Anyone Hear if Apple TV Getting Movie Extras?

[BoulderBum]

I saw at the event today that iTunes now has movie extras (like the "special features" you have on a DVD).

It's great that iTunes has them, but has anyone heard if you'll be able to use them on Apple TV (where you'd really want to use them)?

 

[Duffinator]

Great question but I don't have an answer. Hopefully someone else will.

 

[dissdnt]

Im sure an update will be out soon to be in sync with all the updated stuff.

 

[FreeState]

In iTunes 9 it says they are only available for iTunes on a PC or a Mac and with purchase only (not rentals).

 

[yancey47]

I would have to think that they would enable this feature on ATV. It'd be a way nice selling point. I'm a little surprised they didn't put this on ATV first or at least the same time. This seems made for it.

 

[Duffinator]

I would have to think that they would enable this feature on ATV. It'd be a way nice selling point. I'm a little surprised they didn't put this on ATV first or at least the same time. This seems made for it.

Typical lack of support for our favorite "hobby", the ATV.

 

[jaw04005]

Last year, the Apple TV received an update in early October to make it fully compatible with the addition of HDTV shows and Genius to iTunes 8. Yet, iTunes 8 was released September 9, 2008.

I’d give them about a month to get out an update for “Extras” and “LPs."

 

[fpnc]

As others have suggested, I expect the Apple TV will get an update to support these features within the next several weeks (maybe a little more or less).

 

[BoulderBum]

Now I wonder if my old purchases (Wall-E), will have their "extras" available for purchase or free download. It doesn't look like it, so far.

 

[Billy Boo Bob]

The GUI is wrong.

Don't get your hopes up. I doubt it will happen with the current ATV software.

With the album and movie extras GUI the way it is they would all need to be re-worked for ATV. If you noticed in the demo they use rollover image type buttons/links for navigation (looking like web pages). To do that on ATV you'll end up with focus rings around what's "active", jumping around like when you press the tab key on a keyboard.

Either that or something like pressing the left button on the remote to bring up an overlay navigation menu that's more like ATV, that duplicates all of the links on the current page.

Either way, for all the albums and movies involved, it sounds like a whole lot of work. I suppose you cold work it into Remote.app for touch devices, but not everybody with an ATV owns an iPhone or iPod Touch.

 

[jaw04005]

With the album and movie extras GUI the way it is they would all need to be re-worked for ATV.

Really? I think the iTunes Extras look like a DVD or Blu-ray menu. Obviously, that would be easy to navigate with the current Apple remote.

I bet they’re coming sooner rather than later.

 

[fieldy au]

I bought 'Office Space' (one of my favourite movies of all time) last night as it has the extras via iTunes 9 and no, no extras on TV

 

[Billy Boo Bob]

Really? I think the iTunes Extras look like a DVD or Blu-ray menu. Obviously, that would be easy to navigate with the current Apple remote.

I bet they’re coming sooner rather than later.

Watch the keynote again, starting at 25:00... I don't see the little white remote working well with these. Especially the one he shows for Wall-E. Not ATV like. Looks more like a set of web pages.

 

[JonHimself]

Watch the keynote again, starting at 25:00... I don't see the little white remote working well with these. Especially the one he shows for Wall-E. Not ATV like. Looks more like a set of web pages.

See I still think it's like navigating the stupid DVD menus using the direction buttons on my cable box's remote (ie press down two times then enter to go the "Chapter Selection" section, then press down a couple more times and enter to select the chapter). It looks like the menu is pretty straight-forward and would be easy enough to navigate with just arrows.

edit: though I will have to watch the keynote when I get home to check out that part

 

[blackpond]

I hope they add this to ATV soon. It's one of the few reasons I still prefer to buy a DVD instead of an iTunes movie - extra features, chapter selection etc. This will tip the scale further in favor of digital download type purchases for me at least.

 

[CalMin]

I hope they add this to ATV soon. It's one of the few reasons I still prefer to buy a DVD instead of an iTunes movie - extra features, chapter selection etc. This will tip the scale further in favor of digital download type purchases for me at least.

This is key. I still buy blu-ray because of this (and the lousy collection of HD) on AppleTV. I would love to buy all digital and save the clutter, but there's always stuff on the physical media that I want.