More TV Shows on the Way? FrontRow iMac Only.

[m-dogg]

It depends on HBO's contract deals with it's cable and satelite providers.

HBO owns the content but they have no way to deliver the content without striking a deal with the local cable and satelite companies.

In most cases these broadcasters have exclusive rights to this content in their area for some period of time. HBO may not be able to sell the content to another provider until that time period is up. So there will always be a delay but maybe not necessarily a year. Also HBO is in a better position to offer content to multiple providers in the same area because they most likely aren't bogged down by the legacy contracts like the network television stations are.

I don't think it would be in HBO's interest to allow this. Wouldn't they make more money off people subscribing to cable to see these shows than they'd make allowing people to download them from iTMS?

With that said, I would love it if they did!

 

[lcde]

Apple has trademarked “Vingle” at the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office. The trademark has been filed on October the 7th and includes a logo.

Here is an extract of the trademark’s description:

“Telecommunication services, namely, electronic transmission of streamed and downloadable audio and video files via computer and other communications networks; providing on-line chat rooms, bulletin boards and community forums for the transmission of messages among computer users concerning entertainment, music, concerts, videos, radio, television, film, news, sports, games and cultural events; web casting services; delivery of messages by electronic transmission; provision of connectivity services and access to electronic communications networks, for transmission or reception of audio, video or multimedia content.”

Ran into this today

 

[iQuit]

Steve was clowing on the Windows Media Controller when half the buttons are numbers, so you can change the channel, that is because you can watch TV on it and use it as a DVR. You can also plug in a game console and do a whole bunch more. The fact that the iMac controller has less is nice, but in reality it doesn't do as much. Which is misleading, because he acts like it is 6 buttons but can do as much as all the 40 buttons on a WMC controller can. I like the new iMac though, I am buying one.

 

[dejo]

The iMac only has VGA output. You have to buy an adapter... but the output is crappy. The iMacs should have DVI.

Except DVI is dying. It should be HDMI.

 

[areyouwishing]

Front Row is mainly to help push iMac sales for Christmas. As soon as that hump is over Front Row will be included into iLife 06 at Macworld. That is not rocket science.

For the meantime, I'm going to sell my Rev 1 mini and probably upgrade my G4 tower. I wish apple would just stop dorking around with the Power Macs and release something moderately affordable like the single 1.8 was.

 

[rdowns]

I can just see how this will play out in many a household:

"Honey, I need to send this e-mail out right away, have you seen the mouse?"
"Isn't it on the coffee table?"
"No, I've looked everywhere! Who was watching the iMac last???"
"I thought you were... Did you look inside the couch?"

🙂

Excellent point. Too bad Apple missed this. A way to find the remote via a sound through your KB/mouse would be ideal.

 

[johngordon]

If the BBC were on the ball, they would have offered content on the day of launch just like ABC. But they weren't on the ball. You'd think they would be considering they hosted the U.K. launch presentation, but again, that's asking for too much from the Beeb.

well it depends on whether or not they had been approached.

Apple being a US company may have sought to get US broadcasters on board initially.

But I'd say the BBC were more on the ball generally than any other broadcaster in the UK at least when it comes to interactive tv content delivered via set top boxes, and now over the internet.

Iain

 

[johngordon]

due to the BBC's ineptitude.

I don't get why its down to BBC's ineptitude tho' - do you presume that they were approached for content, but couldn't or wouldn't come up with the goods?

A US computer company launches a new, initially US centric, application offering TV shows - an initial total of just five shows. And the fact that there are is no BBC content is down to the BBC?

Iain 😕

 

[rdowns]

Oy- Just love the influx after a big announcement 🙄

Are you all done yet?

Apple released a new product, it won't work with your older one. Get over it. Maybe they'll offer a stand alone package later.

It's the content, dummy. That is the significant part of all this.

I want to download super HD 18000 x 16000 resolution content. This crap sucks.

