Yes, I do stream HD from my server. Yes, I do rip bluray.
I didn't say I want to stream HD audio from the net. I want to stream it from my server. Which I do now to my HTPC.
I have little to no interest in internet content. I'm more interested in streaming from computers which the apple tv supports but is very limited on that support.
you (and all the readers here) have to understand that you are about 1/2 of 1% of the target market Apple TV is focused on. aTV is not meant for people like you, you will find a better solution for anything any company puts out. So your opinion is appreciated, but really minimal at best.
you know this reminds me very much of the first iPhone 2G. it had a few essential on-board apps. but otherwise Apple said 'use web apps'. that was ok (revolutionary for the times), but the iPhone didn't really take off sales-wise until the 3G came out with the app store and native apps a year later.
the ATV2 strikes me the same way. it's a great media extender for the iTunes ecosystem, which makes it ok. but it is not going to take off sales-wise either until it puts apps on your TV screen somehow. and just like the iPhone, games will lead the way.
maybe next year. iPad2 would be a place to start. with a more powerful processor - the A5? - it could mirror iPad apps/games running on its screen on your TV screen too via ATV2. AirPlay now does half of this job already.
You are absolutely right. CBS app, comedy central app, NFL app, NHL app, HBO app... they are all in the pipeline and wil be a gamechanger for TV as we know it.
I stream 1080p content to my WDTV Live all the time. As for Blu-rays, people have been ripping them for a while now.
I'm really getting tired of hearing this solution. ripping is a pain in the butt. No average person will sit there and rip blu-rays and Dvds through some 3rd party software and throw away the box.
I don't expect apple to do it, but i've been saying for years that forcing people to re-purchase (or now convinced to rent, over and over again) media we already own every time a format change occurs should be considered a crime. Sure we're stupid enough to re-buy all our movies in 3 different formats since home video began, but there must be a compromise. the formats (and codecs) are so vast and rapidly changing, that it's really starting to feel like a conspiracy to keep us buying. Something has to give, and the consumer should not be held captive by this system.
You are absolutely right. CBS app, comedy central app, NFL app, NHL app, HBO app... they are all in the pipeline and wil be a gamechanger for TV as we know it.
ugh, too many apps, should be integrated to a guide-like UI
Think: VAT. I did consumer electronics for an unrelated company, and we always had problems with pricing things in Europe vs. the US, Apple is hardly alone in this.
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
Personally, I think this device is pretty nice (now). For me, I was waiting on a device that could play my Netflix and access my home computer/iTunes. It does that now in spades and i'm finally going to get one. One feature people seem to glaze over is the "Computers" tab. It will recognize any device in your home network. That is really amazing! I think that feature alone is far more telling about the future of Apple TV.
A couple things would make this even better. One would be that it really needs to integrate WiFi as a hub itself rather than acting as another satellite, and I think it might be heading that way. If it could simply connect to your cable network or ISP source directly and act as the WiFI, Router and home network access center, they would get a lot more people buying them.
It's my same argument with the iPad, you STILL need a computer to work this device. Why not offer some connection or integration with Airport and Time capsule. Why not offer a Blu-ray super-drive as an accessory? Apple LOVES it's accessories. IMO, if these things happen, you'll really start to see a bigger following.
I have netflix and it has been the best subscription I've ever owned. The catalog of titles is what Blockbuster should have been by now. NF has just about any Movie, TV show you can imagine. We've rented BBC TV shows (every season in their entirety) from the 1960's and '70s. Obscure documentaries about Wizard Rock and Renown Architects from Basel Switzerland and many other standard titles. $8.99 gets you 3 rentals a month one disc at a time. Streaming is extra. We have streaming, 3 discs at a time, unlimited rentals per month and pay about $25 per month. Now to get the same from Apple would cost you probably as much as you pay in Cable and a DVR, if not much more. Here's an example. We have about 35 TV shows we have in the DVR queue. Each show records only new episodes. In an average month, we watch about 3-5 shows per day (not including news and sports) and about 21-35 shows per week. Do that math per month you get about $120-$150 a month in TV shows, not including shows that iTunes doesn't carry (like sports and 24hr new networks). So to me, the iTunes model is not worth it. They just package it better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2oh1
I wish it were also a router so I could buy it instead of an Airport Express. Still, at $99, this has me seriously thinking about dumping cable and getting a netflix account. How many movies a month could I watch via this box for an $8.99 a month Netflix plan? How good are the movies Netflix has available for streaming? The free movies that Comcast has on demand usually suck. They have hundreds available, but it's hard to find one worth watching.
