Apple's iTunes Movie Store Hurdles - 2007?

MacRumors · Jun 21, 2006, 04:39 PM

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Businessweek provides some added commentary and color to the Apple negotiations with the movie industry to provide content for an iTunes Movie Store.

Beyond echoing statements that the pricing appears to be the main hurdle between Apple and the studios, Businessweek cites other Hollywood sources that the store was ready to be up and running within weeks, but the disagreement in terms may push it back into 2007.

Even if launched, the movie studios are said to be considering holding back their "hottest titles", which they want to sell for $19.99, above Jobs' $9.99 for-every-movie pricing.

Meanwhile, experts are still waiting for the killer consumer electronics hardware to stimulate digital movie sales. Interestingly, according to one Businessweek source, Steve Jobs "feels like there are few threats for consumers' electronics-related dollars for the remainder of the year". Rumor sites have long predicted a full-screen video iPod, with persistent hints of its imminent arrival.

DontBurnTheDayy · Jun 21, 2006, 04:42 PM

...at least get the Adults Only section up and running...

(justttt kidding)

soosy · Jun 21, 2006, 04:43 PM

An Apple DVR would certainly be the killer platform for an HD movie store. (yeah, I know, dreaming about the HD).

mgargan1 · Jun 21, 2006, 04:44 PM

$20 for a movie? I wouldn't pay for that. You don't get the DVD, or case...

$10 is a lot more reasonable. It's funny how greedy people are... they don't want their product stolen, yet they still want to charge an stupid price for it?

pilotgi · Jun 21, 2006, 04:44 PM

Seems like it's time for another "They're just being greedy" comment. $19.99 for a downloadable, digital copy instead of a physical dvd? That's crazy.

I would think people would just wait a few months until the newness wore off and the price went down.

DontBurnTheDayy · Jun 21, 2006, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotgi

Seems like it's time for another "They're just being greedy" comment. $19.99 for a downloadable, digital copy instead of a physical dvd? That's crazy.

I would think people would just wait a few months until the newness wore off and the price went down.

I agree. I think the most I would pay for a movie I really wanted would be about $12.99

sartinsauce · Jun 21, 2006, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgargan1

It's funny how greedy people are... they don't want their product stolen, yet they still want to charge an stupid price for it?

Yeah, and what they don't get yet is that if the offered the product for less money sales would go up and theft would go down. Look at the iTMS example; easy and inexpensive music downloads beats difficult and sketchy downloads and searches.

Whatever, what do I know, I'm just a programmed consumer.

Macnoviz · Jun 21, 2006, 04:51 PM

Maybe with an apple set-top-box that does to video what iPod did for music, the producers will have to agree on 10 dollar a movie. It's a fair price, and once one big company is, in the others will have to follow.

but 20 bugs for a non-physical movie ? Rubbish!

aricher · Jun 21, 2006, 04:51 PM

At least Apple will have plenty of time to work the kinks out of whatever dvr solution they have up their sleeve. I wonder how they're going to put their newly acquired ex-MCI communications building to use?

Tanglewood · 05:16 PM

I'd pay $20 for a new DVD because I'm also buying the packaging. $10 maybe but not $20 for a digital copy that I can only play on my computer and iPod.

EDIT - iTMS example for music.

Nelly Furtado's Loose came out on Tuesday.

List Price: $13.99
iTunes Price: $9.99
about a 30% difference in price

Syriana also came out on Tuesday

List Price: $20.90
suggested iTunes Price: $19.99
about a 5% difference in price
Price with 30% difference: $14.63

A dollar difference wouldn't sway me to buy it on iTunes over a widescreen DVD cut with extras.

azentropy · Jun 21, 2006, 04:53 PM

Don't know if this is related or not, but went to

http://www.apple.com/movies this AM and get a "Forbidden" message rather than a "Looking for something at Apple.com?" page...

treblah · Jun 21, 2006, 04:54 PM

The only way I'd pay $19.99 for a download is if it were DVD quality (video and audio) AND it was a same day release for downloads and theater.

If it were same day and I didn't have to put up the a-holes at the theater, I might even pay $29.99 for something like that. I would definitely pay $29.99 if I could burn it to a DVD (only once would be fine too).

Of course that is not going to happen anytime soon.

