized.
Can I get an amen?
Cars and houses are the only thing I would buy where I actually cared about resale value.
With digital media, you can't even give something away. You can't pawn it, you can't ebay it, you can't rummage it. You can't even borrow a book/CD/movie to or from a friend. Want to sell an old game console and bundle all of the games you bought to sweeten the deal? When digital media takes over, you won't be able to. Want to hand it down to a younger sibling or nephew? You won't even be able to do that. All of these limitations, coupled with the lower quality and equal pricing means digital media is only a win for the studios and the companies pedaling their content, like Apple.
With digital media, you can't even give something away. You can't pawn it, you can't ebay it, you can't rummage it. You can't even borrow a book/CD/movie to or from a friend. Want to sell an old game console and bundle all of the games you bought to sweeten the deal? When digital media takes over, you won't be able to. Want to hand it down to a younger sibling or nephew? You won't even be able to do that. All of these limitations, coupled with the lower quality and equal pricing means digital media is only a win for the studios and the companies pedaling their content, like Apple.
And yet, despite all that digital media keeps on growing and growing. While there is no single media that will appeal to everyone, you fail to see that convenience is important factor. By your calculations Hulu should have never had anyone watching it and iTunes should have never had real sales, much less being the #1 worldwide distributor of music. Convenience should never be ignored. There is a long list of “superior” technologies that have failed because they were more cumbersome and/or more costly than “lesser" technologies.
I bought Iron Man last year from iTunes, can I now upgrade it to the newer version with the extra features?
my guess would be yes, considering they let us upgrade our music purchases for an additional fee, so i'd expect to see that.
. . . I buy physical media because it lasts longer than computer hardware. For all you who say physical media is dead now...think again.
For all of you thinking that ALL Cds and DVDs last longer than computer hardware . . . think again. I have digital tapes from 12 years ago that still work. Zip cartridges from 15 years ago that still work. Etc., etc., etc. Heck, I even have a Mac FX that still cranks up. But I also have not-so savvy friends who have music CDs that are less than 7 years old that can't play worth a damn. You have to take in care, environment, maintenance, etc. It all depends. It all depends.
When are they going to rival DVDs for price?
And yet, despite all that digital media keeps on growing and growing. While there is no single media that will appeal to everyone, you fail to see that convenience is important factor. By your calculations Hulu should have never had anyone watching it and iTunes should have never had real sales, much less being the #1 worldwide distributor of music. Convenience should never be ignored. There is a long list of “superior” technologies that have failed because they were more cumbersome and/or more costly than “lesser" technologies.
Hulu is free; if they started charging a subscription fee they'd disappear almost overnight. Digital distribution isn't bad for inexpensive things — like 99 cent songs — where consumers can cherry pick just the songs they want for a fraction of the price. Larger investments, like $10 albums or $20 movies, is another story altogether. We know iTunes is killing the album sale; hence the studios pressure to add LP features to sweeten the deal, and extras with movie purchases. I think Apple and the rest of the digital distributors are finding that for $10 - $20, consumers have a harder time feeling like they're getting their money's worth with a virtual copy.
Instant gratification might work for songs — again they are small and cheap — but given that you have to wait hours for your movie to download before you can watch it there's not much of an advantage; I can drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy that costs me the same. Add to that the fact that distribution rights/release windows limit any digital content provider from building an infinite library of movies the way Apple has with music, and you'll never see movies go the way of music.
I can drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy that costs me the same.
That just shows you that convenience is important to even you. I can purchase a video on iTunes, on Netflix streaming, or on Pay-Per-View and have them all start playing right away. If I had a such a slow internet connection to wit I could "drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy” then i would likely be going to the store to rent my movies instead of use these inferior in quality yet vastly faster (for me) options. Convenience is very important and you’ll see video increase year after year.
Hulu is free; if they started charging a subscription fee they'd disappear almost overnight. ...
Hulu is not free.
"Free with ads" is not "free." You are paying to watch the program by being forced to watch the ads.
It's also bit of a mis-characterisation to talk about "free" or "paid" when you are talking about ephemeral things like streamed content and broadcasts. One can never own anything Hulu puts out, you don't "have" anything in your hand or on your shelf at home.
