Report: iTunes 9 to support DVD ripping, Facebook
A report filed by a tipster claiming access to iTunes 9 says that it is "possible" the next version of Apple's media player will sport both DVD import and playback as well as Facebook integration, allowing users to advertise songs and playlists with their friends.
The report and screenshots were published by the Boy Genius Report, which earlier in the month wrote that iTunes 9 is expected to allow organization of iPhone apps and iPod games and indicated some sort of social media integration was in the cards.
The latest report includes screen shots that depict a Facebook category in the iTunes Source list, allowing users to advertise new song titles and playlists in their Facebook profile. Also included is a screen shot of how advertised tracks would appear on Facebook.
BGR also presents a screen shot of iTunes 9 that suggests the capability to sync music, video, podcast, and photo content to third party device, a Samsung YH-J70xx MP3 player. Apple has previously only signaled a disinterest in supporting sync with third party devices, actively halting the Palm Pre's attempts to identify itself as an iPod.
More interesting are the depiction of buttons in the lower right that allow for DVD playback and import, suggesting that iTunes could do for DVDs what it got started doing for CDs. Were Apple to negotiate the right to rip DVDs, it would radically change the home movie industry in ways the industry has not demonstrated any interest in exploring. However, the addition of a "DVD Playback" button suggests that the screen shots are more likely to be fakes, as iTunes already has a playback button: "play."
The studios have worked hard to thwart any commercial attempts to enable users to rip their own DVDs, recently filing an injunction against RealNetwork's DVD Ripper software and even opposing a home theater installer from allowing users to rip their own DVDs for digital playback, despite the system not even producing an easy to distribute copy.
At Macworld Expo 2008, Apple announced having worked out a compromise with Twentieth Century Fox called Digital Copy for iTunes, which puts a mobile version of the movie on the DVD for use with iPods, the iPhone, Apple TV, and other media devices. Many new DVDs now include a Digital Copy of the movie, which doesn't require any media ripping steps (transcoding and compression); instead, it simply initiates an iTunes download using a code included with the DVD.
Ripping an entire DVD (which includes defeating its copy protection and transcoding) would require Apple to obtain a special exemption from the DVD Forum license, something that hasn't happened before. Similarly, the current DVD license also means that adding DVD playback to iTunes would require Apple to disable screen shots while the app was running, indicating that the screen shots of what appears to be iTunes playing a DVD would also need to be the product of a very relaxed DVD license or simply an outright fake.
Rumors also indicate Apple is gearing up to support Blu-ray playback, something that Apple has shown no interest in doing despite being an early member of the Blu-ray Disc Association and remaining one of its 19 board members. Blu-ray discs compete directly against Apple's preferred model of selling and promoting digital downloads.
While Blu-ray offers major advantages for high end users in terms of audio quality and video resolution, Apple primarily sells devices that don't really benefit from Blu-ray's higher resolution, prompting Apple to leave the new disc technology to HDTV makers like Sony and LG to push.
Apple is expected to release a new update to its iPod lineup in its September 9 event, which will likely also include an updated version of iTunes and possibly the long anticipated Apple TV 3.0 update adding support for HTTP Live Streaming, which has already shipped as part of iPhone 3.0 and will be part of the new QuickTime X in Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
The report and screenshots were published by the Boy Genius Report, which earlier in the month wrote that iTunes 9 is expected to allow organization of iPhone apps and iPod games and indicated some sort of social media integration was in the cards.
The latest report includes screen shots that depict a Facebook category in the iTunes Source list, allowing users to advertise new song titles and playlists in their Facebook profile. Also included is a screen shot of how advertised tracks would appear on Facebook.
BGR also presents a screen shot of iTunes 9 that suggests the capability to sync music, video, podcast, and photo content to third party device, a Samsung YH-J70xx MP3 player. Apple has previously only signaled a disinterest in supporting sync with third party devices, actively halting the Palm Pre's attempts to identify itself as an iPod.
