720p, max, probably. Download times would be too long for anything more. DVD quality, min, which would be perfectly acceptable. Apple should do a subscription service, and then subsidize the AppleTV. Let's see, what else, while I'm at it ... turn the AppleTV into a media server ... maybe add in some P2P functionality to help with downloading ... eh what the heck, throw in a CableCard slot and DVR functionality ... also ... coldfusion reactor to power your house.
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iTunes Movie Rentals Coming?
- Thread starter dan-o-mac
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So it's 2.99 a rental and you can use it for 30 days? That aint bad, considering you can rent a movie at a movie store for about 5 bucks for 7 days... And you can't watch it on ur ipod.
But will Apple pull their heads out and include *real* 5.1 digital surround sound or are we going to be stuck with some sort of weak substitute (i.e. Dolby Pro Logic)?
And I'd be thrilled with 720p rentals. If they're just 480p I may as well stick with Netflix. Which also gives me real surround sound...
And I'd be thrilled with 720p rentals. If they're just 480p I may as well stick with Netflix. Which also gives me real surround sound...
This will be wonderful!! I know I will be a customer for rental when it is out. I never liked the idea of NetFlix or others like it. Because with my kids I know there is a good chance for DVDs to get damage or even lost in my house. If apple offers this service I will be the first to go and by an Apple TV and start renting. Right now I am paying so much for the video rental close to my house and I have paid so much for late fees and damaged videos that $2.99 will be very cheap for me. I can't wait!!!!
I see the first stage of rentals as fuel for the iPod touch more than the
TV, it's a matter (will be a matter) of volume of units.
Since this service and perhaps other yet released services will be limited to less than the usual 5 devices, it seems downloading to the proper primary device first is key. The addition of iTunes wifi makes that practical for the newest devices.
Rocketman
I think renting through ITS is a great idea. I have a lot of DVD's, but on a MacBook, my HD would fill up with bought movies. Hence downloads to keep movies aren't the best for me.
Now renting a film, say for £2 GBP, would be a superb 'impulse rent' for me. (With my lackluster Virgin Broadband speeds, it'd need to start playing a quarter of the way through downloading or so, wouldn't want to wait for the whole thing.)
£2 would be good for a 3 night rental (Plus £2 off if you wanted to keep it and buy it.) Blockbuster charge £4, and you have to go to the store, get it, hope the previous renters didn't scratch it, and make a special trip to return it.
I, as well as almost everyone I know, don't rent enough for a subscription to work. (Also don't need another outgoing monthly amount if there's nothing I like out at the time.)
Now renting a film, say for £2 GBP, would be a superb 'impulse rent' for me. (With my lackluster Virgin Broadband speeds, it'd need to start playing a quarter of the way through downloading or so, wouldn't want to wait for the whole thing.)
£2 would be good for a 3 night rental (Plus £2 off if you wanted to keep it and buy it.) Blockbuster charge £4, and you have to go to the store, get it, hope the previous renters didn't scratch it, and make a special trip to return it.
I, as well as almost everyone I know, don't rent enough for a subscription to work. (Also don't need another outgoing monthly amount if there's nothing I like out at the time.)
I've only recently began investigating the
TV and if they enable HD and make it iTunes rentable etc., I'll jump on it in a second.I don't consider
TV a 'hobbyist' venue at all. I think Apple is setting themselves up to be the forerunner in a completely wireless and digital home/portable entertainment system that is complete, completely seamless and portable. How much cooler would THAT be?? Goodbye hard media, hello Apple Home(tm by me)!!JimmyD
I'm not sure if you are the target audience for this.
This is renting a film 'for the rest of us'. If you need the 'full experience' then I think you may have to wait a bit longer. Just my thoughts...
I don't consider
JimmyD
Just be sure your main computer aint a laptop... Close the lid, whoops film stops...
Hmm, I can't see this being a Blu-ray/HD-DVD killer.
Where would Apple be getting these HD moviesfrom? The studios who have already invested in Blu-ray/HD DVD?
Don't get me wrong, sounds like a great idea but as ever the studios would probably thwart it for the time being.
Where would Apple be getting these HD moviesfrom? The studios who have already invested in Blu-ray/HD DVD?
Don't get me wrong, sounds like a great idea but as ever the studios would probably thwart it for the time being.
My DRM senses are tingling....
I don't like where this is going at all.
Right now Apple DRM does not depend on any central server once you authorize to view content. Meaning, if Apple were to revoke your right to listen to music or view your TV shows tomorrow, you could restore from a backup before the revoke and watch your stuff again, as well as burn audio CDs of any music you don't want to lose access to.
In order for Apple to implement movie rentals, there will have to be a central authentication system for the DRM. This means they can transparently apply it to other content, and have the ability to truly revoke access to your media at any time (since rental media would have to be revoked after the rental period).
This is bothersome. It provides the potential for Apple's DRM to become more invasive, and makes my "oh ****" senses tingle.
Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I the lone paranoid cat in the house?
-Z
I don't like where this is going at all.