Relax, it's a start. You don't get the kitchen sink until the rest of the kitchen upgrade is done. Patience please. This is the start of a whole new ball game, provided the new iMac and video downloads are a success. I think they will be.

Please return to your insanity.

 

[johngordon]

You actually believe that? The BBC hosted the U.K. presentation. It was the BBC itself that let it slip about the video iPod. They certainly knew about online distribution of video.

Surely it takes a lot longer to organise the provision of content for a set up like this than it does to arrange a presentation.

At what point would they necessaily know about this online distribution of video? After all, they have content available right now.

Also - are you in the UK or the US? Because presumably the BBC will never sell content online, because here in the UK we'll soon be able to download stuff for free from the BBC directly as part of our licence fee.

Or if you're in the US talking about US content, then that would most likely be dealt with through the BBCs commercial arm, which is a (virtually) totally separate entity.

Iain

 

[Peace]

The ONLY reason ABC jumped on board is because Disney owns ABC.Iger just took Disney over and is a friend of Jobs by way of Pixar.

 

[dejo]

The ONLY reason ABC jumped on board is because Disney owns ABC.Iger just took Disney over and is a friend of Jobs by way of Pixar.

Disney and Pixar are not really friends right now.

 

[EricNau]

Originally Posted by dejo
Disney and Pixar are not really friends right now.

More like enemies. Now they are compeditors, just like Microsoft & Apple. (kinda)

 

[EricNau]

When I go to iTunes, and try to preview a TV episode, nothing happends. Anyone else experience this?

 

[ddrueckhammer]

I have a KeySpan remote. I would LOVE to have Front Row because it would allow me to surf my iTunes library abd playlists from across the living room... when I'm not computing... when I'm just listening to music. That's why. With the standard iTunes interface, you need to be in front of the computer to see and use the interface... in which case... what's the point of having a remote? I'd also have the iMac hooked up to my HDTV... which has a much bigger screen than my 20" Rev a iMac.

FYI if you get an Airport Express and a Networked Tivo you can surf your music using the interface on the Tivo Desktop software. It seems to be working again with 10.4.2.

 

[darwen]

24! 24! 24!

Who hijacked this thread to be talking about powerbooks anyways? I want more TV shows. Apple... please give me the real #1 show!

24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! ... etc.

 

[dashiel]

And is/are the BBC currently making episodes of The Office, Black Adder, Faulty Towers, or Hitchhiker's? No, they aren't. However, they are making new episodes of...get this....Doctor Who! It was the smash hit of this year. And unlike all the other shows you mentioned, it has not been televised in the States, nor is it available on R1 DVD, for all the reasons I cited. It would be the perfect show to market via iTunes in the States. It would get the word out and make the show an underground sensation, which would lead it to being picked up on a cable channel like SciFi. Genre sells. Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Night Stalker are all genre. Hence my harping over the lack of Doctor Who due to the BBC's ineptitude.

again you're talking about one show that *just* ended in gb and using that as a basis for the beeb being stupid. you know that going the other way, american shows in britain, take just as long if not longer most of the time. give it time jeez. extras is already done in gb, but it just started airing on HBO here despite HBO being a co-producer on the show.

and apparently disney was the only company approached for this launch. you can hardly blame them for not doing something they never had the option to do in the first place.

like i said i know how frustrating it can be waiting for DVDs of shows that exist, but one show that just barely finished it's run, not being immediately available to you does not make the company stupid. i think you're letting your passion for the show overwhelm you at this point.

i also have to question your comments on the expense of the show, apparently it's being screened in canada, austrailia, new zealand, italy, hungary, denmark, norway, holland, france and south korea. i find it difficult to believe that those countries could afford the show and an american company couldn't. though perhaps the bbc tried to change the price.

finally if you're that hot and bothered by it, just download the shows from bittorrent or edonkey. in all good humor i find it hard to believe such a zealous fan of a relatively obscure british science fiction show doesn't know the shadowy realms of P2P. it'd be better quality than what you get from itunes anyhow.

