I am trying to decide between a Blu-ray and an Apple Tv. The whole point of buying one of these two is to have the HD quality for my movies. But for Apple TV, the fact that any time I want to watch an HD movie I have to rent it really worries me. I just wish they would offer the rent option, the rent in HD option, the buy option, and the buy in HD option. What do you think, will it ever happen?
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What do you guys think, will Apple ever sell HD movies?
- Thread starter ddan2022
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Of course they will. As it stands, I don't think that the 60% of Internet users that still use dial-up would appreciate HD downloads.
I doubt it, the model for "selling" movies via the Internet doesn't really make much sense. It's one thing to sell throwaway 5Mb $1 music files, it's another to sell 5Gb $10-20 "movies", with limited ability to back them up, and where the preferred medium for viewing is a 32"+ display.
A more likely model is a subscription service, where you'll have access to any movies you want on an unlimited viewing basis for a per-monthly fee. This fits more easily into Apple's "just works" model as there's no need to transfer movie files from one system to another or make back-ups. The user only needs cached local copies, which can be managed by the system.
For most people, a subscription to a service offering every movie ever made digitally available is a superior option to trying to build a library from DVDs or (*shudder*) Blu-ray discs. I'm a big DVD collector, and probably would have done the same with a "just works" HD media system, but given the choice, I'd rather pay $15 a month and watch whatever I want when I want rather than just watch the movies I've already bought from a store.
I suspect, in the end, that's the direction Apple will head for, and I suspect you'll like it better than a "buy" option.
A more likely model is a subscription service, where you'll have access to any movies you want on an unlimited viewing basis for a per-monthly fee. This fits more easily into Apple's "just works" model as there's no need to transfer movie files from one system to another or make back-ups. The user only needs cached local copies, which can be managed by the system.
For most people, a subscription to a service offering every movie ever made digitally available is a superior option to trying to build a library from DVDs or (*shudder*) Blu-ray discs. I'm a big DVD collector, and probably would have done the same with a "just works" HD media system, but given the choice, I'd rather pay $15 a month and watch whatever I want when I want rather than just watch the movies I've already bought from a store.
I suspect, in the end, that's the direction Apple will head for, and I suspect you'll like it better than a "buy" option.
Eh, I'm not really into gaming,
Right now I have around 150 DVDs, six seasons of Seinfeld, five seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, four seasons of Sopranos and I am just loving the idea of being able to browse through and watch all of that without touching a disc.
Right now I have around 150 DVDs, six seasons of Seinfeld, five seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, four seasons of Sopranos and I am just loving the idea of being able to browse through and watch all of that without touching a disc.
Which, northy124, is what he's talking about. Not a standalone player, but a digital medium. There will be HD downloads when the American broadband system can handle the dozens of terabytes flying around.
He didn't say that he wanted it on a PC or Mac in his first post so my post isn't wrong like your trying to imply.
Never going to happen.
The studios want to go to a "pay-per-view" model, especially with HD content.
And as far as Blu-ray, there's a reason that Blu-ray players are going to be required to have network capabilities...
I think the reason you can only rent HD movies via ATV and NOT on your computer is a rights issue. Something about being able to play HD iTunes content on your computer might let you copy it somehow? The HDMI connection on the ATV keeps you from copying content- that is why you can only rent HD iTunes from your ATV and NOT from your computer.
So I think this would have to be addressed before you will be able to purchase HD content as then they would HAVE to let you view it on your PC and iPod.
So I think this would have to be addressed before you will be able to purchase HD content as then they would HAVE to let you view it on your PC and iPod.
I posted on another post about how the cable companies are going to start to limit bandwidth use or charge extra.
This makes me nervous for the whole ATV model to begin with.
As such, as much as I love ATV, I would go with the Blu Ray. (I hope I'm wrong, I just think cable will do what it can to kill all of its competition, including ATV).
This makes me nervous for the whole ATV model to begin with.
As such, as much as I love ATV, I would go with the Blu Ray. (I hope I'm wrong, I just think cable will do what it can to kill all of its competition, including ATV).
Not for everything, no. What they want is to maximize revenues and minimize piracy. PPV isn't a solution to that.
And as far as Blu-ray, there's a reason that Blu-ray players are going to be required to have network capabilities...
Yeah, for additional web-enabled content. Blu-ray's network abilities are no different to HD DVD's.
In the end, the industry is going to be forced to cater for the fact that Blu-ray isn't a practical movie delivery system, thanks to the moronic decision to make BD+ part of the system, and that people want to be able to watch the same movie over and over again without paying each time. The only practical way to do this is either to ditch Blu-ray and switch to yet another hard media based system (fat chance), or adopt a subscription system. The only net result of them not addressing this issue is to guarantee that pretty much everyone will switch over to piracy based solutions. No amount of half-arsed hacks from AACS to BD+ will prevent piracy from taking off if content producers refuse to provide content in a usable form. And making PPV compulsory is refusing to provide content in a usable form.
What the industry wants is to make money. Subscriptions work for that, and they're far more consumer friendly than PPV, and address all of the reasons why people might otherwise choose alternatives.
I think at some point apple will most likely add HD movie purchases however their current technology isn't there yet. Before they can really push HD purchases they need to increase storage on AppleTV's, with the 40gig there is hardly room for a few of them which would then require streaming from a PC bringing on a whole other mess of issues. I would say by the next iteration of the AppleTV it will be possible.
They will at some point, but until studios lay off their crazy DRM it won't take off. People aren't going to shell out $229 per TV for Apple TV. Blu-ray Disc players have many more features when it comes to movies and will probably drop to $200 this holiday season. They players are also adding BD Live, which is some Web-enabled extra feature capability.
Apple TV is great for renting HD movies, but I haven't even bought one mainstream movie from iTunes yet because I can't burn it to disc. When the studios realize the copyright infringers are getting past their systems anyway, maybe they'll allow us to burn DVDs and BDs that we can use in players. They're treating downloadable movie services like they did Napster, whereas iTunes and its competitors are what got people to stop illegally downloading music as much.
In short, hold off until later this year. Get a player with BD-Live or a PS3. If you have an azz-kicking sound system, you'll thank yourself.