Jesus · Jun 21, 2006, 04:55 PM

Can wait, I just hope the rest of the world will be let in on this (TV shows cough cough)

m-dogg · Jun 21, 2006, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgargan1

$20 for a movie? I wouldn't pay for that. You don't get the DVD, or case...

$10 is a lot more reasonable. It's funny how greedy people are... they don't want their product stolen, yet they still want to charge an stupid price for it?

I agree. With music, I tend to buy the physical CD if I want the entire album. I usually only get one-off tracks through iTunes.

But with a movie, you can't do that. It's just going to be the whole movie. And at that point, I think you're better off going with the physical DVD...

RichP · Jun 21, 2006, 04:58 PM

Ill jump on the bandwagon too:

For $9.99, I would consider the ease, convenience, and legality of DL'ing a movie.
For $20, I much rather have a physical copy of it.
For a few dollars, I can rent the movie on netflix or at a local store, and, if I REALLY like it, and dont give a damn, rip a copy to my computer.

The thing about buying movies at such a high cost is that, honestly, how many times are you going to watch a movie? The entertainment-per-dollar of a 99 cent song is much higher than a 20 dollar movie; to me at least.

xfiftyfour · Jun 21, 2006, 04:58 PM

yeah, sorry. 20 bucks for a download? that isn't going to prevent piracy one bit...

Object-X · Jun 21, 2006, 04:59 PM

I don't care how much it is, if it isn't resolution suitable for my HDTV then it's a waste of money. If Apple only wants to charge $9.99 then that tells me movies will only work on an iPod. You can't even go full screen on your iMac with these movies without them being severly pixilated. So why bother? Give me a HD resolution file and let me stream it to my HDTV or convert it for my iPod, or burn my own DVD; I want control and I would pay full price for it.

Some_Big_Spoon · Jun 21, 2006, 05:02 PM

Price it too high and we'll bittorrent. I'm not advocating it, I'm stating fact. You make more in volume sales, and iTunes is proof of that.

Greed will get you in the end, hopefully, and there will always be ways around DRM. Always.

9.99 is high for me, but if you get a good copy, i.e. HD and nice enough to watch on a MacBook for example, then it's going to move.

Be afraid of Steve Jobs. Be very afraid.

Selax77 · Jun 21, 2006, 05:04 PM

Will the new ipod come out with this service or might it come out seperately? I am really hoping it comes out soon

Object-X · Jun 21, 2006, 05:07 PM

So read this:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060621-7105.html

This pretty much confirms that any movie downloads from Apple will be crappy resolution and only good for viewing on a small device. What Netflix is saying is what I wan't: viewing on demand with a download service.

This makes me think that Apple will start selling movies at low resolution to help selll some new video iPod and then later expand into an HDTV download subscription service. The Arstechnica article points out that because of licensing deals with the movie studios they will not be able to offer this type of service for several more years.

Guess I'll be renting my HD DVDs until then. Bummer.

mainstreetmark · Jun 21, 2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azentropy

Don't know if this is related or not, but went to

http://www.apple.com/movies this AM and get a "Forbidden" message rather than a "Looking for something at Apple.com?" page...

Well, well well.... that is interesting. The "movies" folder physically exists at Apple.com, just has no default page (index). Wonder if it's worth guessing a few common filenames and see if we get a hit.

jaxstate · Jun 21, 2006, 05:23 PM

How is this people being greedy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgargan1

$20 for a movie? I wouldn't pay for that. You don't get the DVD, or case...

$10 is a lot more reasonable. It's funny how greedy people are... they don't want their product stolen, yet they still want to charge an stupid price for it?

blueflame · Jun 21, 2006, 05:25 PM

I buy alot of DVDs, i go buy them used for around 5.99. this gives me the dd the packageing, and i can encode it myself to be used on an ipod. now, I understand paying a premium for having it alrady in ipod format, but this pricing is rediculous. many many dvds at best buy are 9.99. they should just include ipod formatted versions of the movie on the dvd, and they can have apple be the authorization scheme for it to run, as not to pirate, there is not a chance in hell I am going to pay 19.99 for an ipod 320.240 movie, not a chance.
andreas

jaxstate · Jun 21, 2006, 05:25 PM

You better go ahead and find a torrent site. You want a HD DVD transferred to you for less than 10 bucks. You have to be kiddin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Some_Big_Spoon

Price it too high and we'll bittorrent. I'm not advocating it, I'm stating fact. You make more in volume sales, and iTunes is proof of that.

