A bunch of the new movies for the store, especially the kids movies, are not available for rent, nor have any date as to when they will be. Also, has others have stated, many movies have been pulled. I don't understand what is going on, but this is very annoying.
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Did Apple's Rental Deals Fall Apart
- Thread starter zedsdead
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Yea, this is Apple's biggest failure. They just can't seem to get and Keep quality content very long. Right now its not too big of a deal as other providers are in the same boat. But if apple really wants itunes and apple tv to be dominant in the future, they are going to have to start making some concessions to increase their content.
I've also never understood how you can Rent in HD, but only buy in SD. Why would anyone in their right mind buy a crappy, SD download? I'll just go to the local store, and buy a standard DVD and upconvert. I dunno, if your gonna offer HD, offer both to buy and rent.
They also need to start offering HD for TV shows where it actually matters (ie, not the office)...Channels like Discovery are the ones that really need the HD content.
Don't get me wrong, I love the apple tv I just bought. But a 3rd party hacker outfit (boxee) is the only reason. Without boxee, the apple tv is a waste.
I've also never understood how you can Rent in HD, but only buy in SD. Why would anyone in their right mind buy a crappy, SD download? I'll just go to the local store, and buy a standard DVD and upconvert. I dunno, if your gonna offer HD, offer both to buy and rent.
They also need to start offering HD for TV shows where it actually matters (ie, not the office)...Channels like Discovery are the ones that really need the HD content.
Don't get me wrong, I love the apple tv I just bought. But a 3rd party hacker outfit (boxee) is the only reason. Without boxee, the apple tv is a waste.
Some new release rentals either have two versions (e.g. normal and "unrated") where only one of them will be available for rent, while some pick up the "available for rent" date a bit after they go on sale. I have noticed the "available 30 days or less after they go on sale" promise being broken in a few cases, though.
I'm sure it's a big factor holding up the adoption of streaming content and it seems like the movie industry is failing to adapt to the future like the music industry did in the late nineties. They slap an annoying "You Wouldn't Steal a *blank*" message at the beginning of every DVD to discourage download piracy, but they don't provide a good enough legal alternative for a lot of people.
For me, I can cope; movies will still be new to me 30 days after they hit the local video store, but it's frustrating that the movie industry tries so hard to prevent me from giving them money.
I'm sure it's a big factor holding up the adoption of streaming content and it seems like the movie industry is failing to adapt to the future like the music industry did in the late nineties. They slap an annoying "You Wouldn't Steal a *blank*" message at the beginning of every DVD to discourage download piracy, but they don't provide a good enough legal alternative for a lot of people.
For me, I can cope; movies will still be new to me 30 days after they hit the local video store, but it's frustrating that the movie industry tries so hard to prevent me from giving them money.
Yeah I never understood why they don't sell HD movies. And I also don't understand why Pixar titles aren't available for rent right away. I want to rent WallE today. I'll have to hit Blockbuster and grab the Blu-Ray title instead.
Yeh that makes no sense... You'd think with Disney/Pixar, they'd want to lead by example and prove how well it works.
Additionally, I was thinking the other day, that I would happily pay $8 to rent a new release movie that is out in the theatres. Sometimes I just can't be bothered to leave the couch! Also, I bought one of the $5 movies really just to see what the quality is like and in my opinion it's better than watching a DVD on my 42" plasma. I'd still rather buy HD though, in large part due to the surround sound.
C'mon AppleTV, step it up!
When doesn't HD actually matter? The Office? I find my 30 minutes spent watching an episode of The Office far more satisfactory in HD.
Without Boxee it is a waste? I watch HD rented movies and HD TV shows all the time. Not the greatest selection on the planet, but hardly a waste.
That's the thing, with netflix now on xbox 360, having far more movie and tv downloads, apple tv is becoming a lot less attractive. Boxee is the only thing that is helping it right now. Also, you can now get a BR player for under 200 bucks, with a basic netflix account, and have access to far more HD movies and TV shows for less money.
Its hard to argue that Apple hasn't failed with movies and tv over itunes. It just ain't working like music did. I don't know if that's all apple's fault (most likely, more the studio's). But itunes has some serious competition now. They are starting the have the right idea with take 2, but the content just isn't there.
Competition is supposed to be a good thing, but I've never seen slower progress than in the area of digital downloads for movies and tv.
Ironically, you get a free "digital copy" with every purchase of the physical Wall-E DVD, plus all the special features.
I purchased the movie from iTunes as I'm lazy and have a baby daughter addicted to Pixar movies, but I feel kind of jipped not to get a free download of the freebie short starring Wall-E or anything like that.
Netflix has the quantity, but definately not the quality. The free movies are mostly old movies, cult classics, documentaries and such.
When do you think you'll be able to stream "Iron Man" from Netflix, eh?
I'm with you on the TV selection, though. Apple is really lacking there.
Netflix streaming works awesome as a supplement to the rentals. I just watched the first two seasons of 30 Rock in quality that was pretty much like a DVD. The streaming service is especially great in TV Shows, but I did see the Dewey Cox movie available for stream.
Meanwhile, I have 3 discs circulating between here and the Netflix center, very often Blu-ray Discs. At the rate I'm going, it's MUCH cheaper than HD rentals and I don't have any time restrictions if I start watching. I think Netflix has the best rental model going now, but everybody is going to need to add more streaming selection. I also don't mind watching ads on the network Web sites during streaming video if they would MIX THEM UP A BIT. I forget what I was watching, but I got the same exact (annoying) BlackBerry commercial 5 times. If you're going to pimp the BlackBerry at me, at least change it up.
Yeah, but you have to wait for the film to reach the top of your queue, wait for your current movies to arrive back at the warehouse, then wait for the new movie to arrive via snail mail.
There's nothing quite like sitting on your couch, pressing a button, then watching the movie a few seconds later. On-demand content is the future, and I do think Apple TV is best in that area right now.