Right now Apple DRM does not depend on any central server once you authorize to view content. Meaning, if Apple were to revoke your right to listen to music or view your TV shows tomorrow, you could restore from a backup before the revoke and watch your stuff again, as well as burn audio CDs of any music you don't want to lose access to.
In order for Apple to implement movie rentals, there will have to be a central authentication system for the DRM. This means they can transparently apply it to other content, and have the ability to truly revoke access to your media at any time (since rental media would have to be revoked after the rental period).
This is bothersome. It provides the potential for Apple's DRM to become more invasive, and makes my "oh ****" senses tingle.
Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I the lone paranoid cat in the house?
-Z
No, you're wrong. All that has to happen is that when the video file is downloaded a "date-of-download" is embedded in the file. Then when you go to play the video on your iPod, iPhone, or computer, (which are all date aware) it will see if today's date is 30 days later than the DL date, and if so it will refuse to play the file and tell you it is expired.
And don't think you can just manually adjust the date on your device to get the video to play, there are many easy ways to ensure that doesn't work.
No, I would be worried about this, too. But... actually... if my memory is correct, Apple has changed the terms of FairPlay on us before. In prior versions of iTunes, we could burn as many CD's of DRM'd content we wanted. It was then dropped to 7 and I think we're down to 5 now. So, in a way, that cat is already out of the bag.
Sure would! As long as the price is comprable to Netflix as an example I would but an
2 or 3 people have mentioned Netflix ...
I have to agree that this sounds GREAT. It would probably make me buy an
TV as well as go out and get an iPhone (as was discussed in another thread, I just chose a Nokia N800 over an iPod Touch, but am still open to an iPhone).And, a few months ago when there were discussions about "subscription model for iTunes", the thing I, and a couple others, kept bringing up is: I don't tend to buy movies, I tend to rent them. Sounds like someone at Apple was paying attention. But the added wrinkle is: I don't rent them per-movie. I rent them by subscription, via Netflix.
And that's what this is going to require for me to buy in: a subscription option.
Ideally, I could have all 4 choices available:
1) Buy individual music (songs/albums)
2) Buy individual videos (movies, TV)
3) Subscription of some form for music
4) Subscription of some form for videos
If the subscription model is "unlimited per month" (as netflix is in theory, but not exactly in practice*) then that'd be good. In fact, that'd be best.
(* netflix will throttle your exchange rate to be slower if you're turning around movies too quickly, so you might get 2 day turn around if you're only doing it once a month, but if you do it every 2 days, you can expect to start seeing 3 or 4 day turn around after a while ... at least, they used to ... there might have been a lawsuit about it, and I don't remember the outcome of that)
If it's "X movies per month", then I'd almost prefer it to be "X movies per payment" ... so if I get 5 movies per month, and I rent all 5 in the first week of October, I can either wait until November for 5 more, or I can pay again and get 5 more movies during October. Further, if I'm going to be in Timbuktu for a month, I can not pay for that month since I probably wont use my 5 movies.
But, as I said, unlimited per month would be best.
I'd probably not only ditch Netflix at that point, I'd ditch HBO, Showtime, and a few other things. I might keep enough DirecTV/Cable to catch the Discover/Science/History/Learning channel stuff that doesn't seem to be on the iTunes store ... but that might be about the extent of it.
Except for the coldfusion reactor, and the P2P functionality, I don't think the rest of this is very unreasonable.
I don't think the
TV is the media server, I think your Mac is. The TV is just one of the delivery devices for media.But, having a cablecard slot on some receiver device (on my Mac probably) that would feed into iTunes would be good. Does eyeTV have a cablecard device yet? That might make me switch from DirecTV to cable at some point, if they did.
My bet!
Steve said that Apple T.V. would be seeing an update soon. I'll bet anything it will be the wireless iTunes store with movie rentals Now that will sell a LOT more Apple T.V.s Can't wait to see
Questions: How fast would the downloads be? What resolution? Price, etc.?
Steve said that Apple T.V. would be seeing an update soon. I'll bet anything it will be the wireless iTunes store with movie rentals
Now that will sell a LOT more Apple T.V.s Can't wait to see Questions: How fast would the downloads be? What resolution? Price, etc.?
720p tops...since that is the highest the Apple Tv allows for, no 1080p yet. Might even be the psueso HD (960x540) that Apple is trying to push...
Seems we might be able to buy the movie after the rental...thus is cool if the rental fee goes towards the purchase price.
Seems we might be able to buy the movie after the rental...thus is cool if the rental fee goes towards the purchase price.
This is what I've been waiting for in
I agree. Movie rentals and some kind of TV shows subscription are the two killer apps that will make
tv go more mainstream.
Well that's your opinion. But I like not driving to stores to get and return DVD's. I also like their streaming service also included in my monthly fee. I get 17 hours per month in addition to 3 DVD's at a time.
So it's so 2006? What do you get and what's the cost of it?
Please tell me a better solution that's better and not so 2006ish!
To each their own, but that's what it would take for me to get an apple tv.