iTunes Movie Releases Same Day as DVD Release

[MacRumors]

Apple announced today that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are now available for purchase on iTunes on the same day as their DVD release. The studios involved include 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

"We're thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios."

This is distinct from the Warner Brothers plan to release video-on-demand on the same day as DVD releases. In that case, "on demand" refers to iTunes rentals, while today's announcement encompasses actual purchased downloads ($9.99-$14.99).


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[Sverkel]

I don't get this?

They are saying that the movies that you can BUY on iTunes will be available the same day as the DVD release? Have it not been like that all the time or am I just missing something?

[yoman]

It moving in a positive direction. That is always good.

[TheSpecialist]

So what I understand is that you can buy the movies too now? That is great news!

P.S. I checked the U.S.A. store and some movies that where only available as rental are now available as a buy. Great news! As the news said, 9.99 for a library title and 14.99 for new titles.

P.P.S. Why can I only rent/buy The Matrix & The Matrix Revolutions and not The Matrix Reloaded???

[Eraserhead]

^^ Weird, only the first one is worth watching though.

[Sky Blue]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

So what I understand is that you can buy the movies too now?

you've always been able to buy movies.

[paddykev]

When will the UK get movie rentals, feels like I've been waiting a year already and still no sign

[TheSpecialist]

Originally Posted by Sky Blue

you've always been able to buy movies.

There are a lot of movies that only have the option to rent, not buy.

[speakerwizard]

studios signed up to rent are now signed up to sell, the releases for rent were staggered and the releases now are the same time as dvd, just to clear up. only disney (and subsidiaries) sold before

[PlaceofDis]

looking good. lets hope this sets up a new trend and works well for all involved.

[sishaw]

Originally Posted by Sverkel

I don't get this?

They are saying that the movies that you can BUY on iTunes will be available the same day as the DVD release? Have it not been like that all the time or am I just missing something?

No, there was a 30-day delay previously.

[zedsdead]

Are they finally using the new Anamorphic encoding that the rentals use or are the purchases still being crippeld in resolution due to the 5th gen iPod? iTunes also needs to embed surround sound in the purchases like it foes for the HD rentals.

[johnnyjibbs]

Good news. I'll be taking advantage of this... oh.

When is the UK going to get movie rentals?

[happydude]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

So what I understand is that you can buy the movies too now? That is great news!

P.S. I checked the U.S.A. store and some movies that where only available as rental are now available as a buy. Great news! As the news said, 9.99 for a library title and 14.99 for new titles.

P.P.S. Why can I only rent/buy The Matrix & The Matrix Revolutions and not The Matrix Reloaded???

probably because The Matrix Reloaded was such a disappointment and steve doesn't want it associated with itunes . . .

[dXTC]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

P.P.S. Why can I only rent/buy The Matrix & The Matrix Revolutions and not The Matrix Reloaded???

That's a real shame. In my (humble and insignificant) opinion, the freeway chase scene sequence in Reloaded is the tensest, most grip-the-chair-arm-till-your-knuckles-turn-white ten minutes in the entire trilogy. Link's expression at the end of that sequence is perfectly apropos.

However, I concede that the philosophy presented in the first one makes for a more "watchable" full-length experience. I have all three on DVD, and when I watch Reloaded, I often skip directly to the freeway scene (or occasionally to the "Army Of Smiths" fight).

Nevertheless, the omission of Reloaded is one that I feel should be corrected.

[David R]

Almost there, now have everyone match WB (rental same day as I can rent it from anyone else such as Netflix or Blockbuster) and I'd get an AppleTV.

This is the single reason why I haven't gone for one yet. Why buy an AppleTV to rent movies 30-days after their release when I can just rent them from Netflix as soon as they come out?

[fentor]

C'mon Apple pull your finger out and announce UK support for Movie rentals...and whilst your at it drop the extortionate price of the TV Shows...then maybe I'll get some use out of my AppleTV that I bought over a year ago (as it currently stands it's a glorified Digital Picture Frame)

[aLoC]

Once they get a decent back catalog it will be the beginning of the end for Blockbuster. No brick and mortar store can compete with a selection of thousands upon thousands of films.

I suppose brick and mortar video stores could become speciality, e.g. only Sci Fi with lots of really rare and hard to find films.

