The ongoing expansion of edu-world content in iTunes continues with Friday's addition of PBS to iTunes U (direct link); teaching support videos and instructional content from KQED, WETA, WNET thirteen, WGBH and more. Video clips that illustrate science, geography or history (including segments from Ken Burns' documentary The War) are accompanied by PDF lesson plans and educator's guides -- awful handy!

While all the iTunes U PBS content is free to download and use, the PBS shows already on iTunes remain for-pay. Too bad -- I suppose I'll have to pay $4.99 a show if I'm going to grab some NOVA episodes and settle in.

[via Apple Hot News]

PBS is in need of a new science show, and they have a conundrum on their hands. They need one new science show, and they have three pilots for science shows. What's a non-profit network to do? Why, make all three shows available for free on iTunes (and other places) and let the viewers choose which one will make it into full pledge series-dom.

The three shows are (all iTunes Store links):

• Wired Science
• Science Investigators
• 22nd Century

Watch them, and let PBS know which one is the best.

If, in the Venn diagram of life, you are a person who enjoys traveling and watching PBS Rick Steves is a name that will be familiar to you. Rick is a well known author and host of various travel specials and guides. Unbeknownst to me he is also podcasting like mad. Not only has he released some of his recent "European Christmas," which originally aired on PBS, as a seven part video podcast (free at that), he has also made available a few walking tours of Paris. He covers the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, Versailles, and a historic Paris Walk.

You've learned the language, now learn about the history and culture with the help of Rick.

'This program made possible by iTunes users like you.'

PBS is classing up the iTunes Store with a selection [iTS link] of children's and primetime programming. Available for purchase are episodes of Arthur, Cyberchase, FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman, Antiques Roadshow, Nova, Now, and Scientific American Frontiers (which is my favorite of the lot, however, Alan Alda is no Woodie Flowers).

The standard iTunes Store pricing of $1.99 per episodes applies to all the PBS programming.

[via iLounge]

Update: As Russ points out, Nova episodes cost $7.99. I didn't notice that earlier. That seems a little high to me, but Nova is a fine show.

Engadget HD linked a theory from Robert X. Cringely as to why Apple hasn't included Blu-ray drives in any of their Macs yet (it isn't even an option in the Mac Pro), despite being on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association. Mr. Cringely more or less links the lack of Blu-ray in Macs to movies and Apple's strategy with downloadable iTS content and the upcoming iTV. The thinking goes: if Apple can sell you a downloadable movie through the iTS and an iTV on which to watch it - why undercut that model with a Blu-ray drive built right into the machine?

I disagree. There's plenty of other uses and potential (heck, they can hold up to 50GB) in these warring next generation optical formats (Blu-ray and their mortal enemy, HD-DVD), and that's exactly the point: these formats are in the middle of an industry polarizing war, and I think Apple hasn't committed to including either in their machines because they don't want risk leaving their customers high and dry once the dust settles and (dear lord, finally) one format wins out. The iTS/movie downloads/iTV theory doesn't hold water in my book also because that would mean they should eliminate CD and DVD drives from their machines - after all, those drives can undercut their iTunes Store music and movie purchases, right? These discs can hold a lot more than simple movies.

This ridiculous Blu-ray/HD-DVD situation is Betamax vs. VHS all over again, and while Apple is known for pushing the envelope on which technologies they adopt, I believe they're simply waiting for an actual standard to emerge. The only question is when these camps are going to get over themselves and stop forcing consumers to stock up on Advil for every trip to the electronics store.