Rumors: Possible early confirmation of iTunes movie rentals

In a theoretical AppleTV 2.0 HD rental model, you could have a pick list (Netflix style) and as bandwidth and hard drive space become available it would background download the movie. If it takes a day or two, that still might be faster than you'd get it on netflix. You could download as many as your hard drive / bandwidth would allow. Then rental period (say 3 to 5 days) would not begin until you activate the movie to watch it. After the time period is over you might be able to extend the "lease" for another buck or two.

Then it becomes like a download TiVo where you have these movies in a list that you can watch (sort-of) at will.

Here's my beef with the idea: I already have an HD Tivo and a much faster download pipe called DirecTV. It downloads multiple HD movie at a time, all which look really good and it does it in real time - although not on demand. I already pay for DirecTV, and it also records Blue's Clues episodes for my 2 year old. All this content is covered under one monthly price and I don't expect to get rid of that service anytime soon.

For me DVDs (HD DVD's - or unfortunately now BD) is the ultimate on demand. Maybe I'm the only one, but I would rather buy physical media than watch a tivo version of the same media. Why? Because the physical media is sitting on a shelf and I can access it any time I want and take it with me anywhere. The tivo version will someday get deleted to make room for another episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Having said all of that, my prediction for tomorrow is a new AppleTV with a larger hard drive, HD download rentals right from the box, Leopard-based with OS X and Safari web browsing from your TV. BUT NO BluRay drive as that would sabotage their rental business.

@ Ryan

It is different this time round though, Netflix & Blockbuster etc. are the current standard, and if Apple is going to compete they need to meet and exceed them, not be a step below the current offerings.

iTunes did well because it was setting the standard not meeting it. See the difference? The current model works well now and Apple needs to follow it and make it better, not worse.

I know they can do it.

the iTunes Store has had "film distribution" for a while now... even if this quote is true, he didn't say anything about rentals.

HD & Flat Rate, No time limit on rentals at 3 or 5 at out a time Like Netflix. If not, I will pass.

Why pay 3.99 per rental when there are flat rate options with the competitors? It would be VERY Dumb if Apple skipped on the flat rate plan, consider it DOA if they do.

"flawed" means "can be ripped using software like Handbrake, thus bypassing our DRM/multi-pay for fair-use schemes."

Speaking of iTunes, and completely off topic. But it really burns me when I read about Amazon scoring that deal and that deal with the music studios..Am I nuts or is Apple actually being penalized because its trying to give consumers the best possible chance of legal downloads by keeping costs reasonable, and in the ZONE. iTunes has had the greatest effect on my switch to legal downloads, and I feel they are getting shafted for it.

--"Physical media is not "flawed." "

The correct statement was "Physical media delivery" is flawed.

--"I really wish people would do some research before they spout-off against disc-based media."

Speaking of spouting off...

superbug, perhaps you should get a degree or something. h.264 doesn't tell you anything about the compression level retard. but i guess people who know they are right are always right. idiot. research compression. bluray movies don't use maximum compression settings. its possible to compress a 1080p movie below 25gb. so maybe you yourself should quit spout off retard. idiot. get some education for yourself and perhaps get some help for your pompus attitude. spout off. pffff right....

My AppleTV and I been waiting a year for HD quality (720 is fine for now) downloads from iTunes, so let's hope that is finally coming true. I was hoping 2007 would be the last year I would ever have to buy another DVD (of any format).. fingers crossed for '08.

I am not too interested in rentals either, as I see a film at the movies or just don't bother with it. If I like it, I want to own it to have in my AppleTV library and watch whenever I'm in the mood.

I'm not sure what model of "rentals" could change that... perhaps if AppleTV had access to versions of EVERY MOVIE AND TV SHOW EVER MADE (in HD and Mobile resolution downloads) then I might enjoy letting Apple "store" the media for me and pay a subscription fee to access ALL OF IT anytime I wanted. Then cancel Cable TV and that would probably suffice.

We'll know in less than 24 hours where '08 is headed on the virtual media front!

I would hope that they finally will move to HD content. I feel like Apple has been testing the waters for some time now with HD trailers available via the quicktime site (and via frontrow?). Microsoft provides (albeit limited) HD movie rentals on Xbox live, it is time for Apple to enter the arena.

Furthermore, I would like to see FrontRow tied in to the movie rental process.