Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Wants to Sell 4K Movies for $20 in iTunes, While Film Studios Want $25 to $30
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Because they know at $30 the movies will hardly sell. I can buy a 4k Blu-ray with a digital copy for the same price (or often less usually). Why would I buy the same movie from Apple for more than I can buy it on disc for that also includes a copy of the movie I can stream.
Agreed, though 4k really shines on a larger screen that a projector provides. That said, if I invest that kind of money into my HT setup, you can bet I'm not streaming 4k movies from iTunes on it.
So sick of this corporate nonsense. The movies are shot and produced in higher than 4K quality anyway. In digital format there is zero difference to the studio. No higher production costs, no special media needed. It is quite literally the new minimum standard for content. Why should I, as the consumer, pay a special price for watching a movie?
And let me guess studios, all the movies I already own, you want me to go back and buy it all over again for $25-$30? After you already sold it to me for $20?
And let me guess studios, all the movies I already own, you want me to go back and buy it all over again for $25-$30? After you already sold it to me for $20?
Spot on. They are also hellbent on maintaining old business models that are protected by IP laws. Viewer needs, habits and desires have changed.
I honestly don't need to 'own' content. I just want to access content occasionally. I happy to pay a reasonable fixed price like $30-40 a month to access a library of all content, much in the same way Spotify works.
You're going to see less and less movies on Netflix in the future. They're investing in their own content and cutting back on bringing in content from others. This means less movies and non-Netflix originals.
Fun fact: If you calculate the selling price of VHS tape movies in 1980, it works out to $100 - $200 in today's dollars.
At $25-30 they’re then competing against a retail package which includes a UHD (at a higher quality bit rate than streamed or downloaded 4K), a BR, and a digital code. I’ve never paid more than $30 for such a bundle.
I know you can usually get it on iTunes earlier, but I’m happy to wait to get much more for the same price.
At $20 I’ll start buying 4K content from Apple.
I know you can usually get it on iTunes earlier, but I’m happy to wait to get much more for the same price.
At $20 I’ll start buying 4K content from Apple.
I do not have a 4K TV so this is worthless to me. I would very rarely pay $20 for a movie. It would have to be one that I've already seen and want to own.
Not sure, but Im not really sure how big the difference is. I have seen their 4K/HDR stuff and Im not really sure if I even can tell if there is an improvement. So 4K isnt really that big of a selling point.
how to get people to torrent 4K movies. an instruction by Hollywood and apple.
Meanwhile I have my iTunes settings set to buy Standard Definition movies/TV shows. Because I can't really see that much of a difference and I'm cheap frugal.
If the studios don't come down, Apple should tell them to pound sand. It is Apple that will bear the server costs for these much larger files and the current per-movie price point already seems too high to most people.
That's called demand. I think Apple is being reasonable as I don't think there's a market for movies in 4k costing more thang $20. While Apple's hardware have been selling very well even being more expensive than the rest of the industry.
Also, you can't really compare prices for products and contents.
No different to any industry.
Apple charge insanely high prices too.
If Apple lowered the price of their laptops by a several hundred dollars, they would sell more too.
Apple are truly correct on this one, just like SJ with the 99cent iTunes music download. These film companies are stuck in some previous century. Totally agree with the comments here. Being honest, I'm the only person out of everyone that I know that actually 'pays' for film - usually from iTunes, Vimeo or occasionally ReelHouse to support the independent surf film makers.
£13.99 for a 4K film on iTunes is the most that I'd pay for something really special with £9.99/£7.99 for the 1080p version. Heck, i've even stopped buying from Vimeo now because of the weak £ to the dollar in pricing.
Really looking forward to the new Apple TV box!
£13.99 for a 4K film on iTunes is the most that I'd pay for something really special with £9.99/£7.99 for the 1080p version. Heck, i've even stopped buying from Vimeo now because of the weak £ to the dollar in pricing.
Really looking forward to the new Apple TV box!
The general standard (excluding limited time sales) that iTunes has been using is $9.99 SD/$14.99 HD for titles that are a year or more old, and $14.99 SD/$19.99 HD for new releases. You'd have to think that the $24.99 price point is more likely for 4K recent releases. It follows that same progression.
True. I would also add that many Bluray titles also come with a digital downloadeable version, so you can have the best of both worlds.
I don't know about you but here in the UK, we pay over $20-25 for two adults to see a film at a cinema.
So $25 to own a 4K film doesn't seem too bad.
So $25 to own a 4K film doesn't seem too bad.
Wondering if my existing purchases will be automatically upgraded if compatible. No way I'm buying them again.
Which is a problem. "Cord Cutting" in the near future will be little different to cable. You'll need multiple subscriptions to different providers to get content. There will be no 'one stop' like Netflix today.