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shenfrey

macrumors 68030
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May 23, 2010
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Or at least give us a subscription option. I know its easier said than done because of the deals that need to be made, but think about it, if they bring movies and tv shows down to a price you can regularly afford along with the improved Siri and navigation, Apple TV will just take off like a rocket.
 
Totally agree. While live TV streams are nice and definitely necessary, some type of Apple Music-like subscription service is really what would make this a cable replacement for many. 9to5Mac had an interesting write up on the logistics of this just this morning: http://9to5mac.com/2015/09/13/apple-tv-shows-movie-streaming/

One thing I found kind of funny was the fact that during the keynote, when they were using Siri to call up movies, the iTunes movie they brought up just had a "play" button, not a buy or rent or whatever. Thought it was kind of unusual, since the demo seemed to be that of someone looking for a new movie to watch (and therefore not something owned already).
 
Uhm, isn't this exactly what Netflix does?

Uhm, it is, but isn't there a lot in iTunes that isn't in Netflix? :) And does Netflix allow for downloading content for offline viewing? No, it doesn't. Why have just one when you can have both?
 
Uhm, it is, but isn't there a lot in iTunes that isn't in Netflix? :)
Well, it's mostly newer content that isn't on Netflix. But it's not financially feasible to offer that for a similarly low subscription fee. Of course you can subscribe to something like HBO Now to get access earlier.
And does Netflix allow for downloading content for offline viewing? No, it doesn't. Why have just one when you can have both?
Amazon Prime allows for downloading on iOS devices now. :p I hope Netflix won't be far behind.
 
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I think the rental prices on iTunes are just fine. It's basic economics. People who can afford it, get the movies first and the people who can't have to wait until it's on Netflix or HBO. Seriously, I'm a progressive liberal and I don't have a problem with this chain of events. The only thing I would like to see change is that new movies are directly available to rent OR see in an actual theater. There are competitive advantages to each scenario so it doesn't necessarily kill theater business that much. There will still be people who want to go to a movie theater for the big screen, big sound, 3D, IMAX, group experience, night away from the kids, etc. and there are people who like the quiet enjoyment in their own home or being able to afford a movie with the entire family.

P.S. if you can afford a SS Watch, you can pay $3-$5 to rent a movie ;)
 
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I think the rental prices on iTunes are just fine. It's basic economics. People who can afford it, get the movies first and the people who can't have to wait until it's on Netflix or HBO. Seriously, I'm a progressive liberal and I don't have a problem with this chain of events. The only thing I would like to see change is that new movies are directly available to rent OR see in an actual theater. There are competitive advantages to each scenario so it doesn't necessarily kill theater business that much. There will still be people who want to go to a movie theater for the big screen, big sound, 3D, IMAX, group experience, night away from the kids, etc. and there are people who like the quiet enjoyment in their own home or being able to afford a movie with the entire family.

P.S. if you can afford a SS Watch, you can pay $3-$5 to rent a movie ;)

Providing I watch 1 movie a day for 5 days every week that's $25 a week, $100 a month and $1200 a year! It looks cheap on paper but them small dollar prices soon add up. There has to be a better alternative, it takes months and often a year or two for recent movies and TV shows to even feature on Netflix.
 
Providing I watch 1 movie a day for 5 days every week that's $25 a week, $100 a month and $1200 a year! It looks cheap on paper but them small dollar prices soon add up. There has to be a better alternative, it takes months and often a year or two for recent movies and TV shows to even feature on Netflix.

Dude that ads up to a lot because that's a lot of movies! 1 movie a day 5 days a week? That's 260 movies per year! That's a ton of new movies to watch. Even if you do watch that many movies, what are the odds none of them are on Netflix or HBO?

Look at this list of the top movies of 2014 by box office sales? http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2014
I don't know most of the movies past 100, let alone want to watch 260 of them.
 
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Dude that ads up to a lot because that's a lot of movies! 1 movie a day 5 days a week? That's 260 movies per year! That's a ton of new movies to watch. Even if you do watch that many movies, what are the odds none of them are on Netflix or HBO?

Look at this list of the top movies of 2014 by box office sales? http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2014
I don't know most of the movies past 100, let alone want to watch 260 of them.

One movie a day is nothing. Why can people watch TV all day but it's insane to imagine someone watching one movie a day?
 
One movie a day is nothing.

Maybe for you. However, I am sure the average person watches far fewer movies. Especially if you don't count old movies that are otherwise cheaply available on Netflix or HBO (which was the point of your complaint).

I bet most people see less than 20 new movies per year.
 
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Maybe for you. However, I am sure the average person watches far fewer movies. Especially if you don't count old movies that are otherwise cheaply available on Netflix or HBO (which was the point of your complaint).

I bet most people see less than 20 new movies per year.

Why are you assuming every old movie is available on Netflix? They are not. Not even close.
 
I think the main point was there are only so many new movies per month. When my wife and I would go the the movies once or twice a week there was never anything to rent that I had not already seen or wanted to see. Now that we don't go often there is a better selection of new movies. Then we also have HBO, Showtime, NETFLIX etc.
 
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Why are you assuming every old movie is available on Netflix? They are not. Not even close.

I never assumed that. I said a lot of old movies are available on inexpensive streaming services.

Enough old movies are available on those services (HBO, Netflix, Amazon) that you can watch one movie a day, as you said, without needing to rent a new release on iTunes day after day. So the cost isn't what you said, $1200.
 
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I never assumed that. I said a lot of old movies are available on inexpensive streaming services.

