Thanks for filling me in on Doctor Who being broadcast in SD. I'll fix it. And for the record, Top Gear is brilliant and one of my faves.
There is, as I'm sure you know a LOT of content on the iTunes store that is old and will never be in HD, but having access to, say old cartoons I grew up with is part of the draw, the fact that not much of it is as cheap, or cheaper than the DVD means it won't sell as well.
With the mindset of "Rip off Britain" blinding people (and there is evidence of it on this thread RE VAT) means that the internet savvy population in the UK order discs/media from THE cheapest source possible, and currently that means ordering your discs through an online retailer. (ok ok so the torrents are cheaper)
I don't think its Apples/Jobs goal to charge more for iTunes content, its to let more people have instant access to more content, bringing the power to the people.
"Hotel Babylon" has a single HD series available... actually scratch that, HAD, just checked and could have SWORN a few days ago it was there!!
whats going on?
Torchwood (series 2) and Robin Hood were made in HD as well.
there are (at a rough count) 420 HD movies on the UK store, from "XXX" to "12 Angry Men"
It is 720p at a kind of modest bitrate for the resolution, though sometimes it's better than cable or satellite, depending on circumstances. I think that qualifies as HD. Some companies are being overly broad with the HD term, it helps to take a look at what they mean. Sometimes it only means being better than the crap they had before. Sometimes 480p is called "HD".
FWIW, I think it looks very good. Granted, it's not as good as what I see on my HD DVDs (yeah, I'm one of them), but it does look great. To be frank, however, depending on the content, it's not always that much better than the SD content from iTunes. A bit more artifacting sometimes, but my primary reason for going with the HD content is the audio. HD content contains Dolby Digital encoding, while the SD content is pro-logic.
Meanwhile, popular BBC shows like Top Gear and are also still waiting for the HD treatment.
Top Gear, like Doctor Who, is not filmed in HD - apart from the Polar Challenge, which is the only Top Gear to date that has been filmed in high def.
EDIT: Dammit, Dave beat me to it.
That said, the Top Gear that's on iTunes is not as good as the original broadcast version, since the BBC doesn't have the license to use the incidental music they use for broadcast.
While it would be great if Apple could do that, the content providers are reluctant since they don't want to step on their international deals for rebroadcast and DVD sales. They still make a decent amount of money from those and don't want to undercut them by having something available on iTunes first.
The problem is not only that the content doesn't appear first on iTunes, it doesn't appear at all!
And the reason for this, I suspect, is that each territory requires a specific deal for each content collection, and there is a substantial bureaucratic overhead.
By automatic I do not necessarily mean simultaneous, though of course that would be best. What I mean is that one deal (contract) covers the planet, rather than multiple deals. This contract could include a sequencing clause.
The problem is not only that the content doesn't appear first on iTunes, it doesn't appear at all!
And the reason for this, I suspect, is that each territory requires a specific deal for each content collection, and there is a substantial bureaucratic overhead.
By automatic I do not necessarily mean simultaneous, though of course that would be best. What I mean is that one deal (contract) covers the planet, rather than multiple deals. This contract could include a sequencing clause.
It is not bureaucratic overhead.
The recording industry falls in part under the laws as dictated by the countries respective government communication agencies. For example, the USA has the FTC, Canada the CRTC and in the UK, the Ofcom. As such, no foreign company can simply sell into another, content, devices or programs without some formal abidance. In addition, and probably because of the variance between countries laws, basically every entertainment company is independent; at least from a managerial, financial and regulatory respect.
In most countries, radio and TV stations have a set maximum amount of foreign content that they are allowed to play. Countries have language laws "to protect their culture" from foreign invaders. In addition, the music you like may not necessarily be readily accepted by others and thus not worth the effort or resources to bring it to market.
Remember, that these companies whether producing, managing or distributing music, movies, tv shows etc., have other regulatory agencies to answer to re sales, business and income taxes, royalties, transportation, etc. And think about the issues re managing credit card transactions and foreign exchange rates. And then there is protectionism which virtually every country has laws for in one form or another.
Therefore, costs of doing business is not universal and is of such enormous variance that it dictates that a considerable degree of negotiation must be carried out before a store can be opened in any country.
Comments
Thanks for filling me in on Doctor Who being broadcast in SD. I'll fix it. And for the record, Top Gear is brilliant and one of my faves.
There is, as I'm sure you know a LOT of content on the iTunes store that is old and will never be in HD, but having access to, say old cartoons I grew up with is part of the draw, the fact that not much of it is as cheap, or cheaper than the DVD means it won't sell as well.
