Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, Video
The case of the missing shows in the iTunes Store
If you think that Mac geeks are a a vocal group, you haven't met any SciFi geeks (a group of which I easily fall into). This Friday was the highly anticipated season premiere of Battlestar Galactica's 3rd season. As you know, BSG is available on the iTunes Store, however, 3 days after the premier there is no sign of the 3rd season opener on iTunes.This isn't the first we have heard of major lag time between a show airing on TV and then becoming available on the iTunes Store. Apple, if you want people to buy these shows you really need to post them in a timely fashion (a few hours after the show is on TV would be great, immediately after the airing would be even better though harder to do thanks to time zones).
Anyone else noticing that their favorite shows are taking awhile to become available for download?
Oh, and the BSG episode in question was awesome.
Thanks, Quix.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
muaddib420 said 12:43PM on 10-09-2006
all the more reason that people use torrents or newzgroups. it's like, hmmmm, 5 day delay, 2 dollars an episode, inferior resolution, DRM up the wazoo.
on the other hand, you've got hi def, FREE, immediate postings (usually) after the show, no DRM. of course i have to include the big downside: "illegal."
Reply
ginzuknives said 12:55PM on 10-09-2006
itunes is also slow to post the Survivor episodes. Even worse, they posted the same episode twice! It was a week or so before I got an email for itunes with a like to download the correct episode.
Reply
MikeCP said 12:53PM on 10-09-2006
Someone mentioned that Weeds season 2 is MIA and I feel the pain as well.
I gotta say, I don't have Showtime, and traditionally I like to avoid illegal means of acquiring music and movies, so buying episodes of Weeds on iTunes kept me feeling all warm inside. However, its absence has sent me spiraling towards bittorrent. Thing is, its usually up on bittorrent in a couple hours, and no later than the next day.
Reply
Mark D. said 12:54PM on 10-09-2006
Evan:
Maybe that explains why they reaired Precipice at midnight last night. It also means I missed Occupation (damn!) Of course it's reairing again tonight so...
Reply
Mr Krinkle said 12:56PM on 10-09-2006
This ticked my off as well for Jericho. I was fully situated to buy passes for Jericho, Heroes, and BSG S3 for this season to take advantage of my shiny new 20" iMac I just got. But the time gap (Jobs did say the next day, did he not?) missing episodes, I'm writing the iTunes store off for this season. Our local Bit Torrent dealers will feed the need faster and look darned good in Front Row.
I do agree though that this is a fault with the content creators, not Apple directly. But the studios pulled the shotgun out on this one, hitting not only their own foots, but Apple as well.
Reply
Quix said 12:58PM on 10-09-2006
The plot thickens: there was a thread in the Apple support discussions regarding the missing BSG season 3 episode and that thread has now been removed completely from the boards.
What the frack is going on???
Reply
Donald Burr said 1:19PM on 10-09-2006
To the guy from Canada:
Perhaps you missed the point Steve brought up in the Sept. "Showtime" event - the TV and movies will be International within the next year. (or something to that effect - I don't have the showtime video handy)
Reply
Dave Zatz said 1:41PM on 10-09-2006
"Oh, and the BSG episode in question was awesome."
Am I the only one who disagrees? After watching the Season 3 2 hour premiere, I decided I just don't care about the people or story anymore.
Reply
twentysf said 1:48PM on 10-09-2006
In regards to the first episode of Heroes not being online anymore, that is most likely due to the lawsuit against the network by the garbage disposal company (they mentioned that they had to pull reruns of that episode).
It was available when it aired, and then disappeared about the same time as the lawsuit.
Reply
moonpig said 1:55PM on 10-09-2006
Also missing is Ronald Moore's commentary podcast. The link doesn't even work on sci fi's site.
Reply
Steve said 2:27PM on 10-09-2006
Just have to say that Tivo is a beautiful thing! And with an Intel mac, you CAN download the .tivo file and convert them to mpeg2 format.
Reply
Quix said 2:39PM on 10-09-2006
"Just have to say that Tivo is a beautiful thing!"
Yeah, I just got tired of paying $10/month to upgrade my cable package just to get Sci Fi, not to mention the crappy quality I got from the TiVo recordings.
Now that iTunes does 640x480 video, buying the entire season through iTunes and watching it on my big screen TV via my iPod seemed the perfect solution. Until the powers-that-be screwed it up, that is.
Reply
franko said 2:51PM on 10-09-2006
i'm with #10 above -- the continuing absence of the BSG podcast is killing me. i have some relatives who are counting on getting their BSG episodes from the ITS, so i'm sure this delay has them screaming, too.