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
People without cable are a tiny niche market. Apple does not serve tiny niche markets. Not anymore.
They aim straight for Mr. Average, but they are even more acute: They want Mr. Average who has extra bucks to spend, wants convenience, and is not inclined to check out cheaper or higher quality alternatives.
You are not the type of person Apple counts as a potential customer.
There are roughly 115 million households in the US. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, about 61 million households have some level of cable TV. So, you're saying close to 50% of the american population qualifies as a "tiny niche market"? Don't forget, for reference, Apple has about 150 million iTunes users registered. And regardless, I'm afraid you've missed the point...what percent of those 61 million cable TV subscribing households would love to get rid of that expense?
I personally have gone from $120/month for comcast standard digital cable (NO HD) and internet to $45/month for just HSI (Actually $19.99/month intro for 6 months). I was already paying for netflix ($8.99), and will continue to. Most of my viewing is movies and intelligent tv series from netflix, and occasional primetime network stuff. I will now be able to get all the major networks in HD for free OTA (since I don't have my coax taken up by a stupid comcast cable box) and the rare TV show I can't get from netflix, hulu, free download, or OTA, I might rent for 99 cents from Apple.
I'm not saying everyone is in the same boat as me, or even close, but there are _many_ compelling use cases for the AppleTV now. For instance, all you folks talking about using your PS3 or Xbox 360 for streaming...how does that compare to the _silent_ 6 watts (max) of the new AppleTV? Try doing some honest tco calculations including electricity. How about the tiny size? I have a love/hate relationship with my Roku, but the ability to take it on any kind of trip and still have great streaming content _on a TV_ is worth a lot once you try it. The new AppleTV appears to be even smaller than Roku.
Finally, I'm convinced Apple will provide an SDK at some point, leading to an app store. Yes, touch control is the big question...do you simply offer this feature for people with some iOS touch device? Apple is already allowing iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to act as a touch sensitive remote for controlling the UI...why not also for apps?
At $99 this is much more compelling than another Roku, considering how incredibly hit and miss Roku's software engineering seems to be. MLB.TV on the Roku is about as bad a service as I've ever seen. Class-action bad. And the UI on Roku is marginal at best.
I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't sell close to 10 million of these in the first year.
Since when was the exchange rate $1=£1? I know Apple always screw us over here in the UK, but this is a new low point.
Just be glad they didn't call it the iTV!! That would have alienated the UK entirely.
So - the price. Well, if you want to go away and work out what the import duty and VAT is on the Apple TV (and remember, it is OUR government that has instituted both) you'll see why there's such a disparity in price. VAT having gone up to 20% isn't really helping.
Like the revamped device and price point. I was looking forward to a cloud based service that I OWN the content I buy and stream it to the Apple TV when I want to watch it. I don't want to rent it, that's dumb.
1. Streaming music to my AirPort Express is so unreliable I now just plug my iPod into speakers, if it only streams this seems like a big risk to take (for me anyway)
2. Streaming requires the computer to actually be on which mine never is, which makes it a bit of a hassle to watch something you have. Quicker to go to the DVD rack
3. Rentals of new releases at £3.49 for new releases is only 50p less than sky. I would have to rent 198 films to pay back the cost of buying the box. Admittedly there's the whole collection of library titles as well, but still if the main feature was renting films then the price is far to high. You could have almost 2 years of DVD rental via post for that amount.
Apple and Jobs are not stupid. Why change the hardware of ATV to iTV? Steve said it: "Nobody owns the living room yet". Watch him: this is what he is gunning for. It is just the beginning...
1. iOS-centric device.
- Simple shared hardware for a very cheap ($99 is buy-on-whim price) but profitable (I bet cost is $60-80) device for every home TV. Underprices X-Box/PS3/Wii as a home console (NOT a game machine)...