Enough old movies are available on those services (HBO, Netflix, Amazon) that you can watch one movie a day, as you said, without needing to rent a new release on iTunes day after day. So the cost isn't what you said, $1200.
You missed the point. If iTunes had a steaming service like Netflix then this wouldn't be an issue. Going back to the topic at hand, that's why I believe Apple TV could succeed. It's a wish I know, but never say never.
 
You missed the point. If iTunes had a steaming service like Netflix then this wouldn't be an issue. Going back to the topic at hand, that's why I believe Apple TV could succeed. It's a wish I know, but never say never.

We can all have fantasies of everything being dirt cheap... I'm just kind of annoyed that some people seem to think that entertainment in particular is a throwaway profession that isn't worth paying a decent price for. People spend more on coffee daily... Netflix is the low price it is BECAUSE it doesn't have the latest movies, not because they are being generous. Older movies on iTunes are also at a reduced price already.
 
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We can all have fantasies of everything being dirt cheap... I'm just kind of annoyed that some people seem to think that entertainment in particular is a throwaway profession that isn't worth paying a decent price for. People spend more on coffee daily... Netflix is the low price it is BECAUSE it doesn't have the latest movies, not because they are being generous. Older movies on iTunes are also at a reduced price already.

People definitely don't value movies/content as much as they should. Netflix and Hulu are steals. Yet the complaints. I like renting on Apple TV. $3-5 is plenty cheap for more than one person viewing the movie. Especially if you can stop the movie at the last scene and watch it over again with a family member who wasn't there the next day or two. Plus the 99¢ rental of the week are nice

I think the real advantage of an Apple TV bundle in the future would be unified UI across live and on demand content. The UI on my cable service is pretty bad. And with Siri search it'll be really nice as well.
 
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People definitely don't value movies/content as much as they should. Netflix and Hulu are steals. Yet the complaints. I like renting on Apple TV. $3-5 is plenty cheap for more than one person viewing the movie. Especially if you can stop the movie at the last scene and watch it over again with a family member who wasn't there the next day or two.
Personally I think their rental fees for new movies are not competitive, since there are Redbox machines on every street corner where you can rent Blu-rays for half the price ...
 
Personally I think their rental fees for new movies are not competitive, since there are Redbox machines on every street corner where you can rent Blu-rays for half the price ...

Redboxes have what, 25 movies to choose from and you have to schlep TO the box, get the disk, take it home, then reverse the process when you finish. And if you keep it longer than the day, the charges go up. Rent on iTunes in the comfort of your home and that rental can sit unwatched for a month and doesn't cost you anything extra. Redbox is cheap because it requires work and inconvenience. Not to mention when you get a crappy disk that someone scratched. Or the box is out of the movie you wanted so the trip was for nothing. I can only name two locations of Redboxes near me and they are places I rarely go. The only real competitors for iTunes prices are other online rentals like Amazon or Vudu (does Zune still exist?) and they charge basically the same prices.
 
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Redboxes have what, 25 movies to choose from
Sure. But they happen to be exactly the newer ones that aren't on Netflix, HBO et al. yet.
and you have to schlep TO the box, get the disk, take it home, then reverse the process when you finish.
I always reserve the movie via the app at the machine in my grocery store when I go there anyway. Very little hassle.
 
Sure. But they happen to be exactly the newer ones that aren't on Netflix, HBO et al. yet.
I always reserve the movie via the app at the machine in my grocery store when I go there anyway. Very little hassle.

If it works for you, keep doing it. I have zero desire to do it and have to take it back immediately to keep it $1. That's why I'm willing to pay a little more to rent online on a whim. The cost to rent from iTunes and Amazon is a combination of newness and convenience. And it's something people are willing to pay a little more for or they would do something else. I could certainly drive to the actual grocery store for a cheaper price on an item but sometimes I just want to go to the convenience store that's much closer, even though that item costs a little more. Same principle.

P.S. iTunes always has a 99 cent rental of the week. And many older movies are in the $2.99 range. It's not like all the movies are $5.
 
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If it works for you, keep doing it. I have zero desire to do it and have to take it back immediately to keep it $1.
You can bring them back late on the next day and it's still half the price of a iTunes/Vudu/Amazon rental. Personally, I'd rather just buy the movie for a little more rather than spending $5 for a rental.
 
You can bring them back late on the next day and it's still half the price of a iTunes/Vudu/Amazon rental. Personally, I'd rather just buy the movie for a little more rather than spending $5 for a rental.

Again, I have no desire to do so, even if I could return it a month later for $2. You can't compare the price of a service that is convenient for everyone to one that is only convenient to some people. Your willingness to put in some labor is your choice to get a cheaper rental. Doesn't apply to how online rentals are priced in any way.

And once I know the ending to a movie, I rarely want to see it again so buying it usually isn't desirable. The only movies I own are ones I REALLY enjoyed and to be honest I rarely look at those again anyway. But usually they are 3D since I can't stream 3D movies anywhere if I DID want to rewatch them.
 
Personally I think their rental fees for new movies are not competitive, since there are Redbox machines on every street corner where you can rent Blu-rays for half the price ...
Competitive with Redbox, no. That's like comparing frozen pizza you can pick up at any grocery store for half the price of a freshly made and delivered one to your house.

Streamed digital content is about convenience. Pay a slight premium and the delivery is different.
 
Competitive with Redbox, no. That's like comparing frozen pizza you can pick up at any grocery store for half the price of a freshly made and delivered one to your house.

Streamed digital content is about convenience. Pay a slight premium and the delivery is different.

Odd analogy. I get what you're saying. But to me, the convenience of fresh pizza delivery to your your home is more analogous to itunes rental, and having to go to a redbox to rent a br disc is more analogous to going to the grocery store and getting frozen pizza.... o_O
 
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