Filed under: iTS, Multimedia, Rumors
iTunes Movie Store?
My theory is Apple is going to continue the smaller
announcements throughout the year, if for no other reason than to distract everyone from the impending doom that is
Vista. Case in point, the cryptic comment Steve made after this week's announcement: "we'll see you all real
soon." AppleInsider now reports on what might be the
announcement next time Apple gathers the analysts for another show— the iTunes Movie Store. The evidence is in the
form of a screenshot, and details surrounding a survey. The survey is incredibly descriptive, hinting at possible
subscription service instead of the buy-and-own model we've all come to love. It would be $9.99 a month for
subscription, but $12.95 to buy a movie, according to the survey (and it asks which respondents would prefer). For
additional salt in the wound, there appears to be no provision for burning these to DVD. I know most people still trust
those plastic discs, and it's partly a cost issue (or perceived cost anyway), but personally I'm happy to keep buying
terabytes for pennies and archive onto HD's. Anyone here interested in a subscription model for iTMS at all?
Personally, that's what I'm afraid of...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark said 11:10AM on 3-02-2006
If Apple is smart, they'll integrate a bittorrent client into iTunes (kinda like Democracy Player) so that they can take some of the load off of their servers... or maybe that's why they bought that huge datacenter the other day.
I think having an integrated bittorrent client would make movie downloads faster and more efficient for everyone... but of course make a way to turn it off for uploading to others instead of the debacle they had with the "ministore" last month.
-Mark
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Joe Buchheit said 11:21AM on 3-02-2006
Questions:
Format: iPod Resolution or Big HD H 2.64
Price: Subscription or Buy-and-Own
Download Time: Multiple Server resources (Bittorrent +, instead of multiple peers, there would be a Cache Fly effect) or single server.
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Patrick said 11:21AM on 3-02-2006
I think that the goal here is clear. iTunes is the corner stone, access to which can be had through one's laptop, desktop, ipod and via a TIVO-killer born of the mac-mini. The sticky point will be negotiations with the IP holders, but the existence of iTunes shows that Apple has already suceeded in doing this once before. The big losers here? Netflix and TIVO (poor TIVO - they gave us so much and got so little in return). The interesting question is what comes after this? Could Apple go after the new digital cinemas and pipe movies to the cinemas around the country?
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DoubleWah said 11:24AM on 3-02-2006
I think the subscription model makes a lot of sense for movies and less sense for music. I'll typically watch a feature film once only (perhaps a couple of times if I *really* like it), whereas I may listen to the same album over and over again pretty much indefinitely. So... I really hope that Apple go for subscription for films, at least as an option. I wouldn't both archiving them, and I'd like to be able to watch as many as I liked in a month without racking up a huge bill.
Of course, the reality is that I won't be able to do any of this anyway, since I live in the UK, and Apple STILL hasn't got any TV content on their international stores (grrrrr...), so what are the chances that they'll put movies up here?
Si
P.S. Anyone else noticed how few music videos get put on the store? I'd have thought the record companies would be putting everything they've got up for sale, but you can actually find more videos on other free sites than on the iTMS. Odd.
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Tim said 11:31AM on 3-02-2006
I'm hoping Apple will include BOTH pricing models in the new store. Much as with the brick-and-mortar rental market, there are two very different things people want to do with movies. It's perfectly reasonable to want to watch one movie and return it, but also want to own another. Just as some people both subscribe to Netflix and buy DVDs, I think Apple would find that both models compliment each other nicely.
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woneffe said 11:33AM on 3-02-2006
I do not want a subscription based music service, but I would consider a subscription based television and film service, I mean I already have one of those, it's called cable (and NetFlix for that matter). I don't even need, or want to back up my films and television on DVD or a hard drive (some I might, but mostly, I'll just watch and delete).
Someone somewhere, was it here, did the math on downloading shows from iTMS vs. paying for cable and watching shows via TIVO. The current model makes buying shows on iTMS more expensive than cable and TIVO, but if I could download shows through a subscription, we're getting close to a service that would allow me to ditch my cable television. There's a number of shows, such as 24 that I don't watch on cable anyway, I wait for the DVD.
It'll take a while yet for Apple to build the content needed for me to be able to drop my cable service entirely, but it sounds like they're on the right track.
