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Fox and Disney iTunes Movie Rentals, 24 Hours Only?
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ltldrummerboy
macrumors 68000
I sure hope this isn't true. It would take me almost that long just to download a full length movie.
I doubt it will be only for a 24 hour period. Not with the slow download times many users would have. When it takes overnight to download the movies the short 24 hour period might mean you could never watch it. 24 hours is just to short to be workable.
Island Dog
macrumors 6502a
Oh my gosh- you've just tricked Apple engineers. They never thought of that! (?!)
Sheesh, why is everyone here so surprised? 30 day rentals? Now that was a stretch beyond the imagination.
This is Apple we are talking about here, it needs to be profitable, VERY profitable.
Let's not forget, we are talking about a company that you need to pay (again) to take a song you purchased and make it your ringer. 🙄
iJon
macrumors 604
24 hours does she a little short but it seems okay. If I go to BlockBuster to rent a movie I am going to assume I will go home immediately and watch it. After I watch it I probably will not watch it again during the duration of the rent. I almost always return the movie very quickly anyways just to make sure I don't forget and get late fees.
Even though it will work, I think at least 3 days should be considered since owning it more days isn't going to cost the studios anymore money or any lost revenue.
jon
Even though it will work, I think at least 3 days should be considered since owning it more days isn't going to cost the studios anymore money or any lost revenue.
jon
Get real.
Blockbuster charges $5 for a new movie that you have to return in the next two days. The problem with renting isn't so much of getting it, it's returning it. Usually, people get lazy after they've watched it or they wait to the last day to watch the movie.
If you can rent online, you will rent it RIGHT when you want to see it...or at least within the hour. Calm down. You don't work at Apple for a reason.
Stop asking for the world when you want it for free.
Ask Verizon how much they charge for a ringtone that you can ONLY use as a ringtone. 🙄
Apple isn't a non-profit company. Their stock wouldn't be going up if they were.
More than likely, it will be 3 days to watch it, but once you do...you keep it for 24 hours.
Nothing really wrong with that, but might as well have it as 3 days to keep it also.
Another thing, everyone need to calm down lol. This is a rumor, not fact.
i could see a week timer starting after you first start watching. you need to be able to watch it at least twice. with netflix, we share, some people watching it one day, some people watching it a couple days later. basically they're trying to charge per viewing, which is lame. that's how i imagine the studios pitching it. "we rent, but charge for each viewing", and then haggling back and forth and Apple only able to get them to budge to a 24 hour viewing period. i mean, i could see charging per each viewing, maybe, if it was like dollar theater pricing. 1 buck.
You know, if I were trying to figure out what price/term the market would bear, I'd seed some rumors and see what the responses were on the message boards. Seriously. Real market research, cheap.
I worked at Circuit City back during the DIVX rollout in 98-99, and that was pretty much an impossible sell. I do not see how limited-use downloads are going to be received much differently. I'm very curious to see how they think this is going to actually work.
I worked at Circuit City back during the DIVX rollout in 98-99, and that was pretty much an impossible sell. I do not see how limited-use downloads are going to be received much differently. I'm very curious to see how they think this is going to actually work.
Not good 🙁
I agree with others who express displeasure with stupid 24 hr limitation.
This is why rental box stores like Blockbuster are still going to be around. Even without their new liberal overdue policy, you still had a good 36 hrs to watch a rental. That limitation I saw only as them (and other rental places) trying to be fair to all their customers so people would start hording movies.
I hope this is true. I really wanted to start putting my AppleTV to more use that just playing music.
I agree with others who express displeasure with stupid 24 hr limitation.
This is why rental box stores like Blockbuster are still going to be around. Even without their new liberal overdue policy, you still had a good 36 hrs to watch a rental. That limitation I saw only as them (and other rental places) trying to be fair to all their customers so people would start hording movies.
I hope this is true. I really wanted to start putting my AppleTV to more use that just playing music.
rockthecasbah
macrumors 68020
I have netflix, so I probably won't use iTunes for rentals, but one point I have that was sort of mentioned before is that 24 hrs is just way too restrictive, but just a few hours more (28-36) would make it so much better. That's because for most working people, movie viewing is actually restricted to a ~5-6hr window each weeknight. So just say you get home from work at 6pm and begin watching. Then for whatever reason you have to go out, or someone else "needs" to use the TV at the time, and you don't get to finish watching it before bed. Then the next day, you are at work, and just as you get home at 6 again, it expires!
Whereas the extra few hours actually give (regular working folk at least) 2 "primetime" slots. This is also very useful as you could watch a brilliant movie one night, and show your partner/friend the same movie the next night to prove to them how great it was...
Whereas the extra few hours actually give (regular working folk at least) 2 "primetime" slots. This is also very useful as you could watch a brilliant movie one night, and show your partner/friend the same movie the next night to prove to them how great it was...