More interesting are the depiction of buttons in the lower right that allow for DVD playback and import, suggesting that iTunes could do for DVDs what it got started doing for CDs. Were Apple to negotiate the right to rip DVDs, it would radically change the home movie industry in ways the industry has not demonstrated any interest in exploring. However, the addition of a "DVD Playback" button suggests that the screen shots are more likely to be fakes, as iTunes already has a playback button: "play."
The studios have worked hard to thwart any commercial attempts to enable users to rip their own DVDs, recently filing an injunction against RealNetwork's DVD Ripper software and even opposing a home theater installer from allowing users to rip their own DVDs for digital playback, despite the system not even producing an easy to distribute copy.
At Macworld Expo 2008, Apple announced having worked out a compromise with Twentieth Century Fox called Digital Copy for iTunes, which puts a mobile version of the movie on the DVD for use with iPods, the iPhone, Apple TV, and other media devices. Many new DVDs now include a Digital Copy of the movie, which doesn't require any media ripping steps (transcoding and compression); instead, it simply initiates an iTunes download using a code included with the DVD.
Ripping an entire DVD (which includes defeating its copy protection and transcoding) would require Apple to obtain a special exemption from the DVD Forum license, something that hasn't happened before. Similarly, the current DVD license also means that adding DVD playback to iTunes would require Apple to disable screen shots while the app was running, indicating that the screen shots of what appears to be iTunes playing a DVD would also need to be the product of a very relaxed DVD license or simply an outright fake.
Rumors also indicate Apple is gearing up to support Blu-ray playback, something that Apple has shown no interest in doing despite being an early member of the Blu-ray Disc Association and remaining one of its 19 board members. Blu-ray discs compete directly against Apple's preferred model of selling and promoting digital downloads.
While Blu-ray offers major advantages for high end users in terms of audio quality and video resolution, Apple primarily sells devices that don't really benefit from Blu-ray's higher resolution, prompting Apple to leave the new disc technology to HDTV makers like Sony and LG to push.
Apple is expected to release a new update to its iPod lineup in its September 9 event, which will likely also include an updated version of iTunes and possibly the long anticipated Apple TV 3.0 update adding support for HTTP Live Streaming, which has already shipped as part of iPhone 3.0 and will be part of the new QuickTime X in Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Comments
iTunes needs a lot of work. It's a mess for an app that is supposed to organize my media.
Facebook gains you buzz compliancy for jaded Tech Analysts but frankly the majority of people I want see want answers as to how to deal with centralized library and multiple libraries.
The BGR report is likely true though because it is depicts iTunes as a pretty underwhelming product in my eyes. Perhaps losing Tony Fadell wasn't such a great
idea because iTunes has seen such little growth IMO.
I think the best thing to happen has been music going DRM free. If Apple doesn't have a solution that I like by iTunes 10 I'm bouncing.
Yeah, I know I can do it right now with Handbrake etc. - but I would love to be able to do it through something as intuitive as iTunes.
I would be able to save so much space if I could bin the physical media and dump all the ripped files onto my Drobo.
DVD ripping? No way. Will not happen ever. Even CD ripping isn't legally clear-cut.
Importing DVD's and Blu-ray should be as simple as clicking an import button in iTunes. It would be great if Apple were to take a stand on video DRM like they did with audio. Since the government is in the RIAA/MPAA's back pocket, we can only hope that another large company chooses to look out for the consumer
The whole rent and rip arguement that I have heard so many times is stupid too. Rental DVD's do not have to be the same as retail DVD's. They could keep their encyrption and let the retail version be DRM free. Then Apple wouldn't have to break any (dumb) laws to import DVD's in iTunes as they wouldn't be cicumventing encryption.
Rename iTunes - it is no longer for music only.
If it didn't happen at this stage, it may never happen. Names don't have to make sense really, you just need to know what the name is referring to and you're good. In the end it's all just marketing.