- Same development platform for Apple and 3rd party, easy porting of 100,000's of apps,
- New device for new apps/widgets with a twist (eg. same game on iPhone, iPad, iMac and iTV with different scope/angle/level/multi players).
- TV presentation device for above with iPhone, iPod and iPad as joysticks/remotes/input/synch devices.
- Ping social site presentation device. iTunes? Just tip of the iceberg... Family/friends/strangers doing sharing/collaboration/discussions/recommendation of games/films/photos/music/document from iTunes/iLife/iWork/MobileMe cloud.
3. iTV v.2:
- No local storage today is a big minus. Apps/Photos/music I want local, films I stream on my ATV v1. But we do not know how much flash memory is inside for buffering/48hr playback of rented content... iSupply will tell. If not already 32Gb i bet you in 12 months a 32Gb, 64Gb and 120Gb solid-state iTV versions will appear for some local content.
Today this is a h/w shell with a potential. Next holidays season you will be limited to buying 2 per household and will wait 2 weeks to get one anyway... it will sell as fast as iPad or iPhone 5 and production will not keep up. And nobody will talk about h/w but the cool new app that lets you leave your family calendar/tasks/notes on the home TV from your iPhone, eg. real-time update of the family shopping list as you stop off at the petrol station on your way home...
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
No, VAT is increasing to 20%. You aren't taking in to account import duty, and US products are all sold excluding sales tax, which has to be added on top and varies between different states, but is generally about 10%.
Who cares about engadget.com feature comparisons. They're useless.
I use my @TV for AirPlay all the time, especially music (which you skipped), home movies (which you skipped), TV shows (which you skipped), and photos (perhaps you are single and have no family, but that's fine). I watch iTunes podcasts (especially network news, GPS w/FZ etc) all the time.
I own a Sony BD player w/wifi (I dare you to find it for $70), and it is an utter p.o.s. for anything involving the internet. The set-up is frustrating, non-intuitive and clunky. Forget about Pandora or YouTube, even Netflix is an utter pain to set up. And, the input scheme (e.g., entering search terms) is beyond pathetic.
Finally, you must be the only person in the world for whom BD rentals cost 99 cents or less.
You need to sharpen your reading comprehension skills. Why would I need to find a Sony BD player for $70? Why would BD rentals have to cost 99 cents or less to be competitive with Apple TV's pricing? Those comments make no sense.
It's great that you use Airplay to stream your music, home movies, tv shows and photos to your Apple TV; this product is obviously for you, and those features are unique to the Apple TV. As a means of consuming Hollywood movies and tv shows though, there are better options for the money. And I don't trust that your Sony Blu-Ray player is a good indicator of the user experience of other brands, including the LG that can be had for $30 more than the Apple TV.
For the occasional movie and tv show watchers who can't be bothered to tune in when the show airs for free on broadcast television in HD, the Apple TV is good. For people who watch full seasons of tv shows and a couple movies a month, you can't beat discs-by-mail or Redbox in terms of price, selection and quality. A blu-ray at Redbox costs $1.50, despite Redbox's cost to purchase the disc and pay someone to stock the machines, and is much better picture and sound quality. Why it costs $4.99 for a lower-quality stream that's virtually free of overhead makes no sense. And discs-by-mail makes barreling through seasons of tv shows dirt cheap; considering there's typically 6-8 episodes per disc, the cost becomes significantly less than 99 cents.
I'm really getting tired of hearing this solution. ripping is a pain in the butt. No average person will sit there and rip blu-rays and Dvds through some 3rd party software and throw away the box.
I don't expect apple to do it, but i've been saying for years that forcing people to re-purchase (or now convinced to rent, over and over again) media we already own every time a format change occurs should be considered a crime. Sure we're stupid enough to re-buy all our movies in 3 different formats since home video began, but there must be a compromise. the formats (and codecs) are so vast and rapidly changing, that it's really starting to feel like a conspiracy to keep us buying. Something has to give, and the consumer should not be held captive by this system.
Ripping isn't that hard. Typically only a few seconds of effort. The processing may take a while, depending on your hardware. Who cares? It's like worrying about how long a dishwasher takes.