I know this is part of the same argument you are making, but you can't really compare ownership of media with consumption of media streams. That's part of the reason why Jobs insists that people want to own their media, because being a smart guy, he wants to own his.
Even though ownership of digital media items is a somewhat lesser ownership than owning a physical copy, and even though owning a physical DVD or Cd is somewhat of a lesser ownership than owning older media like a book or film, it's still ownership of some kind.
For all of you thinking that ALL Cds and DVDs last longer than computer hardware . . . think again. I have digital tapes from 12 years ago that still work. Zip cartridges from 15 years ago that still work. Etc., etc., etc. Heck, I even have a Mac FX that still cranks up. But I also have not-so savvy friends who have music CDs that are less than 7 years old that can't play worth a damn. You have to take in care, environment, maintenance, etc. It all depends. It all depends.
well, your friends must have the worst CD etiquette on the planet then. My first CD (the 3" single of "One" by metallica) still plays and is flawlessly clean. It boggles my mind when i get rentals from blockbuster or Netflix that's all scratched up. which is one of the reasons why i stopped going to Blockbuster, netflix is way better about care with DVD's.
Out of the the 400+ CD's i own, i've had only to re-purchase one because it fell out of my bag and hit the concrete. The rest are flawless, and i'm not really all that careful. Plus, not that they are all safely downloaded on iTunes i have my entire collection in my pocket.
Studio CD's (from what i've read) are supposed to last up to 100 years. Way longer than any human needs and for Technology to trump it.
If a CD is out lasted by a piece of computer hardware, then you've got problems.
Wow, rivals DVDs with extras, awsome.
When are they going to rival DVDs for price?
More like when are they gonna rival DVDs in resolution?
You can sell your copy on eBay and buy the Blu-ray version.
You can sell your iTunes version? Who would buy that?
I'd love to buy all new movies as downloads but simply refuse to pay the same price as physical DVDs or Blu Rays, why should I?
They don't have to burn it to disc, seal it, ship it and pay shops commision, downloads should reflect this but they don't!
Amen. It's preposterous that the have same prices. Shipping burning mass producing and store costs with actual stock and clerks can't be equates to the same price digitally. I will pirate the heck out of them unless they do so. I got 3000 vinyl titles why should I repay them for content I own and no dload someone elses rip of the same title off the torrents?
Also, APple please give us an easy composer of .ite content off our own cd scans.
Otherwise this superb innovative feature, which to be honest should of been there already way back, will be a sham and just another way to triple buy the same music for a
us.
That just shows you that convenience is important to even you. I can purchase a video on iTunes, on Netflix streaming, or on Pay-Per-View and have them all start playing right away. If I had a such a slow internet connection to wit I could "drive to the store and buy a real copy faster than I can get to watching a crappy iTunes copy” then i would likely be going to the store to rent my movies instead of use these inferior in quality yet vastly faster (for me) options.
Maybe I'm remembering it incorrectly, since I do not have a slow internet connection. Does the Apple TV have instant playback upon rental/purchase? The xBox's rental system required waiting until the movie had downloaded to a certain point; I tried both of them out briefly before signing up with Netflix.
Convenience is absolutely a factor, I don't disagree. But with the way the distribution rights work for movies, digital rental or purchase is not a one stop shop the way it is for music. The inability to rely on iTunes or your cable provider for all of your movie needs (you don't know what they'll have or if they'll still have it the next time you check) makes it an inconvenience compared to Netflix or Blockbuster, who will undoubtedly have the movie I want and in the highest quality available to date.
I rent from Netflix; it's cost effective and there's not a movie they don't have. Sure I can't have a movie instantly, but if I can't stay on top of managing my queue and mailing movies back I'm probably too busy to watch a movie anyway. I only buy the movies I want the most, and pick them up at the store on the way home the day of their release. Can't get a whole lot more convenient than that.
Now, if I knew I could rely on Apple to have the movie I wanted streamed to my television in Blu-Ray quality for a low monthly subscription fee, of course I would be all over that. But with the current pricing, quality and selection it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.