Guys a new movie is like 5 dollars in blockbuster and its a 2 day rental + an additional 7 days before you get fined. And as a member with a new release rental between mon-wed you get a free non new release rental at the same time. So thats 2 movies for 5 dollars...
law guy
macrumors 65816
I don't disagree - I refer to it as "free" because I'm paying for the cable service to get the digital channels anyway (i.e., if there was no On Demand, I'd still subscribe to cable (or satellite)). So - included, or at no additional charge, or free - as opposed to the $3.99 fee on top of the regular costs for a new release. From my standpoint, they're getting that monthly fee for my internet, phone, and cable TV in any event.
The computer is actually similar, its just that Comcast is also getting that $40 for broadband just like they are getting the $$ for cable television - but the cost to access the computer content is unbundled from the content provider. The content is "free" once we get to the web, but there's a cost to access the data on the web.
Back to the notion that I'm paying for it anyway - for me, where it actually matters to what is in the subscription is more in case of the HBO, Starz, Encore package. Even with a DVR, I'd probably get very little out of premium channels, but since all the premium content is "included" On Demand at no additional charge, I can watch whatever HBO, etc. has on whenever I want to without having to set a recording first (which I would rarely do). Since it's all on demand and adds a lot of movie variety to the "included" category, its been worth it for us so far - e.g. we used to spend $16.99 on a DVD and watch it a few times. One DVD is more than the premium package a month. While it also is true that we get some of that same value where the kids are concerned, those viewing habits are different (which Steve Jobs is happy about) because kids will want to watch Cars or Mary Poppins or Lady and the Tramp or ... again, and again, and again, so we still buy those discs. But we're more likely to just watch something like Ice Age 2 on HBO On Demand for the few months that its on rather than buy it, so it's still useful even for the kids films.
The Apple service might be great, but I was just wondering aloud about the need it fills. With iPod / iTunes - having all your CDs with you and being about to buy anything you might want a track at a time when you didn't want to buy a CD was an early to market success. Already, and for years with more free (i.e. included in base access price / no additional $3.99 like for a new release) content in recent years, I can get all kinds of content direct to my TV already for what I'm paying anyway. Again, the Apple service might be great (Steve will explain have nothing like has ever been seen on planet Earth prior to it at MWSF - and who knows, there could be a real twist to it) but if I rent three or four movies a month, that's the price of digital cable (over non-digital) with the hundreds of included on demand choices and all the extra channels.
I also wonder about it because I haven't found the iTunes video content to be useful for me or my family. And if it's just another feature added to that set-up, I don't see us using the service any more frequently. It's just one soul opining that the space seems like its been addressed in various ways but curious to see what Apple comes up with.
Stella
macrumors G3
LOL - 24 Hours.
I'd rather go with PPV. We all must remember this isn't an Apple decision, instead its the decision of the shortsighted movie industry who haven't moved with the times.
( Oh, this is another reason why rumours are bad - they inflate people's expectations and then upon reality hitting, these expectations are flattened. Oh, Apple rumour sites are still good fun!)
I'd rather go with PPV. We all must remember this isn't an Apple decision, instead its the decision of the shortsighted movie industry who haven't moved with the times.
( Oh, this is another reason why rumours are bad - they inflate people's expectations and then upon reality hitting, these expectations are flattened. Oh, Apple rumour sites are still good fun!)
Cleverboy
macrumors 65816
:: blink :: Are you actually using BLOCKBUSTER as a measure of good pricing and value? 😱
~ CB
SPUY767
macrumors 68020
I thought there was going to be a Step 4: . . . and a Step 5: Profit. Then I was going to weep about this site becoming too Digg-like.
EagerDragon
macrumors 68020
24 hrs is way too short, I don't care if that is what others are doing. A week rental that starts after you first start viewing the movie, not after the movie is downloaded.
It takes too long to download to then limit it to 24 hours, what if the download completes after I go to bed?
One week after I start viewing it for 2.99 is about right. It is not like the studios would lose anything if I keep it for more than 24 hours. I see little point to go with iTunes rentals if all iTunes does is give me what others give me or even at worse quality.
Ill hold off until iTunes gives me something of much greater value than what others are offering.
Besides it cost me little to pickup or return the movie on my way from work to my home, it is not out of the way or a special trip.
I vote this one Negative.
Even better, don't charge until I start viewing or charge a dollar for the download and a dollar 99 for the actual rental. That way I can select multiple movies to download while I sleep or work and have them ready for viewing over a week period. If I never get to view them, they still have the dollar for each download so they loose nothing. Only charge the additional 1.99 after I start watching it.
It takes too long to download to then limit it to 24 hours, what if the download completes after I go to bed?
One week after I start viewing it for 2.99 is about right. It is not like the studios would lose anything if I keep it for more than 24 hours. I see little point to go with iTunes rentals if all iTunes does is give me what others give me or even at worse quality.
Ill hold off until iTunes gives me something of much greater value than what others are offering.
Besides it cost me little to pickup or return the movie on my way from work to my home, it is not out of the way or a special trip.
I vote this one Negative.
Even better, don't charge until I start viewing or charge a dollar for the download and a dollar 99 for the actual rental. That way I can select multiple movies to download while I sleep or work and have them ready for viewing over a week period. If I never get to view them, they still have the dollar for each download so they loose nothing. Only charge the additional 1.99 after I start watching it.