I'm not sure why you consider DVD ripping unorthodox. Ripping content for fair use on the device of your choice was the whole original impetus behind iTunes. Why does it seem odd to you to extend that to video?
Comments
I know iTunes music no longer has DRM, so, you can play it on anyone's player, if I'm not mistaken. Not sure about movies or TV shows, though.
I do agree with you on the Apple TV.
iTunes video is infested with DRM. Only music is DRM free unfortunately.
Yes, I do stream HD from my server. Yes, I do rip bluray.
I didn't say I want to stream HD audio from the net. I want to stream it from my server. Which I do now to my HTPC.
I have little to no interest in internet content. I'm more interested in streaming from computers which the apple tv supports but is very limited on that support.
you (and all the readers here) have to understand that you are about 1/2 of 1% of the target market Apple TV is focused on. aTV is not meant for people like you, you will find a better solution for anything any company puts out. So your opinion is appreciated, but really minimal at best.
you know this reminds me very much of the first iPhone 2G. it had a few essential on-board apps. but otherwise Apple said 'use web apps'. that was ok (revolutionary for the times), but the iPhone didn't really take off sales-wise until the 3G came out with the app store and native apps a year later.
the ATV2 strikes me the same way. it's a great media extender for the iTunes ecosystem, which makes it ok. but it is not going to take off sales-wise either until it puts apps on your TV screen somehow. and just like the iPhone, games will lead the way.
maybe next year. iPad2 would be a place to start. with a more powerful processor - the A5? - it could mirror iPad apps/games running on its screen on your TV screen too via ATV2. AirPlay now does half of this job already.
You are absolutely right. CBS app, comedy central app, NFL app, NHL app, HBO app... they are all in the pipeline and wil be a gamechanger for TV as we know it.
I stream 1080p content to my WDTV Live all the time. As for Blu-rays, people have been ripping them for a while now.
I'm really getting tired of hearing this solution. ripping is a pain in the butt. No average person will sit there and rip blu-rays and Dvds through some 3rd party software and throw away the box.
I don't expect apple to do it, but i've been saying for years that forcing people to re-purchase (or now convinced to rent, over and over again) media we already own every time a format change occurs should be considered a crime. Sure we're stupid enough to re-buy all our movies in 3 different formats since home video began, but there must be a compromise. the formats (and codecs) are so vast and rapidly changing, that it's really starting to feel like a conspiracy to keep us buying. Something has to give, and the consumer should not be held captive by this system.
You are absolutely right. CBS app, comedy central app, NFL app, NHL app, HBO app... they are all in the pipeline and wil be a gamechanger for TV as we know it.
ugh, too many apps, should be integrated to a guide-like UI
Think: VAT. I did consumer electronics for an unrelated company, and we always had problems with pricing things in Europe vs. the US, Apple is hardly alone in this.
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
A couple things would make this even better. One would be that it really needs to integrate WiFi as a hub itself rather than acting as another satellite, and I think it might be heading that way. If it could simply connect to your cable network or ISP source directly and act as the WiFI, Router and home network access center, they would get a lot more people buying them.
It's my same argument with the iPad, you STILL need a computer to work this device. Why not offer some connection or integration with Airport and Time capsule. Why not offer a Blu-ray super-drive as an accessory? Apple LOVES it's accessories. IMO, if these things happen, you'll really start to see a bigger following.
ugh, too many apps, should be integrated to a guide-like UI
Not at all. These individual apps allow their own sub-cosystem within their domain and not being bound to a UI ala typical tv, but Apple enhanced.
I wish it were also a router so I could buy it instead of an Airport Express. Still, at $99, this has me seriously thinking about dumping cable and getting a netflix account. How many movies a month could I watch via this box for an $8.99 a month Netflix plan? How good are the movies Netflix has available for streaming? The free movies that Comcast has on demand usually suck. They have hundreds available, but it's hard to find one worth watching.
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
3rd party solutions gives VARs a reason to exist.
Not at all. These individual apps allow their own sub-cosystem within their domain and not being bound to a UI ala typical tv, but Apple enhanced.
If i'm going to watch TV, i want all my TV stuff in one convenient place, not strewn about in separate Apps., no thank you.
People without cable are a tiny niche market. Apple does not serve tiny niche markets. Not anymore.