Greed will get you in the end, hopefully, and there will always be ways around DRM. Always.

9.99 is high for me, but if you get a good copy, i.e. HD and nice enough to watch on a MacBook for example, then it's going to move.

Be afraid of Steve Jobs. Be very afraid.

jaxstate · Jun 21, 2006, 05:26 PM

There are many many DVDs at best buy that cost 19.99.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueflame

I buy alot of DVDs, i go buy them used for around 5.99. this gives me the dd the packageing, and i can encode it myself to be used on an ipod. now, I understand paying a premium for having it alrady in ipod format, but this pricing is rediculous. many many dvds at best buy are 9.99. they should just include ipod formatted versions of the movie on the dvd, and they can have apple be the authorization scheme for it to run, as not to pirate, there is not a chance in hell I am going to pay 19.99 for an ipod 320.240 movie, not a chance.
andreas

Jun 21, 2006, 04:39 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Apple's iTunes Movie Store Hurdles - 2007? http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif Businessweek provides some added commentary and color to the Apple negotiations with the movie industry to provide content for an iTunes Movie Store. Beyond echoing statements that the pricing appears to be the main hurdle between Apple and the studios, Businessweek cites other Hollywood sources that the store was ready to be up and running within weeks, but the disagreement in terms may push it back into 2007. Even if launched, the movie studios are said to be considering holding back their "hottest titles", which they want to sell for $19.99, above Jobs' $9.99 for-every-movie pricing. Meanwhile, experts are still waiting for the killer consumer electronics hardware to stimulate digital movie sales. Interestingly, according to one Businessweek source, Steve Jobs "feels like there are few threats for consumers' electronics-related dollars for the remainder of the year". Rumor sites have long predicted a full-screen video iPod, with persistent hints of its imminent arrival.

Jun 21, 2006, 04:42 PM	#2
DontBurnTheDayy macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Michigan	...at least get the Adults Only section up and running... (justttt kidding) __________________ Macbook Pro (rev. D) - 15"/1.83Duo/80/2GB/128

Jun 21, 2006, 04:44 PM	#5
pilotgi macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2002	Seems like it's time for another "They're just being greedy" comment. $19.99 for a downloadable, digital copy instead of a physical dvd? That's crazy. I would think people would just wait a few months until the newness wore off and the price went down. __________________ "It's my life and I'll do what I want. It's my mind and I'll think what I want." <Eric Burdon>

Jun 21, 2006, 04:51 PM	#8
Macnoviz macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roeselare, Belgium	Maybe with an apple set-top-box that does to video what iPod did for music, the producers will have to agree on 10 dollar a movie. It's a fair price, and once one big company is, in the others will have to follow. but 20 bugs for a non-physical movie ? Rubbish! __________________ De Kompagnie - coming soon

Jun 21, 2006, 04:53 PM	#10
Tanglewood macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: San Diego, CA	I'd pay $20 for a new DVD because I'm also buying the packaging. $10 maybe but not $20 for a digital copy that I can only play on my computer and iPod. EDIT - iTMS example for music. Nelly Furtado's Loose came out on Tuesday. List Price: $13.99 iTunes Price: $9.99 about a 30% difference in price Syriana also came out on Tuesday List Price: $20.90 suggested iTunes Price: $19.99 about a 5% difference in price Price with 30% difference: $14.63 A dollar difference wouldn't sway me to buy it on iTunes over a widescreen DVD cut with extras. __________________ *"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move."* Last edited by Tanglewood : Jun 21, 2006 at 05:16 PM.

Jun 21, 2006, 04:43 PM	#3
soosy macrumors regular Join Date: May 2002	An Apple DVR would certainly be the killer platform for an HD movie store. (yeah, I know, dreaming about the HD).

Jun 21, 2006, 04:44 PM	#4
mgargan1 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Reston, VA	$20 for a movie? I wouldn't pay for that. You don't get the DVD, or case... $10 is a lot more reasonable. It's funny how greedy people are... they don't want their product stolen, yet they still want to charge an stupid price for it?