Importing DVD's would be genuinely huge news. If it was really Apple-easy to do I'd start doing it. In the end, even if it's true or not, not having the right to rip a DVD you already own, to your own computer for personal use is ridiculous when you think about it. Not being able to RIP your own DVD is a crime if you ask me.
Macrumors is suggesting that the screenshots on which the rumors are based are fakes.
not a shock.
after what has happened with Palm, I can't see them letting someone else legally sync.
the whole court thing over RealDVD (or whatever it's called) makes the ripping unlikely
as for what I think is likely.
being able to easily share playlists and mixes to facebook etc (which would then have links to the itunes store to encourage purchases) I can believe.
dumping DVD Player as a stand alone and having the DVD playback in Itunes I can believe
organizing apps I can believe.
Rename iTunes - it is no longer for music only.
I am waiting for that also. 'Also given that iTunes is not longer just about music, we have renamed it iMedia.'
"Digital copy", including an iTunes-ready file on the DVD in addition to the regular DVD data, is not a great deal for video quality because you have two copies of the movie on the DVD which means the bitrates must be lower than if there was one. Unfortunately only videophiles and technical purists would whine about that, as proven by the market's indifference to "superbit" DVDs that eschew bonus features in favor of using the full disc capacity for the feature film at maximum quality.
Rename iTunes - it is no longer for music only.
DVD ripping? No way. Will not happen ever. Even CD ripping isn't legally clear-cut.
That's not exactly true anymore. In April 2009 in the UK, for example, a new law was introduced to allow people to RIP CD's for personal use. Mark my words the same will be done for DVD's one of these days.
"Digital copy", including an iTunes-ready file on the DVD in addition to the regular DVD data, is not a great deal for video quality because you have two copies of the movie on the DVD which means the bitrates must be lower than if there was one.
but that isn't what it is. Digital copy is done one of two ways
1. a second disk that has the device friendly version
2. a download code for itunes
the second is the more common
That's not exactly true anymore. In April 2009 in the UK, for example, a new law was introduced to allow people to RIP CD's for personal use.
that law has existed in the US for years. pretty much since things like ipods were first released. the way the law is written you are supposed to own the CD and if you trash it, sell it, give it away, you delete the digital copy (no one ever does). and no allowing others to just copy your digital copy. which of course many folks do.
Mark my words the same will be done for DVD's one of these days.
perhaps but not until the days that blu-ray is bigger than DVDs so who would want to pirate a DVD.
I am waiting for that also. 'Also given that iTunes is not longer just about music, we have renamed it iMedia.'
Do you know why that's never going to happen? Because that's a dumb name. Almost every replacement name people come up with for iTunes is not as good as iTunes, and most are retarded (iHub is a popular one which is equally stupid). Even if you got a name as good as iTunes, it wouldn't be good enough, because iTunes already has brand recognition. Brand recognition is worth a lot - it cuts down on marketing.
the only problem with that is that companies like blockbuster usually sell the rented movies. Plus, it has to be compatible with every DVD player currently on the market.
I'm assuming you were reffering to my comment about removing DRM from retail DVD's and Blu-ray disks, while potentially leaving it for rental versions of the disk. DVD players can play DVD's with or without encyrption, so compatibility wouldn't be a problem. Simplest example would be current dvd's with enycryption (which would become rental only) and home DVD burned with iDVD or something similar (which don't encrypt your disk). Both will play just fine in any modern DVD player.
I don't see a big problem with reselling rental DVD's either as long as it was very clear that they they had DRM and you would have trouble importing them through traditional means. My major concern is that you shouldn't be restricted on how you watch a movie that you purchased for full value. Obviously no DRM at all would be better.
I also agree that all this information seems false.
In the end, even if it's true or not, not having the right to rip a DVD you already own, to your own computer for personal use is ridiculous when you think about it. Not being able to RIP your own DVD is a crime if you ask me.
A crime? Pffft.
At least you can play a DVD in any other DVD player whereas not so with music purchased at iTunes.