They aim straight for Mr. Average, but they are even more acute: They want Mr. Average who has extra bucks to spend, wants convenience, and is not inclined to check out cheaper or higher quality alternatives.
You are not the type of person Apple counts as a potential customer.
There are roughly 115 million households in the US. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, about 61 million households have some level of cable TV. So, you're saying close to 50% of the american population qualifies as a "tiny niche market"? Don't forget, for reference, Apple has about 150 million iTunes users registered. And regardless, I'm afraid you've missed the point...what percent of those 61 million cable TV subscribing households would love to get rid of that expense?
I personally have gone from $120/month for comcast standard digital cable (NO HD) and internet to $45/month for just HSI (Actually $19.99/month intro for 6 months). I was already paying for netflix ($8.99), and will continue to. Most of my viewing is movies and intelligent tv series from netflix, and occasional primetime network stuff. I will now be able to get all the major networks in HD for free OTA (since I don't have my coax taken up by a stupid comcast cable box) and the rare TV show I can't get from netflix, hulu, free download, or OTA, I might rent for 99 cents from Apple.
I'm not saying everyone is in the same boat as me, or even close, but there are _many_ compelling use cases for the AppleTV now. For instance, all you folks talking about using your PS3 or Xbox 360 for streaming...how does that compare to the _silent_ 6 watts (max) of the new AppleTV? Try doing some honest tco calculations including electricity. How about the tiny size? I have a love/hate relationship with my Roku, but the ability to take it on any kind of trip and still have great streaming content _on a TV_ is worth a lot once you try it. The new AppleTV appears to be even smaller than Roku.
Finally, I'm convinced Apple will provide an SDK at some point, leading to an app store. Yes, touch control is the big question...do you simply offer this feature for people with some iOS touch device? Apple is already allowing iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to act as a touch sensitive remote for controlling the UI...why not also for apps?
At $99 this is much more compelling than another Roku, considering how incredibly hit and miss Roku's software engineering seems to be. MLB.TV on the Roku is about as bad a service as I've ever seen. Class-action bad. And the UI on Roku is marginal at best.
I'd be surprised if Apple doesn't sell close to 10 million of these in the first year.
Just saw the pricing too. US - $99. UK - £99.
Since when was the exchange rate $1=£1? I know Apple always screw us over here in the UK, but this is a new low point.
Just be glad they didn't call it the iTV!! That would have alienated the UK entirely.
So - the price. Well, if you want to go away and work out what the import duty and VAT is on the Apple TV (and remember, it is OUR government that has instituted both) you'll see why there's such a disparity in price. VAT having gone up to 20% isn't really helping.
1. Streaming music to my AirPort Express is so unreliable I now just plug my iPod into speakers, if it only streams this seems like a big risk to take (for me anyway)
2. Streaming requires the computer to actually be on which mine never is, which makes it a bit of a hassle to watch something you have. Quicker to go to the DVD rack
3. Rentals of new releases at £3.49 for new releases is only 50p less than sky. I would have to rent 198 films to pay back the cost of buying the box. Admittedly there's the whole collection of library titles as well, but still if the main feature was renting films then the price is far to high. You could have almost 2 years of DVD rental via post for that amount.
1. iOS-centric device.
- Simple shared hardware for a very cheap ($99 is buy-on-whim price) but profitable (I bet cost is $60-80) device for every home TV. Underprices X-Box/PS3/Wii as a home console (NOT a game machine)...
- Same development platform for Apple and 3rd party, easy porting of 100,000's of apps,
- New device for new apps/widgets with a twist (eg. same game on iPhone, iPad, iMac and iTV with different scope/angle/level/multi players).
2. Cloud based content from new Data Centre:
- iTunes (music, films, podcasts)
- iLife cloud (was expected in this Keynote)
- iPhone/iPad/iTV apps (game central)
- MobileMe apps (iCal, Mail, adress, docs/content)
- TV presentation device for above with iPhone, iPod and iPad as joysticks/remotes/input/synch devices.
- Ping social site presentation device. iTunes? Just tip of the iceberg... Family/friends/strangers doing sharing/collaboration/discussions/recommendation of games/films/photos/music/document from iTunes/iLife/iWork/MobileMe cloud.