Jun 21, 2006, 04:51 PM	#9
aricher macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Chi-il	At least Apple will have plenty of time to work the kinks out of whatever dvr solution they have up their sleeve. I wonder how they're going to put their newly acquired ex-MCI communications building to use?

Jun 21, 2006, 04:53 PM	#11
azentropy macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2002	Movies Don't know if this is related or not, but went to http://www.apple.com/movies this AM and get a "Forbidden" message rather than a "Looking for something at Apple.com?" page...

Jun 21, 2006, 04:54 PM	#12
treblah macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: 29403	The only way I'd pay $19.99 for a download is if it were DVD quality (video and audio) AND it was a same day release for downloads and theater. If it were same day and I didn't have to put up the a-holes at the theater, I might even pay $29.99 for something like that. I would definitely pay $29.99 if I could burn it to a DVD (only once would be fine too). Of course that is not going to happen anytime soon.

Jun 21, 2006, 04:55 PM	#13
Jesus macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: On a Higher Spiritual Plane known only to Gods and those who consume large quantities of hallucinogens	Can wait, I just hope the rest of the world will be let in on this (TV shows cough cough) __________________ µ

Jun 21, 2006, 04:58 PM	#15
RichP macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Motor City	Ill jump on the bandwagon too: For $9.99, I would consider the ease, convenience, and legality of DL'ing a movie. For $20, I much rather have a physical copy of it. For a few dollars, I can rent the movie on netflix or at a local store, and, if I REALLY like it, and dont give a damn, rip a copy to my computer. The thing about buying movies at such a high cost is that, honestly, how many times are you going to watch a movie? The entertainment-per-dollar of a 99 cent song is much higher than a 20 dollar movie; to me at least. __________________ "My ultimate vocation in life is to be an irritant" – Elvis Costello

Jun 21, 2006, 04:58 PM	#16
xfiftyfour macrumors 68030 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Clemson, SC	yeah, sorry. 20 bucks for a download? that isn't going to prevent piracy one bit...

Jun 21, 2006, 04:59 PM	#17
Object-X macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2004	iControl I don't care how much it is, if it isn't resolution suitable for my HDTV then it's a waste of money. If Apple only wants to charge $9.99 then that tells me movies will only work on an iPod. You can't even go full screen on your iMac with these movies without them being severly pixilated. So why bother? Give me a HD resolution file and let me stream it to my HDTV or convert it for my iPod, or burn my own DVD; I want control and I would pay full price for it.

Jun 21, 2006, 05:02 PM	#18
Some_Big_Spoon macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Seattle.. just plain ol' wet whitebread Seattle	Price it too high and we'll bittorrent. I'm not advocating it, I'm stating fact. You make more in volume sales, and iTunes is proof of that. Greed will get you in the end, hopefully, and there will always be ways around DRM. Always. 9.99 is high for me, but if you get a good copy, i.e. HD and nice enough to watch on a MacBook for example, then it's going to move. Be afraid of Steve Jobs. Be very afraid. __________________ My 12" PB 'sploded, just like this: KABLAM!

Jun 21, 2006, 05:04 PM	#19
Selax77 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2006	Will the new ipod come out with this service or might it come out seperately? I am really hoping it comes out soon

Jun 21, 2006, 05:07 PM	#20
Object-X macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2004	Update So read this: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060621-7105.html This pretty much confirms that any movie downloads from Apple will be crappy resolution and only good for viewing on a small device. What Netflix is saying is what I wan't: viewing on demand with a download service. This makes me think that Apple will start selling movies at low resolution to help selll some new video iPod and then later expand into an HDTV download subscription service. The Arstechnica article points out that because of licensing deals with the movie studios they will not be able to offer this type of service for several more years. Guess I'll be renting my HD DVDs until then. Bummer.

Jun 21, 2006, 05:25 PM	#23
blueflame macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Studio City	this entire thing is bull, even at 9.99 I buy alot of DVDs, i go buy them used for around 5.99. this gives me the dd the packageing, and i can encode it myself to be used on an ipod. now, I understand paying a premium for having it alrady in ipod format, but this pricing is rediculous. many many dvds at best buy are 9.99. they should just include ipod formatted versions of the movie on the dvd, and they can have apple be the authorization scheme for it to run, as not to pirate, there is not a chance in hell I am going to pay 19.99 for an ipod 320.240 movie, not a chance. andreas

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