Reply
Jason Guthrie said 6:46PM on 10-09-2006
As someone new to downloading TV episodes (bought my first ones this month as well as a season pass) this has been my biggest complaint. I started purchasing episodes to replace the fact that I've missed them - but having to wait three days for them to be posted is a little disappointing.
Reply
Brian Sexton said 3:03PM on 10-09-2006
Dave Zats wrote (regarding "Oh, and the BSG episode in question was awesome."):
"Am I the only one who disagrees? After watching the Season 3 2 hour premiere, I decided I just don't care about the people or story anymore."
I am still interested, but the show definitely feels different now. I don't want to give anything away, so I will be fairly vague, but if anyone who wants to avoid spoilers has not yet seen "Occupation/Precipice" or at least the ten-part episode "The Resistance" on scifi.com (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/webisodes/), please SKIP THE NEXT *THREE* PARAGRAPHS.
[ SKIP - POSSIBLE SPOILERS! ]
There is a lot of conflict on the show now and not just between humans and cylons: there is a lot of strife within groups and even within individuals. The new situation on New Caprica has led to apparent moral changes for a lot of people, both human and cylon. The real question, though, is if these apparent changes are real changes or whether these people's morals have never before been so tested.
Characters who may have previously earned our affection or respect as valiant defenders of life fleeing unjust extermination and seeking a peaceful existence may have lost it through becoming violent, murderous terrorists who rationalize the deaths of the same people they once protected for the sake of their new cause. In doing so, they have created an environment in which even some of the cylons--especially the Number Six from Caprica, the Sharon/Boomer/Number Eight from Galactica (a.k.a. the real Sharon/Boomer; the one who shot William Adama and had a very difficult time accepting that she was a cylon), and the Sharon/Boomer/Number Eight from Caprica (the one who came to Galactica with Helo)--seem more rational and at times, even more noble than many of the humans.
Compared to Saul Tigh (since he came to New Caprica), even Tom Zarek seems reserved and diplomatic. Compared to the Sharon/Boomer/Number Eight from Galactica, Cally (the deck crew member who shot and "killed" that Number Eight for shooting Adama) seems spiteful and belligerent. Compared to Conoy (I don't know if his number has been revealed on the show), Kara/Starbuck seems not only hot-headed (usual for her), but violent. Compared to Doral (Number Five), Biers (Number Three), and Cavil (I don't know if his number has been revealed on the show), Baltar seems almost innocent and certainly pitiable.
[/ SKIP - POSSIBLE SPOILERS! ]
Ronald Moore and his associates are clever people, so I am sure they are going somewhere with these dark times, dark events, and looks into the dark places within their characters. Good science fiction always seems to be more about the characters than the science fiction setting and that is certainly true of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Reply
Tim Gardner said 5:05PM on 10-09-2006
Think yourselves lucky. We still don't even have the first season of BSG on iTunes in the UK, or for that any other TV shows!
Reply
Andrew Turner said 6:29PM on 10-09-2006
It appears the show is available through "NBC UNIVERSAL VIP ACCESS" - nice name. But when you click through to do that you get the following message:
"Select NBC Universal shows are now available for download on Intel® Viiv™ technology and Intel® Centrino® mobile technology based-PCs for a limited time."
Of course, when I click on view it, on a Mac or even Windows Machine:
"We're Sorry, the requested download is unavailable. Due to contract limitations downloads are only available to users with Intel® Viiv™ technology or Intel® Centrino® mobile technology based-PCs which located in the United States. Please check back soon for other offers. "
Superb - this is kwalitee.
Reply
Nate said 6:31PM on 10-09-2006
Posting it immediately after the show airs in pacific time (or alaska's west timezone?) would be GREAT. They -should- be posted immediately after the US's last showing finishes. I actually use a Dual-tuner TiVo + Elgato eyeTV to their full abilities twice during the week because shows overlap. It would be nice if I could just download some shows immediately after they air. kthxbye.
Reply
Rom said 6:56PM on 10-09-2006
I am waiting for the BSG Season Pass, too! I got The Office season 3 season pass and I agree that it gets there a bit late. Shame on you, iTS!
For awhile there, the Eureka episodes got messed up as well. Episode 12 released without Episode 11. Shesh!
I'd say stick with your promise and deliver the goods, iTS!
Reply
Brandon said 9:01PM on 10-09-2006
The daily show and colbert report multi passes can be terrible sometimes, they can be as late as 3 days. its extremely frustrating
Reply