iTunes 8.2 to include Blu-ray support?
There's a new iTunes beta version out in developers' hands straight from Apple, and a forum poster over at Mac Rumors found a little something fun in the About screen: a reference to Gracenote's ability to identify Blu-ray discs. Gracenote is the service that IDs your CDs when you import them into iTunes, so you don't have to sit there and type all the track names and artist information in. Apparently Apple is mentioning that not only CDs and DVDs, but also Blu-ray discs, will get information from Gracenote in the latest version of iTunes.
This doesn't mean that Apple will adapt Blu-ray as a standard (though it would probably be about time, don't you think?). But it should mean that the future version of iTunes will include Blu-ray support, so if you happen to have a Blu-ray drive hooked up to your Mac, you'll be able to read or play the discs via iTunes.
It could just mean that Apple has upgraded the Gracenote version in their app, however, and that they have no plans to actually use it -- the text in the About screen could just be a boilerplate cut-and-paste from some required Gracenote documentation that happens to include "Blu-ray." We'll have to wait and see just what shows up in 8.2 when it eventually releases to the public.
Share
Update: Our bad... the date on the MacRumors comment was in late April, and this recycled up into our queue due to an editing mixup....
Add a Comment
THis beta of itunes 8.2 came with the latest build of iphone beta 4
May 20 2009 at 2:53 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI would Really love iTunes to become Apples Version of Media Center in my opinon this is long over due i mean iTunes already plays movie files MP3s etc why not play blu ray and DVDs right from itunes to than really Itunes can be the all in one media player program for mac.
May 19 2009 at 9:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDoesn't a BR drive work with a Mac now? I thought the stipulation was that you couldn't actually decode a BR movie, but could use it for storage media. Wouldn't that fit with the stuff above if you could burn a BR disc full of music like you can with a CD or DVD now?
May 19 2009 at 6:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySurely they'd just call DVD player movie player and have it that way? The goldmine would be ripping movies on iTunes, but that is a big hairy pig in the sky.
May 19 2009 at 6:43 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyOr this could be support for the whole "digital copy" thing that most movies have now these days.
May 19 2009 at 6:22 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAt WWDC, Apple will announce a first Mac with Blu-Ray built in, and that would be the Mac Pro, with immediate availability.
May 19 2009 at 5:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI think they'd have to go across the board as few would buy a new system knowing that a blu-ray version is right around the corner. I know I wouldn't. That 17" MacBook Pro is beyond sad without it. Especially with its display being 1920px wide.
May 19 2009 at 8:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replythey will announce that 17 inch will have blu-ray support, and might offer exchange option for those who bought it after Macworld for a fee....
(same with Mac Pro, they will offer exchange option for version with Blu-Ray)
Or maybe they are adding to iTunes so that when a user has a Blu-Ray player in their PC it will do the work for them. Macs are not the only platform that iTunes runs on...
May 19 2009 at 4:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyApple wouldn't give PC's support for somthing that is not even available on a mac yet. that is rediculous.
May 19 2009 at 7:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeja vu anyone? Deja vu anyone?
May 19 2009 at 4:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyBeanie, you're wrong. Mark my words.
May 19 2009 at 4:06 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyBlu Ray video is so irrelevant anyways. It will never go mainstream, as soon as high-res (actual high-res) movie downloads come out, Blu-Ray will go the way of LaserDisc. Now, storage is another issue.
May 19 2009 at 3:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
Deals of the Day
more deals- Verizon Leather Sleeve for Tablets for $4 + free shipping
- Wicked Jaw Breaker Noise-Isolating In-Ear Headphones for $6 + free shipping
- Refurb Apple MacBook Air Laptops: 12" 64GB SSD for $699 + free shipping
- JVC Motion Sensing Clock Radio with Dual iPod Docks for $55 + free shipping
- Apple iPhone Headset with Mic for $4 + $2 s&h
- Refurb Apple iPod nano 8GB MP3 Player for $99 + free shipping, 16GB for $119
Software Updates
more updates- EFI Firmware Update brings Lion Internet Recovery to 2010-model Macs
- OS X Lion 10.7.3 released with Safari 5.1.3, Wi-Fi bug fix
- Aperture updated to 3.2.2, addresses Photo Stream issue
- Apple updates Keynote to address Lion issues
- Google Search app gets new look on iPad
- Apple releases Apple TV Software Update 4.4.3
Featured Stories
more stories
Popular Stories
TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
24 Comments