How is it a horrendous deal? If I can skip cable and only rent the shows I want to watch, I guarantee you I'll be coming out ahead of someone who's subscribing to HD digital cable or satellite service with a HD PVR. And I get little to no repeat viewing out of the TV I watch, so why would I want to spend more just to archive data I don't want?
Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for anyone.
Personally, I've got over 25 season passes on my DVR. If we were to assume that each series is 15 episodes (to be conservative), we're talking about $375. Now, if that was all I watched, then $375 a year would be better than paying $960 a year for DirecTV. Unfortunately, that's not all I watch and there's plenty of other things I don't have season passes to that I do watch. Getting rid of DirecTV just wouldn't be a viable option and at that point, these $1 rentals just don't add up to a good deal. BTW, are HD rentals going to be $.99 as well or will they be more? If they're going to be $1.99 for example, then it starts to sound like even more of a bad deal.
Very few people at all have boxes that stream Netflix, let alone multiples. Early adopters forget that the vast majority of people still have no more than a cable box and dvd player, if that.
That said, I too find the Netflix addition puzzling but welcome.
Too often I have to tell my family, 'oops... guess ATV doesn't have that movie'. Latest was Bottle Shock. What I'm not sure of is whether Netflix is that much better. From what I understand, their streaming selection is equally crippled.
None of this is the fault of Apple or Netflix... its all on the providers who would rather go out of business than lose control.
Bottle Shock is available for streaming on the NetFlix app...
Some people want a subscription service, and some people won't. If you take Apple at their word that the whole iTunes and appStore architecture is primarily a driver for hardware, then why wouldn't apple provide a product which allows people to access content in whatever way works for them?
Doesn't the value proposition for the appleTV increase exponentially if you can get content from iTunes, Hulu+, Netflix, ABC app, etc., etc...?
Why do you think a NetFlix app would preclude the others-- they co-exist [to some extent] on the iPad?
Personally, I've got over 25 season passes on my DVR. If we were to assume that each series is 15 episodes (to be conservative), we're talking about $375. Now, if that was all I watched, then $375 a year would be better than paying $960 a year for DirecTV. Unfortunately, that's not all I watch and there's plenty of other things I don't have season passes to that I do watch. Getting ride of DirecTV just wouldn't be a viable option and at that point, these $1 rentals just don't add up to a good deal. BTW, are HD rentals going to be $.99 as well or will they be more? If they're going to be $1.99 for example, then it starts to sound like even more of a bad deal.
Sure. Your usage may vary depending on how much TV you watch. If you watch a lot, then a subscription service may be the way to go. But the blanket statement made above is just silly. I only have 5 shows I watch with any regularity right now. And I don't graze TV when I'm bored. So a pay per use model lets me only pay for the content I want, and watch it when I want to is great. And you know what, that's gonna cost me a LOT less than my current cable package.
I wish people wouldn't make their needs everyones needs. I don't need a truck, but I'm not pulling up beside everyone in a Ram and telling them they're stupid!
I just hope it's going to be "US only" all over again. Apple will never enter the living room "US only"... Time for all the industry to wake up to the reality that the rest of the world is also a market...
Why do you think a NetFlix app would preclude the others-- they co-exist [to some extent] on the iPad?
I don't. I think they can work well together. Perhaps a Hulu+ subscription and iTunes to fill in the gaps is all I need. Or maybe it's Netflix and ABC. Maybe someone never buys anything from iTunes. Apple still makes money on the hardware.
I don't. I think they can work well together. Perhaps a Hulu+ subscription and iTunes to fill in the gaps is all I need. Or maybe it's Netflix and ABC. Maybe someone never buys anything from iTunes. Apple still makes money on the hardware.
Sorry! My bad! I combined your post with the one you were quoting!
I don't get the Netflix tie in. Doesn't that ruin the iTunes movie rental model? Or maybe Apple is buying Netflix? Either way it doesn't yet make sense to me.
iTunes != Apple Profit Center
Hardware Sales = Apple Profit Center
Translation: Anything (almost) that will promote the sale of Apple Hardware is something Apple wants to embrace. There was a time when Apple NEEDED to grow the iTunes store but not so much any more... They have enough content now where this isn't a big deal and the cold shoulder they are getting from the studios tells them they aren't gonna expand the iTunes movie store anytime soon...
