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YouTube Takes on iTunes Store With Streaming Movie Rentals

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Apr 12, 2001
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YouTube yesterday announced the launch of streaming movie rentals, taking on Apple's iTunes Store offerings that have grown to include a variety of streaming and downloadable rental options as well as digital purchases. YouTube's new rental service, which comes at "industry standard pricing" typically in the range of $2.99-$3.99, builds upon free movie offerings the site has offered for several years.
Today, we're announcing another step in our goal to bring more of the video you love to YouTube: the addition of thousands of full-length feature films from major Hollywood studios available to rent in the US at youtube.com/movies. In addition to the hundreds of free movies available on the site since 2009, you will be able to find and rent some of your favorite films. From memorable hits and cult classics like Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver to blockbuster new releases like Inception, The King's Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me. Movies are available to rent at industry standard pricing, and can be watched with your YouTube account on any computer. The new titles will begin appearing later today and over the coming weeks to www.youtube.com/movies, so keep checking back.
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YouTube is also offering "Movie Extras" for a number of its films, including free behind-the-scenes clips, interviews and other content, as well as integrated movie ratings and reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. Similar to Apple's policies for iTunes movie rentals, YouTube rentals give users up to 30 days to view a rented film after initiating access and 24 hours to complete watching the film once viewing is started.

YouTube began discussions with major movie studios about movie rentals over a year and a half ago, rolling out a trial of the service to thousands of Google employees, but it has apparently taken until now to work through any licensing and technical issues to go live in a market that Apple has dominated.

Article Link: YouTube Takes on iTunes Store With Streaming Movie Rentals
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/10/youtube-takes-on-itunes-store-with-streaming-movie-rentals/
I wonder if you'd have to wait for it to buffer.. or wait until they have the speed to supple you the data. Youtube can be slow sometimes... idk sounds like a bad idea. But I'm not into renting movies, I rather buy the blu-ray and have it forever.
 
Hope they add this capability to Apple TV, although it will really only be useful if it offers some movies that iTunes doesn't.

Tangent: with all these choices (Netflix, iTunes, YouTube), it would nice if ATV had a global search for all three services.
 
I would rather watch on my TV and right now that would mean via Apple TV. Not everyone wants to spend hours behind a computer screen for leisure.
 
nwcs said:
I would rather watch on my TV and right now that would mean via Apple TV. Not everyone wants to spend hours behind a computer screen for leisure.
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Some of us have HTPCs already connected to TVs. We can enjoy all available streaming services (HULU, Amazon VOD, Youtube, Netflix etc.)
 
mainstreetmark said:
Can we use it with the AppleTV?
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This is the big question.

Not without an update, I'd think. Will Apple allow it?

I keep waiting for the AppleTV to get is own app store. I think it's likely you'd see it available then just like you see Hulu+ and Netflix in the iPad store.

But without a store will Apple add this and ONLY this in an update soon? I sure hope so, but I'm not too hopeful.
 
For an hour and a half movie, I can expect it to take at least two hours including buffering.

Sorry, Google, but I'm not interested in paying for a terrible experience.
 
lilo777 said:
Some of us have HTPCs already connected to TVs. We can enjoy all available streaming services (HULU, Amazon VOD, Youtube, Netflix etc.)
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I had a 2010 Mac Mini hooked to my 50" via HDMI for the past year. I enjoyed it, but once I put the AppleTV 2 on it a month ago, I took off my Mac Mini. For one thing, Netflix looks incredible on it....plus more HD content is offered through the ATV than through a PC (has something to do with how the device is seen by Netflix, some content providers don't want HD on certain devices...I struggled with this for after getting the Mac Mini).

You get Youtube on it, yes, but not Hulu or the other things...but I don't miss them. Plus with Airplay on my iPhone/iPad there's still tons of things to watch. Do I miss some content, yes, but the ease-of-use is much better and the video quality is just so much better...for me at least. Your mileage may vary.
 
