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Apple Announces Release of HD Movie Sales and Rentals via iTunes

Undecided said:
It depends on your distance. See this analysis of size v. distance v. resolution.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this chart. It pretty much nails my feeling on this. I watch a 61" Samsung from about 15 feet and I can tell that 1080p is better, but 720p is more than enough for 90% of content.

I couldn't be happier that they are finally selling 720p movies. Sure I wish they were a bit cheaper, but I have a couple hundred DVD's that I never watch because they are stuffed away in boxes in a closet. I much prefer digital media and I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of quality for convenience and not storing hundreds of discs in some way.

I've had BluRay for over a year. I own maybe 6 movies in that format and I've watched each of them less than twice. Not really worth an additional $5-10 premium (I haven't gotten one for under $25 yet.) And any I have bought I bought with the digital copy included so I could transfer to my iPhone and AppleTV and I've watched those more than the actual disc.
 
MasterNile said:
This is how they show up in iTunes

Picture1-1.png


There are 2 different files on your computer, 1 for HD and 1 for SD, but there's only one entry on iTunes and you can pick if you want to watch HD or SD, if you sync the movie with an iPod or iPhone it automatically syncs the SD version
Click to expand...
Really cool! They need to expand that feature to other files, so I can "merge" a song and its music video (or other combinations) and choose the one I want to listen to / view.
 
Tallest Skil said:
Completely uninformed.

This only the first trumpet as the battle begins. iTunes downloads are the Riders of Rohan charging against the hordes of Sauron on the plain in front of Minas Tirith.

We are NOWHERE near being done with this war.

Super Hi-Vision will come out on disk format at about the same time as 1080p downloads become feasible in the United States.

Think Oliphaunts charging against the Riders after the Riders had beaten the snot out of the orcs (current disk 1080p offerings).

Downloads will NOT beat optical media until after 2020.
Click to expand...

That's not the point. See the thing is for 99% of Americans, a 720p HD quality movie is very good. What you get from iTunes that you will never get from disc media is convenience. Imagine you own an Apple TV, iPhone/iPod Touch and a computer (Mac or PC). Once you buy a movie, it's on all your devices. Take a laptop on a plane or iPhone on a plane. Watch it on your 70" TV at home. Watch it on your computer. It's awesome! Not only that, how easy is it to purchase. Just a click and you have it in minutes! Plus you can give it to family, provided that you use one of your 5 DRM authorizations. Lastly, think about how easy it is to play it. Just a click on a menu and you're there. No need to shuffle around with a rack full of DVDs! Can't do any of that with physical media!

Personally I love Blu-Ray but honestly I also have an Apple TV and there isn't that much of a difference. You almost have to view them back to back to notice. The HD on Apple TV is great and will satisfy 99% of the people out there. I definitely prefer Apple TV/iTunes HD any day!

Kan-O-Z
 
Does anyone know how big a Blu-ray movie is? As mentioned, these 3 GB "HD" movies offered on iTunes must have a terrible frame rate.
 
This is to the point!

Twighlight is not a thriller!!!!!
It is a love movie/chick flick!!!

Also you guys are complainig that a he new rrelease movie
Will cost 20$!? On the Canadien iTunes store 20$ is the base price
For SD!!!!!!!
 
544p - a new Apple "standard"

Cynicalone said:
Well I went to dinner and came back to find it had finished.
Click to expand...

Did you notice that the "Video Dimensions:" on that property page show that the video size is only 1280x544 pixels?

Has Apple managed to downsample 720p to something very close to 480i - and yet still has the cojones to claim that it is "HD" ????

attachment.php



This bit of news is great for Blu-ray - shows that downloading HD content is still one of the
310FTGS07TL._SS500_.jpg



(explanation of image)
 
caliguy said:
Right, I know how big the disks are, but do you know how big the movie itself is?
Click to expand...

What do you mean? The movie file? It depends. A direct rip of contents can be anywhere from the full size of a single-layer disk to the full size of a dual-layer disk.

I have a 1080p MPEG-4 ripped copy of The Dark Knight coming in at just under four gigabytes.