Also they may have steered clear of netflix and such as a nod to the studios that Apple was 1000% behind selling THEIR content... The assholes at the studios still drag their feet and offer pathetic stripped down versions of the movie catalogs AND are even worse when it comes to HD titles.... I think this is Apple officially saying FU to the studios, you don't wanna make money selling thru us then we'll fund other ways to offer our customers the content they desire. Well it's a nice thought anyway...
I just hope it's going to be "US only" all over again. Apple will never enter the living room "US only"... Time for all the industry to wake up to the reality that the rest of the world is also a market...
Sadly, let's look at the countries where the iPad and iPhone4 ISN'T launched yet. Yup. Quite a long list. This thing will be all about the US except for the iPod part... which will be somewhat related to the US iTunes Store anyways.
Luckily, I have my US iTunes Store account, can't live without it. And a local reliable supplier of US iTunes Store gift cards.
For the life of me I cannot figure out why this little nugget keeps getting repeated again and again as though it was actually something good.
99 cent TV show rentals my be cheaper than what they offer now, but it's still a horrendous deal. Anyone who avails themselves of the opportunity (unless it's some kind of dire emergency) is a fool.
We are talking about NEW shows here, so currently running season. This is not so bad for ads free new seasons shows.
Lots of old shows are already 99c per episodes if you buy the season. For example, 24 season 1 has a BUY price of 19.99 , which means less than 99c per episodes. So expect the rent price to be 50% off the buy price, so 9.99 which is less than 50 cents per episodes.
I STRONGLY doubt that the 1080p would be supported.
Most HDTV installed based is 720p only. Affordable 1080p is only 1 year old.
Also, unless you have a 55" screen (at 10ft) or are sitting 5 feet away from your TV (32"), 1080p has no added value over 720p (your eye can make out pixels, like on the iPhone 4 Retina Display at 1 feet).
At last, 1080p requires more memory and computing power than 720p.
You don't target screen sizes, you target devices : the iPhone/iTouch or the iPad.
The iPad happened to be able to load and display iPhone/iTouch apps.
I think the AppleTV will be a new device category.
Now, I STRONGLY doubt that the AppleTV would be able to load iPhone/iTouch and iPad apps.
1st, displaying those would be a nightmare.
You can't rotate your TV from landscape to portrait.
Also, a flat TV is 16/9 while iPad is 4/3 and iPhone is 3/2. iPad and iPhone are rather close while TV is much wider.
And most important, on touchscreen devices, you directly interact with the content displayed. You can't do that on a TV. You'll need a remote control and touch based UI won't work with that.
Why bother using iOS if you cant use apps? Oh sry just got it . you meant it would use ATV specific apps. Maybe, but I thought scaling was part of iOS 4.
However I have to disagree and say it's also silly to think that it "must" be a touch interface for the GUI. a remote could work just fine. That's like saying they'd never use OSX for the Apple TV because it needed a mouse and a keyboard.
...And most important, on touchscreen devices, you directly interact with the content displayed. You can't do that on a TV. You'll need a remote control and touch based UI won't work with that.
I'm not so sure about the assertion that a touch based UI won't work with content displayed on a large screen display. I've seen others tend to dismiss the 55" iPhone, or iPod Touch, or iPad. But, I stopped and thought about the idea of a touch interface working on a large display. I'm not suggesting how. I don't know how. Assuming one could do that, then the idea of a 55" iDevice started to sound interesting. And, who better than Apple to figure out how to do it.
Touch interface, wifi, iTV, content streaming, iOS, apps, etc. I get the feeling that Apple is about to kidnap your living room and you won't even notice.
Comments
How is it a horrendous deal? If I can skip cable and only rent the shows I want to watch, I guarantee you I'll be coming out ahead of someone who's subscribing to HD digital cable or satellite service with a HD PVR. And I get little to no repeat viewing out of the TV I watch, so why would I want to spend more just to archive data I don't want?
Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for anyone.
Personally, I've got over 25 season passes on my DVR. If we were to assume that each series is 15 episodes (to be conservative), we're talking about $375. Now, if that was all I watched, then $375 a year would be better than paying $960 a year for DirecTV. Unfortunately, that's not all I watch and there's plenty of other things I don't have season passes to that I do watch. Getting rid of DirecTV just wouldn't be a viable option and at that point, these $1 rentals just don't add up to a good deal. BTW, are HD rentals going to be $.99 as well or will they be more? If they're going to be $1.99 for example, then it starts to sound like even more of a bad deal.
Very few people at all have boxes that stream Netflix, let alone multiples. Early adopters forget that the vast majority of people still have no more than a cable box and dvd player, if that.
That said, I too find the Netflix addition puzzling but welcome.
Too often I have to tell my family, 'oops... guess ATV doesn't have that movie'. Latest was Bottle Shock. What I'm not sure of is whether Netflix is that much better. From what I understand, their streaming selection is equally crippled.
None of this is the fault of Apple or Netflix... its all on the providers who would rather go out of business than lose control.
Bottle Shock is available for streaming on the NetFlix app...
... there ya' go!
.
Some people want a subscription service, and some people won't. If you take Apple at their word that the whole iTunes and appStore architecture is primarily a driver for hardware, then why wouldn't apple provide a product which allows people to access content in whatever way works for them?
Doesn't the value proposition for the appleTV increase exponentially if you can get content from iTunes, Hulu+, Netflix, ABC app, etc., etc...?
Why do you think a NetFlix app would preclude the others-- they co-exist [to some extent] on the iPad?
.
Personally, I've got over 25 season passes on my DVR. If we were to assume that each series is 15 episodes (to be conservative), we're talking about $375. Now, if that was all I watched, then $375 a year would be better than paying $960 a year for DirecTV. Unfortunately, that's not all I watch and there's plenty of other things I don't have season passes to that I do watch. Getting ride of DirecTV just wouldn't be a viable option and at that point, these $1 rentals just don't add up to a good deal. BTW, are HD rentals going to be $.99 as well or will they be more? If they're going to be $1.99 for example, then it starts to sound like even more of a bad deal.
Sure. Your usage may vary depending on how much TV you watch. If you watch a lot, then a subscription service may be the way to go. But the blanket statement made above is just silly. I only have 5 shows I watch with any regularity right now. And I don't graze TV when I'm bored. So a pay per use model lets me only pay for the content I want, and watch it when I want to is great. And you know what, that's gonna cost me a LOT less than my current cable package.
I wish people wouldn't make their needs everyones needs. I don't need a truck, but I'm not pulling up beside everyone in a Ram and telling them they're stupid!
Why do you think a NetFlix app would preclude the others-- they co-exist [to some extent] on the iPad?
I don't. I think they can work well together. Perhaps a Hulu+ subscription and iTunes to fill in the gaps is all I need. Or maybe it's Netflix and ABC. Maybe someone never buys anything from iTunes. Apple still makes money on the hardware.
I don't. I think they can work well together. Perhaps a Hulu+ subscription and iTunes to fill in the gaps is all I need. Or maybe it's Netflix and ABC. Maybe someone never buys anything from iTunes. Apple still makes money on the hardware.
Sorry! My bad! I combined your post with the one you were quoting!
.
.
I don't get the Netflix tie in. Doesn't that ruin the iTunes movie rental model? Or maybe Apple is buying Netflix? Either way it doesn't yet make sense to me.
iTunes != Apple Profit Center
Hardware Sales = Apple Profit Center
Translation: Anything (almost) that will promote the sale of Apple Hardware is something Apple wants to embrace. There was a time when Apple NEEDED to grow the iTunes store but not so much any more... They have enough content now where this isn't a big deal and the cold shoulder they are getting from the studios tells them they aren't gonna expand the iTunes movie store anytime soon...
Also they may have steered clear of netflix and such as a nod to the studios that Apple was 1000% behind selling THEIR content... The assholes at the studios still drag their feet and offer pathetic stripped down versions of the movie catalogs AND are even worse when it comes to HD titles.... I think this is Apple officially saying FU to the studios, you don't wanna make money selling thru us then we'll fund other ways to offer our customers the content they desire. Well it's a nice thought anyway...