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Ken R said 11:37AM on 3-02-2006
I wouldn't like a subscription service. Although most people only watch a video once or twice, I like to own things. Actually, I take that back. They could do a rental-type service, and then allow purchasing if people so please. But If I actually buy a movie, I want it on DVD (although the encoding and menus and languages would be an issue)
Also, bittorrent is unencrypted, so Apple wouldn't want to pump their paid content through it.
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Goobimama said 11:39AM on 3-02-2006
...and I will have no use for this. There IS no iTMS in for India. And they say that India is full of Piracy...
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Jacob Varghese said 11:40AM on 3-02-2006
I agree with Tim - they need to do both subscription and purchase models.
More importantly these movies better be in a decent enough resolution that I can watch them on my TV.
They need to offer both HD and standard resolution options.
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Rahul Sinha said 11:55AM on 3-02-2006
Personally I like the idea of a subscription service; I use iTMS because its great to use, not because the model particularly thrills me. I have no problem paying $240/yr for music+movies/tvshows... and if Apple ever really tried to screw subscribers, well, there will always be a DeCSS equivalent to let me keep what I have.
With music, $1/song or $10/month for as many doesn't matter to much to me.
I won't pay much more than $5/movie, because, well, I have Netflix. $10/month on the hand, (and instant delivery, no "movies out" max....)
sounds great.
-RS
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Steve said 11:55AM on 3-02-2006
Unlike music songs, which are played over and over again, movies and TV shows generally don't get many replays (comparatively). How many of you are like myself, and have a rack full of DVDs that have only been watched a few times? Point is, you don't play them over, and over, and over like music.
I think a subscription service makes sense, and price single downloads for purchase as well. I'd like to see them add a subscription option for the TV shows also, as this would basically be just time-shifting without commercials.
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avixe said 11:58AM on 3-02-2006
If true, these movies best be at least DVD quality. I'm not buying any video at 320x240.
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A-Pow said 12:00PM on 3-02-2006
Apple is smart. What they are doing is realizing the shift from tangible product buy (going to the store and getting it) to digital. They are also making it happen the way that the studios couldn't. They have the DRM technology in place, they are just taking it 1 step further. I agree that yes in fact I will be creating a server farm just next to my TV in the next year or so with hopefully and Xserve box and tack on a couple of TB of storage. Stevie J also is smart about pricing. The perceived 'cost' (i.e. hassle) of going to the store and finding the DVD and getting it and bringing it home is high enough that people will pay a bit less for the data and subscribe. Who knows what the future will hold, but isn't speculating fun?
Apple is technology married with ease of use. Hello iTMS, iPod, iBook and Airport and stereo. Now figure in the TV and we are good to go. They are doing what Google is doing. Taking the things that we want and making them accessible to everyone and wherever they want it. But yes if they incorporated BT into the whole video thing would be nice. Rock solid DL speeds and burden off their servers. Can't wait.
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Ernest Leitch said 12:26PM on 3-02-2006
IF apple does create a iTunes movie store there is no way it will be a subscription service. Apple has shown no signs of doing anything like that with their music and doing it with movies doesn't sound like a good move. Like one of the previous people said "I like owning things". If they create a movie store you will probably be able to buy the movie for $9.99 with no special features. Just the movie and you won't be able to burn it to a DVD. You might be able to convert it for you iPod video and that's it. Movie exec's wouldn't be to thrilled about the fact you could download one of their movies and burn it for all your friends.
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Greg said 12:53PM on 3-02-2006
Subscription BAD!
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Ed said 12:56PM on 3-02-2006
Before any of this happens, they need to get ISPs (especially Comcast and Rogers) to increase (or in Comcast's case DEFINE) their bandwidth caps before they launch this, or they're gonna get blamed for the ISPs dumbassery.
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Travis said 1:56PM on 3-02-2006
If Apple did this, do you realize what this would mean? If they had a subscription service to every movie and included tv shows in the deal. In effect, you would have your own little "cable company." You could ditch comcast or ever you pay $60+ a month for, and only pay $10.
I am all for it!
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christine said 2:09PM on 3-02-2006
I would like BOTH options available, because a lot of people like either/or. I personally like the buy-and-own model and do not want a subscription service to be my only choice.
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David said 2:29PM on 3-02-2006
if Apple did have a subscription based option for music I'd use it with my nano as long as Apple ups the bitrates of all their music. I would never pay the prices Apple is charging for songs at the moment as it's way to high for the quality you get
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Brett said 2:38PM on 3-02-2006
So, could you point me to the link where I can buy those terabytes for pennies? I have lots of pennies. :>
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