[The Grood]

Originally Posted by fentor

C'mon Apple pull your finger out and announce UK support for Movie rentals...and whilst your at it drop the extortionate price of the TV Shows...then maybe I'll get some use out of my AppleTV that I bought over a year ago (as it currently stands it's a glorified Digital Picture Frame)

Absolutely agree (only I haven't bought an ATV yet - what's the point?)

Apple people listen: your 2nd most important territory is getting very bored waiting for movie purchases and rentals.

You are not the only player in this market. Loyalty has its limits.

SORT IT OUT!

[Kilamite]

Originally Posted by paddykev

When will the UK get movie rentals, feels like I've been waiting a year already and still no sign

I know, it is really annoying!

Come on Apple, give us a wee gift!

[milo]

Great news.

Now they just need to get all movies available BOTH for sale and for rent. Selection is still not the best, have they hit their 1000 goal yet for rentals?

And they need to up quality for sale titles, makes no sense to not have the same audio and video quality on both sides.

And still no HD sales?

[Avatar74]

This is pretty much how I was anticipating this would go down...

Apple's in new territory once again. When they launched iTunes and iPod, no one was certain of the future of the internet distribution model. Even though it's been examined for years (I wrote a research paper on it for a marketing research class in college in 1996) nobody was ready to take it seriously until some numbers came in.

I think now the studios have had their minds changed gradually by a few things:

1. The emergence of iTunes as the dominant music retail outlet in the US.

2. The slow death of music retail chain giants such as Musicland Group in the wake of the internet revolution.

3. The proliferation of technological convergence devices such as iPhone, AppleTV, etc. which have made it horribly easy and addictive to purchase content online.

5. Independent content creation outlets like Youtube which filled the gap during the writer's strike, making broadcast networks and cable subscriptions not the only choice for visual entertainment in the home; the growth of which has also spuurred...

6. An explosion in consumer demand for broadband connections. This was previously overestimated in the 90's when there wasn't content to stimulate demand. Now that media are everywhere on the internet, broadband demand is rising at a rapid pace, and broadband bandwidth with it.


Since the HD rental model has seen some success, and there are actual figures behind iTunes to show how well rentals versus purchases work, NOW there's a basis for etching out an agreement with the studios... and Apple being the #1 music retailer surpassing even Wal-Mart, despite the industry's expectations that internet distribution would have only a small role to play in the future of distributed content, has shifted all the power into Apple's hands.

This is not unlike the way they've changed the game with iPhone... turning the smartphone business model on its head by developing a device compelling enough to take the playing field away from enterprise and into the far more saucy consumer market... Apple's turf.

[Slothapotamus]

Originally Posted by paddykev

When will the UK get movie rentals, feels like I've been waiting a year already and still no sign

Seconding this whine. I'm guessing the main problem is arranging a deal that suitably lines the pockets of the movie makers and distributors. And remember, everything in Britain always costs more than the US so be prepared to get ripped off royally. Engadget are saying the price for movies in the US will be $15 for new releases and $10 for catalogue titles. That's £7.60 and £5.07 respectively at the time of writing. Not bad actually seeing as you don't get a hard copy of the movie. I should think the UK prices will be something more like £10 for new releases and £7.50 for catalogue titles. Anything above this is a total rip off. I still remember when Apple used to charge us Brits 99p for songs while everyone else in Europe only paid 79p.

[Aaargh!]

Seems like for now I'll be watching the DVD screener instead of spending money on buying or renting the movie.

I would happily rent the movie on iTunes if it was posible and reasonably priced. The problems with the current system:

1) I can't watch movies purchased on iTunes on my TV, the Apple TV does not support the standard ways for getting video to a TV in europe: SCART and S-video.
2) There is no dutch movie store on iTunes, so I can't buy movies in the first place (but they DO sell the AppleTV which is quite useless without a movie store)
3) Movies are released WAY too late in the iTMS, they should be on the same day or before the theatrical release. (no, going to the cinema is not an option, picture quality sucks, audio quality sucks even more, no pause button, annoying people who talk during the movie, bad seats, etc)

[randyharris]

Now if the studios will allow us 48 hours (even 30 hours) instead of the current 24 to watch AppleTV rentals then I'd be very happy.