Small White Car said:
This is the big question.

Not without an update, I'd think. Will Apple allow it?

I keep waiting for the AppleTV to get is own app store. I think it's likely you'd see it available then just like you see Hulu+ and Netflix in the iPad store.

But without a store will Apple add this and ONLY this in an update soon? I sure hope so, but I'm not too hopeful.
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Maybe not on their AppleTV directly, but I can see using Airplay to play stuff on your ATV.

maybe....
 
I look at these services as complimentary.

So far itunes + netflix has been great. I like owning my favorite movies and TV shows that I am likely to play multiple times. But netflix is great for the rest. Youtube adds to the choices. However if I were to rent a movie in itunes store or youtube, I'd check netflix first. And usually I compare the price to rent to the price to purchase including physical media through amazon or the local store. If it isn't much more to buy then I just buy instead of rent.


The last few years of DVD rental got to be like this. More than $5 to rent and I see the movie on amazon for $7.99. I'd usually opt to buy.

With Apple TV, you have access to all these services so this is great. Not to mention with appletv I am using the mobileme gallery more to share home video with friends.
 
Malcolm. said:
>YouTube
>awesome

lolno. I mean, unless a hideous layout, crappy video and censorship-on-command from the MPAA is awesome, then yeah.
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Hideous layout? What's the problem with it?

Crappy video? That's on the person uploading it, not the service.

And censorship? You mean preventing people from illegally posting copyrighted materials?
 
ghostlyorb said:
I wonder if you'd have to wait for it to buffer.. or wait until they have the speed to supple you the data. Youtube can be slow sometimes... idk sounds like a bad idea. But I'm not into renting movies, I rather buy the blu-ray and have it forever.
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Yea...the whole streaming of 1080 movies is just 10+ years away...there simply isn't enough bandwidth no matter how well folks try to do the math. There are so many bottlenecks such as # of concurrent users on the system, # of copies of that movie you want to stream, # of concurrent users trying to watch the same movie as you, actual real-world consistent internet connection at your house, pipe that Youtube or iTunes has going out to the net, # of hops it takes for your ISP to get to Youtube/iTunes, and many other problems.

We've been hearing about streaming HD movies since 2000...a full 11 years ago. It won't be here in 100% perfection until at least 2020.

And as you said, I'd much rather own the bluray for $19.99 then pay $5 for a sub-par rental. Heck, the dvds are $12 for the same title if not less. Besides, who wants the watered down 720 "HD" when 1080 is where HD truly is. 720 is just a marketing gimmick and should never have been allowed to have the "HD" phrase go with it.
 
Interesting observation.

I've been reading about youtube expanding it's rental all over this morning, decide to come here after seeing a Skype and Steve Ballmer picture. I think, let me go to Macrumors, see what they think of that news. Then I read the headline to this story, and it's like, if you only get your computer from macrumors, you would think that the whole world revolves around Apple. I mean, Apple was not mentioned in any of the other article. It's just a simple youtube expands it's rental, but here everything gets related to Apple. If you only come to macrumors you would think the whole world revolves around Apple.
 
inlovewithi said:
Interesting observation.

I've been reading about youtube expanding it's rental all over this morning, decide to come here after seeing a Skype and Steve Ballmer picture. I think, let me go to Macrumors, see what they think of that news. Then I read the headline to this story, and it's like, if you only get your computer from macrumors, you would think that the whole world revolves around Apple. I mean, Apple was not mentioned in any of the other article. It's just a simple youtube expands it's rental, but here everything gets related to Apple. If you only come to macrumors you would think the whole world revolves around Apple.
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It's a competitor to Apple. Are you that dense?

:rolleyes:
 
U.S only as usual. Years and decades are passing by where I read about these apparently experimental ways of providing and distributing digital content - in the U.S only. Such a fail and waste of waiting time for non-U.S people.
 
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