"The quality must suck!" :eek: No. It looks magnificent. Just as good as any of my HD DVDs on my HDTV.

I don't know what Apple is doing with their movies, other than the fact that they are TERRIBLE at getting filesizes down.

Apple is using 720p... compressed... and they're nudging the filesize of my 1080p rips that look good like tanj.
 
TuffLuffJimmy said:
that's practically the price of a bluray...

... Why would you pay for a hi-def download when you could get a better quality DVD?
Click to expand...

Me. Why would I want to buy a BluRay DVD Player, have yet another box, have to handle all the DVD media and store them, have to break the copy protection and rip the DVD if I want to watch on my iPhone... when I can instantly buy a downloaded copy from iTunes to watch everywhere and not have any physical media or DVD player?
 
AidenShaw said:
Did you notice that the "Video Dimensions:" on that property page show that the video size is only 1280x544 pixels?

Has Apple managed to downsample 720p to something very close to 480i - and yet still has the cojones to claim that it is "HD" ????
Click to expand...

1280:544 = 2.35:1

Looks like rather than include the black borders in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (cinemascope), Apple has cropped the image to 1280x544.
 
AidenShaw said:
Did you notice that the "Video Dimensions:" on that capture is 1280x544 pixels?

Has Apple managed to downsample 720p to something very close to 480i - and yet still has the cojones to claim that it is "HD" ????
Click to expand...
That's not downsampled. 720P defines a resolution of 1280x720, but only for material that is using a 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio. Movies use a range of aspect ratios, 1280x544 is consistent with a 2.35:1 ratio movie.
 
AidenShaw said:
Did you notice that the "Video Dimensions:" on that property page show that the video size is only 1280x544 pixels?

Has Apple managed to downsample 720p to something very close to 480i - and yet still has the cojones to claim that it is "HD" ????
Click to expand...

No, the second figure represents the actual lines for the film, which depends on the dimensions. The more widescreen it is, the lower that figure will be. There's no point in Apple sending you the black bars that would appear at the top and bottom if it were sending you full 1280x720 frames.
 
Great. Now how about they start offering any Movie or TV content at all in the Ireland iTunes store?

Irish TV channels have no problem securing same-week screenings of the big US TV shows, because with only 4 million people living here, the viewing audience is tiny even compared to our neighbours in the UK. How hard can it be for Apple to secure similar deals?
 
I opened the file in Quicktime and it plays at a constant 24 fps. Video quality wise looks the same as any HD TV Show on the iTunes store. If you want a sample of that there are a few shows in HD available for download for free from the iTunes store.
 
Abercrombieboy said:
Right now I have a 2 at a time plan from Netflix. I pay $14.99 a month. I usually watch about 8-10 Blu-rays or DVDs a month. I also use their free streaming service to watch a few things.

If I was renting from Apple I would be paying more like $50+ a month. Not to mention that Netflix has an AWESOME selection.
Click to expand...

I'm right with you there!
When waiting one day more from Netflix gets you much higher resolution and better sound and sometimes extras all for less money.
I'll personally wait the extra day thanks. But it's nice to have a choice for those who don't care about the quality or price. :rolleyes:
 
I agree that netflix is a better option for renting. At least for the cost anyway. But if Apple sold a monthly rental pass for a reasonable cost i would be interested.

Movies I would rather rent. I'd buy or rip what I have, but just the thought of keeping up with disk space and keeping it backed up is too much. Our collection of DVDs has gotten up to 450 for movies. Then add 300 more for TV shows.

Apple should let you redownload purchased movies whenever you like. That way it takes the disk space issue out of the equation.
 
Would you buy a 1 or 2 MegaPixel Digital SLR - or even a 1 Mpixel camera phone?

Tilpots said:
You add a lot to these forums, but you're way off base on these Super-Hi Vision claims.
Click to expand...

720p is 0.92 Mpixel.

1080p is 2.1 MPixel.

I don't know if Tallest is really that far off base.

Even though Blu-ray is the best consumer digital format out there, it actually has less resolution than many cellphone cameras, and is laughable compared to most point-n-shoots.

