I doubt Apple would be able to offer up quick downloads any time soon.
But ordering a movie at 2PM while at work and having it downloaded to my AppleTV by 8PM would be better than NetFlix. They could also download overnight and you would still be getting "next day delivery"...still not to shabby.
What I would really prefer is a flat fee rental service like Netflix...$20, $30, $40 or $50 a month depending on how many movies you have checked out at a time. Let me queue them up in iTunes and have them download in the background at night. As soon as I return a movie, the next one in my queue starts downloading.
I agree, it's clear that a strong precedent for movie renting exists there and there is a well-established cultural acceptance of movie rentals.
While I might agree with this... how do you explain the enormous sell-thru of movies especially and specifically when 19.99 DVDs hit the store shelves (and places like amazon.com) there's no denying legal home movie ownership is WAY UP over what it was when VHS was sitting under the TV and people buying entire TV series is totally off the chart when compared to VHS.
Movie rentals would be most excellent, but if they could make tv show rentals at half price I would really be happy.
I have purchased seasons of shows before, which are great, but they take up a heck of a lot of space. I know I can just delete them to free up the space, but since I bought them, it feels strange to just wipe them off my disks. I have burned backups on dvd roms, but I doubt I will ever watch them again, and that gets old fast.
If I could, I would watch the shows for free on the network sites, but I am in Japan and my only choice to keep up with shows, is to buy from the US iTunes store. Another thing I would like to see more of at the iTunes store are made for tv movies and specials, both present and past.
Sure, $2.99 for the current quality would be good enough to make me an occasional user, mostly as a curiosity. $2.99 for true DVD quality would make me a regular. Of course, they'll need to figure out how the iPod fits into that equation. Right now the iPod's max size is 640 x 480 (more or less). If I want my purchased DVD-quality (720 x XXX) to also play on my iPod, they'll need to improve the iPod's capability.
Hmmm, are the rumors for the next iPod upgrade saying it's also coming this Fall?
I doubt Apple would be able to offer up quick downloads any time soon.
But ordering a movie at 2PM while at work and having it downloaded to my AppleTV by 8PM would be better than NetFlix. They could also download overnight and you would still be getting "next day delivery"...still not to shabby.
What I would really prefer is a flat fee rental service like Netflix...$20, $30, $40 or $50 a month depending on how many movies you have checked out at a time. Let me queue them up in iTunes and have them download in the background at night. As soon as I return a movie, the next one in my queue starts downloading.
No, I would much rather pay for what I'm getting.
There are times I have no interest at all in getting a movie. Why should I have to pay the fee then?
A rental service sure would make more sense of Job's declared intent of positioning Apple TV as a "DVD player for the internet age".
Bite the bullet once for the Apple TV box, thereafter enjoy on-line rentals and big screen viewing with the convenience of the Apple TV interface.
That's assuming, of course, that by the time they get rentals up and running they've managed to get things encoded at a decent res and bit rate. From what I've seen of current iTunes movie files and big screen TVs, I wouldn't pay a nickel.
While I might agree with this... how do you explain the enormous sell-thru of movies especially and specifically when 19.99 DVDs hit the store shelves (and places like amazon.com) there's no denying legal home movie ownership is WAY UP over what it was when VHS was sitting under the TV and people buying entire TV series is totally off the chart when compared to VHS.
Dave
FYI: Amazon.com is already renting movies for download to Tivo customers with broadband. I'm one of them and I hope to take advantage of it soon.
If Apple can add timed self destructing downloads for renting movies, that bodes well for them also doing TV shows like that too. That would solve the technology issues the BBC, ITV, Channel4 have at the moment here in the UK where they offer free downloads of TV shows that self destruct after 7/30 days.
ps. Apple, when are we going to get something other than Pixar shorts in Europe? And no, we don't want just Hollywood crap either.
Do all the above and then there's actually a point to AppleTV in Europe.
I do like the idea. At $US 3.00 ($AUD 5), it sounds OK. However, here in Australia, I pay $AUD70 ($US 58) per month for a 1.5Mbps which caps out at 12Gb (both download & upload is counted). That works out to $5.83 per Gigabyte after which the service is "shaped" (don't you just love the spin in that term) to 64kbps. THe whole idea of downloading movies is economically, out of the question here.
So, how does your ISP service differ where you are? It seems to me that if your data is counted, your out of the loop.
Urbanized areas of Australia's capitol cities can now connect to ADSL2. Upto 24Mbps (usually around 8 though) and 20 - 30 Gb / month for about the same money as I mentioned earlier. That still makes it $2.33 / Gb. Still too much!
I'd be happy with a "play count" lapse system. Say, 5 plays for $5, then gone.
I'd be interested to hear of your ISP plans from various countries though. I have a friend in Brasil, and they don't count their data, and thinks Australia is backward in this regard.
Someone will crack the DRM and take the time limit out. It's only a question of whether it will be weeks or months.
Does it really matter in the end if the time limit is removed? Afterall, they already have your $3. It's not like if you keep a physical video rental, where the store no longer has the disc and can't rent it out to others.
Trust me, this is probably the least of their worries.
Comments
RDF: after 30 days We return your movies for you, so you don't have to pay late fees.....
Windoze: after 30 days Our DRM destroys your downloaded content.
...or for those of you with slower connections... 28 days to download and 2 days to watch your favorite HD movies!
