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Lions Gate Films Tips Off About iTunes Movie Downloads

There was really no surprise to spoil. We've all known about this for a year or so (or at least had a pretty good feeling). I mentioned it on my website a month ago: www.adamcz.net/stocks


EDIT: I'd also like to add, that I find it interesting that we're simultaneously entering an era of Blu Ray/HDDVD and low quality downloads. I just bought my first HDTV, and I really want to make good use of it. I've therefore got no interest in downloading a movie that is inferior to DVD quality. I think they might as well target only ipods with this service, or make sure their files look good on big tvs. I don't see a lot of marketshare for the in-between.
 
The way to go, IMHO, is buying a DVD (on Amazon) with an optional iPod download for a dollar extra. Mostly cheaper then $10 and we have it both.
 
the problem is that the ENTIRE pricing system is so unbelievably flawed.

Movie tickets are enormously overpriced considering that now they even have commercial advertisements and big brand endorsements (ad revenue should be shared with ticket purchasers to encourage us to come out)

DVDs start of so high priced until Best Buy undercuts everyone and steals sales, but that's another issue entirely...

My biggest gripe, however, is that Apple introduced the micropayment price point with music at a price we all thought was relatively fair. But why are they charging 1.99 universally for TV eps AND (here's the rub) short commercials, SNL skits, and Pixar shorts? $2 for a 45 second to 1 minute skit??!! You have to be kidding me Apple. They need some serious revisions to their video store.
 
imnotatfault said:
But why are they charging 1.99 universally for TV eps AND (here's the rub) short commercials, SNL skits, and Pixar shorts? $2 for a 45 second to 1 minute skit??!! You have to be kidding me Apple. They need some serious revisions to their video store.
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I agree. While I like having a simple pricing system, i.e. $1.99 for standard TV shows. They should have other price points for items not worth $1.99. Or for SNL skits sell the entire SNL episode for $1.99 with each skit separated into a different short video file, that would be nice.
 
I agree with all of these posts about pricing. My suggestion: stop buying stuff...or start pirating again. THAT seems to get their attention. All price point talk is irrelevant to them...they dont care how unhappy we are - unless we force them to change.
 
question fear said:
Full screen video ipods are nice, but give people the chance to use their ipod like they'd use a dvd player (but be able to bring it with them to anyone's tv) and that's where the $$$ is in an itunes movie store.
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Yes! Exactly right, in my opinion. This would be one more way to market the iPod to the masses. Sure, Handbrake works like a dream, but an integrated, end-to-end experience of shopping for a film, downloading it to the iPod, then connecting it to a TV would create a solution similar to that of buying music in the current iTMS. Apple should upgrade the video out of the iPod though, I think.

Another thing to consider is that the Mac Mini has been seen as the "media center" where feature-length downloads may happily reside.
 
I wish they would hurry up and deliver us UK customers TV Shows, rather than bringing out the Movie Downloads in the US and making me even more jealous!

It always makes me wanna live in the US when things like this happen!
 
wkhahn said:
So what standard would a computer transmit to a new AE. Bonjour, nor current WiFi have the bandwidth to stream a movie over. And since you would most likely download this movie to a desktop for view within your house vs a laptop/ipod for away from home viewing, it would be plugged into an outlet. And an Airport express plugs dircetly into a wall, would it be possible to use Broadband over power lines within the home, in combo with some WiFi flavor to transmit and reconstruct the signal? Just a thought. Sorry if this has already been discussed elsewhere.
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I've been streaming divx movies over 802.11b from my main windows pc to a dedicated POS 866 PIII with a video out to my TV for 4 or 5 years (This is before I learned the greatness of ... i.e. could afford a mac). I don't see how having an airport with airtunes/video would be a problem. I would buy one in a heartbeat, because it is much cheaper than buying a Mac mini for that sole purpose.
And althougth the current resolution of iTunes video is lower res than DVD, it still looks pretty good when I hook up my powerbook to my TV. It's not fantastic, but it looks better fullscreen on my 32" tube than my 24" LCD monitor. The only problem I have with it is when they crop 16x9 shows down to 4x3. I want to see Lost in all its glory.
 