You also cited The Prisoner and Coronation Street. Those aren't BBC properties. Nor is Benny Hill. Nor is The Tomorrow People. Just because the show is made in Britain does not mean that the BBC owns it, or originally televised it.

my mistake, i hadn't watched my prisoner DVDs in ages and wouldn't watch coronation street to save my life.

 

[~Shard~]

Except DVI is dying. It should be HDMI.

Precisely - HDMI is totally the way to go! At least from what I've seen and heard... 😉

 

[~Shard~]

24! 24! 24!

Who hijacked this thread to be talking about powerbooks anyways? I want more TV shows. Apple... please give me the real #1 show!

24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! 24! ... etc.

I take it you're a fan of 24? 😉 It is a pretty cool show, although I haven't seen too many episodes myself. I did meet Keifer Sutherland in a bar a couple years back and we actually chatted for quite some time - nice guy. He was impressed that I knew that his grandfather was the Premier of my province at one time! 😀

Maybe when you're a 6502 you can use this for your avatar... 😎

 

[dashiel]

More like enemies. Now they are compeditors, just like Microsoft & Apple. (kinda)

i said this when the split happened and iger's appearance seems to confirm it. the whole split was nothing more than a power play to expedite eisner's removal. there was a series of press releases that happened last year that were released too close together to be coincidence. i believe in the space of three days we got the following:

1) pixar releaes a high profile press release cast information about cars
2) roy disney calls for shareholders to oust eisner at the shareholder meeting
3) pixar announces they've split with disney

all of this was a few days before the disney annual shareholder meeting.

keeping in mind that jobs and roy disney are friends, and jobs and eisner hate each other.

now that eisner is gone all disney has to do is kill the current toy story 3 production, which i believe was started under eisner's watch, and pixar and disney can go on making movies together. their partnership just makes too much sense for both parties. guaranteed ratatouille will be a pixar/disney production.

 

[dashiel]

When I go to iTunes, and try to preview a TV episode, nothing happends. Anyone else experience this?

do you have quicktime 7.0.3 just released yesterday afternoon and it's required for itunes video.

 

[Mr Maui]

I take it you're a fan of 24? 😉 It is a pretty cool show, although I haven't seen too many episodes myself. I did meet Keifer Sutherland in a bar a couple years back and we actually chatted for quite some time - nice guy. He was impressed that I knew that his grandfather was the Premier of my province at one time! 😀

Maybe when you're a 6502 you can use this for your avatar... 😎

Hey Shard, what's a good program for making animated Avatar's. Not my area of expertise and I just got the opportunity to have one yesterday. 😎

 

[guylafleur]

Fronto Row and iTUNES6 suck!

Why should I pay for TV shows that are free? 😕

I could Tivo the shows I want to watch and then transfer them to my iMAC hard drive. 😀

Downloading movies is fair enough, but Jobs is just trying to make a market where there was none.

If he were really interested in the consumer, he`d put a TV tuner in the iMAC and have some cool Tivo-killer software for it, rather than making us PAY TO WATCH TV THAT IS ALREADY FREE!!!! 😡

I Repeat, FRONT ROW and iTunes6 SUCK!

 

[~Shard~]

Hey Shard, what's a good program for making animated Avatar's. Not my area of expertise and I just got the opportunity to have one yesterday. 😎

Although it's the obvious answer, Photoshop works great. Other than that, I am not aware of any other lower cost apps which create animated GIFs, but I'm sure there must be a couple out there. Anyone?

 

[Mr Maui]

Although it's the obvious answer, Photoshop works great. Other than that, I am not aware of any other lower cost apps which create animated GIFs, but I'm sure there must be a couple out there. Anyone?

I use Photoshop, but is there a "feature" that makes animated GIFs easy? Sorry, it's an area I've never used or researched before. I work in graphic arts, not internet-type stuff. Never had an interest or need for the animated thingy before now. 😉