iTunes movies in HD -- will the consumer bite?
It may sound perverse, but my introduction to high-definition video came through my bunny ears. Yes, my household is one of the remaining holdouts that gets its television over the air; and when I finally figured out earlier this year how to get my thirtysomething-inch flatscreen TV to pick up the new digital signals that our local stations are pumping out, I was completely flabbergasted at how good the picture quality was. I mean, if you're watching a scene in The Office filmed several hours after the last time Steve Carrell shaved, you sure know it.
But much of the novelty here comes from the fact that I'm used to my broadcast TV being snowy and analog. When it comes to other content, though, the improvement just isn't as striking. It's true that on my new TV I can tell the difference between DVD-quality movies and HD movies; but I'm not particularly impressed by the difference, the way I was the first time I compared DVD and VHS. I'm certainly not impressed enough to go drop a couple hundred dollars on a Blu-ray player.
Apple has apparently made a similar decision about Blu-ray, with Steve Jobs famously referring to the format as a "a bag of hurt" when it comes to licensing. But part of the company's reasons for avoiding Blu-ray came into sharper focus (ha ha, get it?) today as HD movies joined other HD content at the iTunes store. Apple is betting that digital distribution is the future of media purchasing anyway, and so has no incentive to untangle that Blu-ray licensing mess.
But oof, those prices! $20 to purchase a high-def movie, with dogs like Bangkok Dangerous, Transporter 3, and Punisher: War Zone, being apparently the best of what's on offer? The genius of the iTunes store, for me anyway, has been its ability to sell you things in impulse-buy-sized chunks; thus, when I miss The Office on Thursdays, I pay $3 to buy the episodes I miss without much of a second thought. But $20 is something you think about, and what I'd think is, "Is HD really worth this?" Heck, I don't even bother downloading the HD version of TV shows I buy, which you get for free, because I don't have the patience to wait for the download. I wonder how many people beyond the hard core of media geeks with 60-inch home theater centers will ever be regular purchasers of $20 HD movies.
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
jfruh
Apple syncing patent can't come soon enough
pasmith
New Twitter features borrow from 3rd party clients
Esther Schindler
Open Source Changes the Software Acquisition Process
mikelgan
How to set up continuous podcast play on the new iTunes
David Strom
Five important Windows 7 mobility features
sjvn
Guard your Wi-Fi for your own sake
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Grepping on Whole Words
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
No Blu-ray
Steve is right about Blu-ray.Judging by pricing, Sony, like Apple, is very proud of their products. For that reason alone, we were not looking forward to what we thought was the inevitability of Blu-ray. BUT, we bought one fo those "upvert" DVD players and WOW! We compared regular DVD vs upvert DVD vs Blu-ray. There is all the difference on the world between regular DVD and the upvert player. Between the upvert player and Blu-ray, John Wayne said it best (in Rio Bravo): "I'd hate to have to live on the difference." So now the only way we will be getting Blu-ray is if we buy a PS3 game console.
So I do not see the need for a Blu-ray drive in my Mac. If it comes to it I'll buy an external - and it will be less expensive than what Apple will charge.
Oh! What a cool points and
Oh! What a cool points and the cold weather, the winter is coming, I’d like to share the UGG Boots tips to keep your feet warm.. there’s few series UGGS for you to see the winter out, such as classic tall ugg boots, classic short ugg boots, claasic cardy ugg boots and so on, the cute boots not only show you the warm, but also the fashion style. Well, seems too much words, see you next time~ugg boots
Good day! Thx for your great post and Im thinking about how to introduce my ugg boots to you cos Im not sure if u like this. Many people who live in the cold area like the ugg boots, especially the north-europe. Our uggshare.co.uk supply the cheapest classic cardy ugg boots, class tall ugg boots, classic short ugg boots and other series of uggs, hope my words didn’t trouble u, cy!