3. iTV v.2:
- No local storage today is a big minus. Apps/Photos/music I want local, films I stream on my ATV v1. But we do not know how much flash memory is inside for buffering/48hr playback of rented content... iSupply will tell. If not already 32Gb i bet you in 12 months a 32Gb, 64Gb and 120Gb solid-state iTV versions will appear for some local content.
Today this is a h/w shell with a potential. Next holidays season you will be limited to buying 2 per household and will wait 2 weeks to get one anyway... it will sell as fast as iPad or iPhone 5 and production will not keep up. And nobody will talk about h/w but the cool new app that lets you leave your family calendar/tasks/notes on the home TV from your iPhone, eg. real-time update of the family shopping list as you stop off at the petrol station on your way home...
Think: The current exchange rate is £1:$1.55. VAT is 17.5% in the UK, not 55%.
Anyone notice a trend in companies not including a HDMI cable with their product though? Sony doesn't, Apple doesn't, a lot of other companies don't. Are HDMI cables really that expensive? The new Apple TV doesn't ship with any way to plug it into a TV!
No, VAT is increasing to 20%. You aren't taking in to account import duty, and US products are all sold excluding sales tax, which has to be added on top and varies between different states, but is generally about 10%.
What nonsense.
Who cares about engadget.com feature comparisons. They're useless.
I use my @TV for AirPlay all the time, especially music (which you skipped), home movies (which you skipped), TV shows (which you skipped), and photos (perhaps you are single and have no family, but that's fine). I watch iTunes podcasts (especially network news, GPS w/FZ etc) all the time.
I own a Sony BD player w/wifi (I dare you to find it for $70), and it is an utter p.o.s. for anything involving the internet. The set-up is frustrating, non-intuitive and clunky. Forget about Pandora or YouTube, even Netflix is an utter pain to set up. And, the input scheme (e.g., entering search terms) is beyond pathetic.
Finally, you must be the only person in the world for whom BD rentals cost 99 cents or less.
You need to sharpen your reading comprehension skills. Why would I need to find a Sony BD player for $70? Why would BD rentals have to cost 99 cents or less to be competitive with Apple TV's pricing? Those comments make no sense.
It's great that you use Airplay to stream your music, home movies, tv shows and photos to your Apple TV; this product is obviously for you, and those features are unique to the Apple TV. As a means of consuming Hollywood movies and tv shows though, there are better options for the money. And I don't trust that your Sony Blu-Ray player is a good indicator of the user experience of other brands, including the LG that can be had for $30 more than the Apple TV.
For the occasional movie and tv show watchers who can't be bothered to tune in when the show airs for free on broadcast television in HD, the Apple TV is good. For people who watch full seasons of tv shows and a couple movies a month, you can't beat discs-by-mail or Redbox in terms of price, selection and quality. A blu-ray at Redbox costs $1.50, despite Redbox's cost to purchase the disc and pay someone to stock the machines, and is much better picture and sound quality. Why it costs $4.99 for a lower-quality stream that's virtually free of overhead makes no sense. And discs-by-mail makes barreling through seasons of tv shows dirt cheap; considering there's typically 6-8 episodes per disc, the cost becomes significantly less than 99 cents.
I'm really getting tired of hearing this solution. ripping is a pain in the butt. No average person will sit there and rip blu-rays and Dvds through some 3rd party software and throw away the box.
I don't expect apple to do it, but i've been saying for years that forcing people to re-purchase (or now convinced to rent, over and over again) media we already own every time a format change occurs should be considered a crime. Sure we're stupid enough to re-buy all our movies in 3 different formats since home video began, but there must be a compromise. the formats (and codecs) are so vast and rapidly changing, that it's really starting to feel like a conspiracy to keep us buying. Something has to give, and the consumer should not be held captive by this system.
Ripping isn't that hard. Typically only a few seconds of effort. The processing may take a while, depending on your hardware. Who cares? It's like worrying about how long a dishwasher takes.
I'm not sure why you consider DVD ripping unorthodox. Ripping content for fair use on the device of your choice was the whole original impetus behind iTunes. Why does it seem odd to you to extend that to video?