With the mindset of "Rip off Britain" blinding people (and there is evidence of it on this thread RE VAT) means that the internet savvy population in the UK order discs/media from THE cheapest source possible, and currently that means ordering your discs through an online retailer. (ok ok so the torrents are cheaper)
I don't think its Apples/Jobs goal to charge more for iTunes content, its to let more people have instant access to more content, bringing the power to the people.
"Hotel Babylon" has a single HD series available... actually scratch that, HAD, just checked and could have SWORN a few days ago it was there!!
whats going on?
Torchwood (series 2) and Robin Hood were made in HD as well.
there are (at a rough count) 420 HD movies on the UK store, from "XXX" to "12 Angry Men"
It is 720p at a kind of modest bitrate for the resolution, though sometimes it's better than cable or satellite, depending on circumstances. I think that qualifies as HD. Some companies are being overly broad with the HD term, it helps to take a look at what they mean. Sometimes it only means being better than the crap they had before. Sometimes 480p is called "HD".
FWIW, I think it looks very good. Granted, it's not as good as what I see on my HD DVDs (yeah, I'm one of them), but it does look great. To be frank, however, depending on the content, it's not always that much better than the SD content from iTunes. A bit more artifacting sometimes, but my primary reason for going with the HD content is the audio. HD content contains Dolby Digital encoding, while the SD content is pro-logic.
Thanks for filling me in on Doctor Who being broadcast in SD. I'll fix it. And for the record, Top Gear is brilliant and one of my faves.
It's also worth noting that other than a one-off special, Top Gear is not produced or aired in HD.
Meanwhile, popular BBC shows like Top Gear and are also still waiting for the HD treatment.
Top Gear, like Doctor Who, is not filmed in HD - apart from the Polar Challenge, which is the only Top Gear to date that has been filmed in high def.
EDIT: Dammit, Dave beat me to it.
That said, the Top Gear that's on iTunes is not as good as the original broadcast version, since the BBC doesn't have the license to use the incidental music they use for broadcast.
By my maths, using yesterday's exchange rate of 1.38265, the "premium" is more like 15.1%
Given that prices at the iTunes UK store include UK VAT of 15%, this seems entirely reasonable. Apple is charging exactly the same price as in the US.
My thoughts exactly; and I find myself very pleasantly surprised that we aren't paying a premium.
While it would be great if Apple could do that, the content providers are reluctant since they don't want to step on their international deals for rebroadcast and DVD sales. They still make a decent amount of money from those and don't want to undercut them by having something available on iTunes first.
The problem is not only that the content doesn't appear first on iTunes, it doesn't appear at all!
And the reason for this, I suspect, is that each territory requires a specific deal for each content collection, and there is a substantial bureaucratic overhead.
By automatic I do not necessarily mean simultaneous, though of course that would be best. What I mean is that one deal (contract) covers the planet, rather than multiple deals. This contract could include a sequencing clause.
The problem is not only that the content doesn't appear first on iTunes, it doesn't appear at all!
And the reason for this, I suspect, is that each territory requires a specific deal for each content collection, and there is a substantial bureaucratic overhead.
By automatic I do not necessarily mean simultaneous, though of course that would be best. What I mean is that one deal (contract) covers the planet, rather than multiple deals. This contract could include a sequencing clause.
It is not bureaucratic overhead.
The recording industry falls in part under the laws as dictated by the countries respective government communication agencies. For example, the USA has the FTC, Canada the CRTC and in the UK, the Ofcom. As such, no foreign company can simply sell into another, content, devices or programs without some formal abidance. In addition, and probably because of the variance between countries laws, basically every entertainment company is independent; at least from a managerial, financial and regulatory respect.
In most countries, radio and TV stations have a set maximum amount of foreign content that they are allowed to play. Countries have language laws "to protect their culture" from foreign invaders. In addition, the music you like may not necessarily be readily accepted by others and thus not worth the effort or resources to bring it to market.
Remember, that these companies whether producing, managing or distributing music, movies, tv shows etc., have other regulatory agencies to answer to re sales, business and income taxes, royalties, transportation, etc. And think about the issues re managing credit card transactions and foreign exchange rates. And then there is protectionism which virtually every country has laws for in one form or another.
Therefore, costs of doing business is not universal and is of such enormous variance that it dictates that a considerable degree of negotiation must be carried out before a store can be opened in any country.