My BD home system is OK (52" XBR-6), but if you're close to the screen even the best BD movies are pixelated. You need that couple of metres distance from the screen.

I think that we'll be seeing a higher resolution format sooner rather than later (and clearly BD is the leading contender for supplying the bits). Whether it's 4K or SHV I won't predict - but 2 Mpixel will be displaced sooner than we might expect.

Note that a 1 TB BD disk would easily have room for a 1080p cut in addition to the 4K/SHV feature - so there's a real opportunity for a new high res format to come out on media that's compatible with the old 1080p stuff.
 
GeekLawyer said:
1280:544 = 2.35:1

Looks like rather than include the black borders in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio (cinemascope), Apple has cropped the image to 1280x544.
Click to expand...

ViRGE said:
That's not downsampled. 720P defines a resolution of 1280x720, but only for material that is using a 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio. Movies use a range of aspect ratios, 1280x544 is consistent with a 2.35:1 ratio movie.
Click to expand...

Undecided said:
No, the second figure represents the actual lines for the film, which depends on the dimensions. The more widescreen it is, the lower that figure will be. There's no point in Apple sending you the black bars that would appear at the top and bottom if it were sending you full 1280x720 frames.
Click to expand...

Good, you all passed the test ;) .

Still sad, though, to pay "HD" prices for a 700 Kpixel movie...
 
AidenShaw said:
720p is 0.92 Mpixel.

1080p is 2.1 MPixel.

I don't know if Tallest is really that far off base.

Even though Blu-ray is the best consumer digital format out there, it actually has less resolution than many cellphone cameras, and is laughable compared to most point-n-shoots.

My BD home system is OK (52" XBR-6), but if you're close to the screen even the best BD movies are pixelated. You need that couple of metres distance from the screen.

I think that we'll be seeing a higher resolution format sooner rather than later (and clearly BD is the leading contender for supplying the bits). Whether it's 4K or SHV I won't predict - but 2 Mpixel will be displaced sooner than we might expect.

Note that a 1 TB BD disk would easily have room for a 1080p cut in addition to the 4K/SHV feature - so there's a real opportunity for a new high res format to come out on media that's compatible with the old 1080p stuff.
Click to expand...

So where are you going to fit the 600in TV? I guess houses will be 15-16 times bigger by 2015!:p
 
AidenShaw said:
720p is 0.92 Mpixel.

1080p is 2.1 MPixel.

I don't know if Tallest is really that far off base.

Even though Blu-ray is the best consumer digital format out there, it actually has less resolution than many cellphone cameras, and is laughable compared to most point-n-shoots.

My BD home system is OK (52" XBR-6), but if you're close to the screen even the best BD movies are pixelated. You need that couple of metres distance from the screen.

I think that we'll be seeing a higher resolution format sooner rather than later (and clearly BD is the leading contender for supplying the bits). Whether it's 4K or SHV I won't predict - but 2 Mpixel will be displaced sooner than we might expect.

Note that a 1 TB BD disk would easily have room for a 1080p cut in addition to the 4K/SHV feature - so there's a real opportunity for a new high res format to come out on media that's compatible with the old 1080p stuff.
Click to expand...

It is sad how much confusion and or ignorance surrounds the whole high resolution issue. But your post was spot on...mahalo!

Meanwhile as someone else said, what this boils down to is an very compressed 720p image at a rather high price. Convenience costs!
 
Samurai said:
Me. Why would I want to buy a BluRay DVD Player, have yet another box, have to handle all the DVD media and store them, have to break the copy protection and rip the DVD if I want to watch on my iPhone... when I can instantly buy a downloaded copy from iTunes to watch everywhere and not have any physical media or DVD player?
Click to expand...

well, it all depends on how much you care. Its not very easy for most people to rip blu-rays, maybe not most people on these forums, but just most people in general. The real point is the quality, and for people who have 1080p TVs and projects and more high end setups you do notice the difference and this just doesn't really cut it. Don't mistake the iTunes HD for any physical format HD. But for the record, I don't mind it as much, though I wouldn't ever pay that much for a "iTunes HD" movie. I'd rather go the blu-ray route as of now.
 
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