Need advice on Apple and 1080p.

[BG-Mac]

So I'm a HUGE iTunes user, but have been amassing quite the blu-ray collection as of late. How does everyone feel about Apple and 1080p downloads? If they were available for download there's no question I'd go that route over physical media. Do you think we'll seem them anytime soon? If not do you think Apple will offer HD upgrades in the future much like they did with iTunes Plus? I know this is all speculation at this point, but would just like to get a feel for the overall consensus. I hate buying physical media but am addicted to 1080P!

 

[Tallest Skil]

Once the Apple TV gets an update, we'll have 1080p in iTunes.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

Bandwidth. GB allowance on downloads. I don't feel good about 1080p in that sense.

 

[BG-Mac]

Bandwidth. GB allowance on downloads. I don't feel good about 1080p in that sense.

I feel the same way, but for some reason I feel that Apple has something up their sleeve.

 

[Winnterpeg]

.. If they were available for download there's no question I'd go that route over physical media..

I agree with with 100%, but I think you answered your own question here. It seems because the BD-Disc development consortium does not want digital HD versions available to the general public yet (legally anyway).

 

[phrehdd]

So I'm a HUGE iTunes user, but have been amassing quite the blu-ray collection as of late. How does everyone feel about Apple and 1080p downloads? If they were available for download there's no question I'd go that route over physical media. Do you think we'll seem them anytime soon? If not do you think Apple will offer HD upgrades in the future much like they did with iTunes Plus? I know this is all speculation at this point, but would just like to get a feel for the overall consensus. I hate buying physical media but am addicted to 1080P!

I think it may be important to distinguish that not all 1080p are created equal. It is possible to compress a 1080p movie down to a much smaller file but as you can guess, you'll notice the lack of quality.

Itunes HD movies are no where near the quality of say a blu ray movie. However, they do look good for what they are - a much smaller file decently compressed. I think iTunes HD movies are ideal for people with screens that are 720p. 1080p files would have to be substantially larger to exploit the potential resolution. This in turn requires bandwidth in the home. Not everyone opts for higher bandwidth at home and to provide these files that fail to play properly (no fault of Apple/iTunes) would aptly sour people on ATV and iTunes in general.

I have played around with re-compressing movie files and always see a difference when choosing size of file over quality. I have also seen 720p media look far better than 1080p played on a 1080 screen. In this, I rather see iTunes work on the best 720p they can provide over 1080p at this time.

Sometimes we have to be careful what we ask for when it comes to media over the net.

- Phrehdd