I just hope it's going to be "US only" all over again. Apple will never enter the living room "US only"... Time for all the industry to wake up to the reality that the rest of the world is also a market...
Sadly, let's look at the countries where the iPad and iPhone4 ISN'T launched yet. Yup. Quite a long list. This thing will be all about the US except for the iPod part... which will be somewhat related to the US iTunes Store anyways.
Luckily, I have my US iTunes Store account, can't live without it. And a local reliable supplier of US iTunes Store gift cards.
For the life of me I cannot figure out why this little nugget keeps getting repeated again and again as though it was actually something good.
99 cent TV show rentals my be cheaper than what they offer now, but it's still a horrendous deal. Anyone who avails themselves of the opportunity (unless it's some kind of dire emergency) is a fool.
We are talking about NEW shows here, so currently running season. This is not so bad for ads free new seasons shows.
Lots of old shows are already 99c per episodes if you buy the season. For example, 24 season 1 has a BUY price of 19.99 , which means less than 99c per episodes. So expect the rent price to be 50% off the buy price, so 9.99 which is less than 50 cents per episodes.
I STRONGLY doubt that the 1080p would be supported.
Most HDTV installed based is 720p only. Affordable 1080p is only 1 year old.
Also, unless you have a 55" screen (at 10ft) or are sitting 5 feet away from your TV (32"), 1080p has no added value over 720p (your eye can make out pixels, like on the iPhone 4 Retina Display at 1 feet).
At last, 1080p requires more memory and computing power than 720p.
You don't target screen sizes, you target devices : the iPhone/iTouch or the iPad.
The iPad happened to be able to load and display iPhone/iTouch apps.
I think the AppleTV will be a new device category.
Now, I STRONGLY doubt that the AppleTV would be able to load iPhone/iTouch and iPad apps.
1st, displaying those would be a nightmare.
You can't rotate your TV from landscape to portrait.
Also, a flat TV is 16/9 while iPad is 4/3 and iPhone is 3/2. iPad and iPhone are rather close while TV is much wider.
And most important, on touchscreen devices, you directly interact with the content displayed. You can't do that on a TV. You'll need a remote control and touch based UI won't work with that.
Why bother using iOS if you cant use apps? Oh sry just got it . you meant it would use ATV specific apps. Maybe, but I thought scaling was part of iOS 4.
However I have to disagree and say it's also silly to think that it "must" be a touch interface for the GUI. a remote could work just fine. That's like saying they'd never use OSX for the Apple TV because it needed a mouse and a keyboard.
"Apple reveals new ways to make huge amounts of money"
"Apple customers bizzarely think this is great news, ready to line up and make Steve Jobs even more wealthy at their own expense"
...And most important, on touchscreen devices, you directly interact with the content displayed. You can't do that on a TV. You'll need a remote control and touch based UI won't work with that.
I'm not so sure about the assertion that a touch based UI won't work with content displayed on a large screen display. I've seen others tend to dismiss the 55" iPhone, or iPod Touch, or iPad. But, I stopped and thought about the idea of a touch interface working on a large display. I'm not suggesting how. I don't know how. Assuming one could do that, then the idea of a 55" iDevice started to sound interesting. And, who better than Apple to figure out how to do it.
Touch interface, wifi, iTV, content streaming, iOS, apps, etc. I get the feeling that Apple is about to kidnap your living room and you won't even notice.
You'll need a remote control and touch based UI won't work with that.
but the new bluetooth trackpad would work great...
http://www.apple.com/appletv/
nice first post.
Interesting how they are bringing up streaming:
Go to:
http://www.apple.com
The guitar image is displayed in the lower left:
-- first - image only
-- second - image link for Mac only
-- third - image link for Mac and iPad only
-- third - image link for Mac, iPad and iPhone
All link to another "Event" page with image only!
.
Up oni Mac, iPad, iP4 iP 3GS
Edit: Oops... premature anticipation!
Now it's up!
.