I agree w/ the pricing. I bought all the SNL commercial skits as the whole set, which cost maybe $.40 each. That's pretty good in my opinion. Maybe have commercials/skits/shorts for $.99, TV episodes for $1.99 and full length movies for $9.99 or something. Or maybe subscription would be good for movies b/c how often do you actually watch any specific movie?

I also agree w/ the quality of movies. I'd like it if you got 2 versions of the movies: iPod size and TV/computer montor sized so that each looks good on their respective screens. If/when Apple delivers a whole screen video iPod, the resolution would probably (and better) be better than the current iPod which might mean higher quality videos. We wouldn't know until Apple releases it.
 
Bonte said:
The way to go, IMHO, is buying a DVD (on Amazon) with an optional iPod download for a dollar extra. Mostly cheaper then $10 and we have it both.
Click to expand...

One of the things I'm most curious about Apple making movies available for download is where the download fits into the consumption model, i.e., whether video downloads will be another release window or part of a current release window.

The studios want to capture income off the same properties as many times as possible, but the trend has been toward shorter and shorter release windows to maximize on marketing dollars. (Wal-Mart went ape-crap when one of the studios tried to time DVD release to cable and satellite PPV.)

I would like to see Apple position iPod movies as part of the a broader strategy for higher-resolution content, but I don't see them going for a model where you download the iPod version and get the DVD in the mail. Not when the model is changing away from DVD purchase/rental and toward a PPV model.

Until Apple can figure out a way to provide HD quality with a reasonable download time -- ahem, Mac mini media center -- I think movies will be available only in the quality that TV shows are currently available.
 
I do not understand why any of you are even THINKING it will be anything close to DVD quality....

first, what is the resolution of current iTunes video offerings? Why would they even consider upping the res, they are testing and running fine on the current (read pissy!) rez.

second, how much of the iTunes music is offered at CD resolution? How many have an option for higher rez?

I do not think Apple wants to offer high rez (d/l costs and times), and I am sure the movie (and music) companies don't want it. Do not even think the rez will be any higher (ever) that current iTunes vid- it just will not happen.

iMovie, with video only sutible for iPods, will only be a novety, at best. I bet it will be worse- movie studios are TOO greedy, and will price this out of the market and that, in and of itself, will cause it to fail.

d
 
OK. Five days and no new rumors. I'm tired of this headline. Someone needs to make up some new rumors for me. Something nice. Nothing too expensive.

:D

B
 
Porchland said:
I would like to see Apple position iPod movies as part of the a broader strategy for higher-resolution content, but I don't see them going for a model where you download the iPod version and get the DVD in the mail.
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Unlike with music there is a willingness to allow a digital copy when the DVD is bought, the future HD disks may have 1 or 2 digital copy's on the disk for the mediacenter, streaming and PC use. I don't know if providing a digital copy from the DVD is illegal? Amazon and Apple together would be the perfect couple in such a situation.
 
edcrosay said:
I've been streaming divx movies over 802.11b from my main windows pc to a dedicated POS 866 PIII with a video out to my TV for 4 or 5 years (This is before I learned the greatness of ... i.e. could afford a mac). I don't see how having an airport with airtunes/video would be a problem. I would buy one in a heartbeat, because it is much cheaper than buying a Mac mini for that sole purpose.
And althougth the current resolution of iTunes video is lower res than DVD, it still looks pretty good when I hook up my powerbook to my TV. It's not fantastic, but it looks better fullscreen on my 32" tube than my 24" LCD monitor. The only problem I have with it is when they crop 16x9 shows down to 4x3. I want to see Lost in all its glory.
Click to expand...

I've never tried to stream video content from one computer to another, or to a TV, except through a direct connection. I was basing the suggection on an acticle from MacWorld a few months ago about trying to use a MacMini as a Media Center. Watching videos/movies stored on a Powermac G5, on the mini required a direct connection. Neither Bonjour or Powerline Ethernet would do the trick. The reviewer would get a server connection error. Though he did figure a work around. story.
 
Calm Before the Storm?

Things sure are quiet over in camp Apple...

With the influx of new mobile phones/carriers and mp3 players recently flooding the market, I can't help but think any (Tues)day now, Apple is gonna drop the BOMB.
 
4 out of 5 MacRumors readers chose "download full length movies" as their "Rumor of 2006". What happened to the fifth reader?
 
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