But ordering a movie at 2PM while at work and having it downloaded to my AppleTV by 8PM would be better than NetFlix. They could also download overnight and you would still be getting "next day delivery"...still not to shabby.
What I would really prefer is a flat fee rental service like Netflix...$20, $30, $40 or $50 a month depending on how many movies you have checked out at a time. Let me queue them up in iTunes and have them download in the background at night. As soon as I return a movie, the next one in my queue starts downloading.
I agree, it's clear that a strong precedent for movie renting exists there and there is a well-established cultural acceptance of movie rentals.
While I might agree with this... how do you explain the enormous sell-thru of movies especially and specifically when 19.99 DVDs hit the store shelves (and places like amazon.com) there's no denying legal home movie ownership is WAY UP over what it was when VHS was sitting under the TV and people buying entire TV series is totally off the chart when compared to VHS.
Dave
> If Apple can get video quality up and handle bandwidth issues [....]
Problem is, Apple doesn't do "bandwidth", only the DSL/cable ISP does.
So, at existing state-of-the-art 640x480 H.264 this is 1.6 Mbps or so, with "widescreen"
being a pitiful 640x360 vs. 720x480 anamorphic for DVD quality.
If Apple goes to "near HD", this would be 1280x720 at 24 fps or 960x540 at 30 fps,
which takes 3-5 Mbps using H.264.
Instant gratification of movie rentals, but over 768-1.5Mbps DSL? Oops.
Perhaps one would "rent" the movie by filling up an iPod at the Apple
retail store at a much higher data rate, or otherwise pick from a selection
invisibly downloaded to Apple TV in the dead of night.
Even Qwest ADSL at 7Mbps down /896Kbps up runs for only $36.95/month for life.
This 768-1.5 is old.
I have purchased seasons of shows before, which are great, but they take up a heck of a lot of space. I know I can just delete them to free up the space, but since I bought them, it feels strange to just wipe them off my disks. I have burned backups on dvd roms, but I doubt I will ever watch them again, and that gets old fast.
If I could, I would watch the shows for free on the network sites, but I am in Japan and my only choice to keep up with shows, is to buy from the US iTunes store. Another thing I would like to see more of at the iTunes store are made for tv movies and specials, both present and past.
Hmmm, are the rumors for the next iPod upgrade saying it's also coming this Fall?
Ireland is Steve Jobs... Steve Jobs is Ireland...... Ireland is a MAN!
What?
I doubt Apple would be able to offer up quick downloads any time soon.
But ordering a movie at 2PM while at work and having it downloaded to my AppleTV by 8PM would be better than NetFlix. They could also download overnight and you would still be getting "next day delivery"...still not to shabby.
What I would really prefer is a flat fee rental service like Netflix...$20, $30, $40 or $50 a month depending on how many movies you have checked out at a time. Let me queue them up in iTunes and have them download in the background at night. As soon as I return a movie, the next one in my queue starts downloading.
No, I would much rather pay for what I'm getting.
There are times I have no interest at all in getting a movie. Why should I have to pay the fee then?
What?
Semi-obscure movie reference (Ace Ventura)...
Semi-obscure movie reference (Ace Ventura)...
Thank God I've never seen them.
That's much more of an impulse buy than the full cost of owning a movie.
Bite the bullet once for the Apple TV box, thereafter enjoy on-line rentals and big screen viewing with the convenience of the Apple TV interface.
That's assuming, of course, that by the time they get rentals up and running they've managed to get things encoded at a decent res and bit rate. From what I've seen of current iTunes movie files and big screen TVs, I wouldn't pay a nickel.
Probably the same deal with movies.
While I might agree with this... how do you explain the enormous sell-thru of movies especially and specifically when 19.99 DVDs hit the store shelves (and places like amazon.com) there's no denying legal home movie ownership is WAY UP over what it was when VHS was sitting under the TV and people buying entire TV series is totally off the chart when compared to VHS.
Dave
FYI: Amazon.com is already renting movies for download to Tivo customers with broadband. I'm one of them and I hope to take advantage of it soon.
ps. Apple, when are we going to get something other than Pixar shorts in Europe? And no, we don't want just Hollywood crap either.
Do all the above and then there's actually a point to AppleTV in Europe.
So, how does your ISP service differ where you are? It seems to me that if your data is counted, your out of the loop.
Urbanized areas of Australia's capitol cities can now connect to ADSL2. Upto 24Mbps (usually around 8 though) and 20 - 30 Gb / month for about the same money as I mentioned earlier. That still makes it $2.33 / Gb. Still too much!
I'd be happy with a "play count" lapse system. Say, 5 plays for $5, then gone.
I'd be interested to hear of your ISP plans from various countries though. I have a friend in Brasil, and they don't count their data, and thinks Australia is backward in this regard.
Cheers
Semi-obscure movie reference (Ace Ventura)...
Ace was 'referencing' The Crying Game, another semi-obscure movie of yore (early 90s).
Someone will crack the DRM and take the time limit out. It's only a question of whether it will be weeks or months.
Does it really matter in the end if the time limit is removed? Afterall, they already have your $3. It's not like if you keep a physical video rental, where the store no longer has the disc and can't rent it out to others.
Trust me, this is probably the least of their worries.
Ireland is Steve Jobs... Steve Jobs is Ireland...... Ireland is a MAN!
Considering that Ireland is a MAN,
since we know that Ireland is an island,
does this mean that man is an island ?