. . .hmmm. . .


iTunes Movies Outsell HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc


. . .Apple has sold 7 million movies since the, and yet that number has been more or less deemed a failure. But, thats a million more than the six million Blu-Ray Discs sold as of the end 2007 according to Home Media Research, besting HD-DVD by a near 2-to-1 margin. . .


MISSING LINK to the full article. . .which by the way is kinda short so. . .not much more to read. . .

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2008 12:05AM by NewtonMP2100.

Doubtful (Blu-Ray being dead too, etc.)...

...as long as people, the majority, prefer to have something physical in their hand/collection...then they'll always be a huge market for the media discs...whatever technology it may be.

On-Demand services and traditional media will likely always co-exist.

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Isn't this what some people had supposed Microsoft was planning on doing themselves? Prolonging the format war so that they could build an online market for movies?

Too bad Apple beat them to it. Again.

I just wish online publications used a copy editor.

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And hope is a lousy defense.

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Eh, maybe. Don't all the HD movies come in 1080p, a resolution the Apple player does not output?

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

Quote
Filliam H. Muffman
Eh, maybe. Don't all the HD movies come in 1080p, a resolution the Apple player does not output?

Most movies on HD DVD or Blu-ray are encoded at 1080p. Those two media are the only commercial sources for 1080p movies. Note that some compatible players are incapable of outputting 1080p--1080i is the best they can do.

Most HDTVs do not support 1080p. In fact, most HDTVs in consumers' homes natively support only 1280 x 720p. Apple was right to choose this as their target resolution for this and other reasons including file sizes and playback device cost.

While more folks may have 720p displays than have 1080i/p displays, as of March of 2007 (the latest statistics I could find), most people in the US were still watching TV on 480i displays.

Right now, there is a large overlap between HDTV owners and the kinds of high-speed internet subscribers who are comfortable watching a movie on a computer display.

As February 2009 approaches, the number of 1080p displays in homes will exceed the number of 720p displays.

It am guessing that many people will have both a set-top box for digital downloads and a Blu Ray (or HD DVD) player.

It is still a question of how many people will have access to broadband in the same room where they watch TV. Cable company "bundling" is increasing this number, but cable companies also offer pay-per-view services that compete with the digital download services for the new-release viewers.

I am wondering how many people will want to have three (or more) boxes attached to their TVs, and how many will choose AppleTV in addition to a DVR and an optical disc player.

I am thinking that the success, or failure, of AppleTV will rest on how easy it is to browse the catalogs of older movies, rather on how well they market this feature. People like to shop. A big part of the appeal of bricks and mortar movie rentals is walking around the store, looking for something interesting to watch on a night in.

A wide selection of older flicks might be more valuable than 1080i/p to a lot of folks.

And it wouldn't hurt if Apple could come up with a digital grocery store at which you could stop for a six-pack and chips on your way back from the iTMS movie rental service.

X,

This is one of the issues I have with the AppleTV. People want less clutter in their living rooms. Yes, the AppleTV is small but it is still another device in the stack, one that doesn't offer some of the basic features of other living room entertainment hardware.

People have their TV.

People have their cable box (which for some also doubles as a DVR)

People have their home theater receiver

People have their DVD player

Many but not all people have a DVD Recorder

Many but not all people have a VCR

Some people have a dedicated DVR like a TIVO.

Some of these items can replace others outright, i.e. DVD recorders replaces VCR and DVD player, and others can be purchased as combo units such as VCR/DVD players or VCR/DVD recorders or even DVR/DVD recorders, it's still a slew of items.

Now Apple wants you to buy an AppleTV and include it amongst the stack.

What can it easily replace?

The cable box? Not at all right now. Maybe if the AppleTV included support for the necessary software and hardware for tuning, cable cards and a guide system.

The DVR? Not at all right now. Maybe if the AppleTV included support for the necessary software and hardware to give the AppleTV DVR capabilities.

The DVD player? Yes since the idea is to buy and rent movies from Apple. But, people have existing collections of movies on DVD. They still want to watch them easily. So, it's either still hold onto a DVD player or rip one, a few or all of one's DVD collection which is inconvenient initially.

The VCR or DVD recorder? Not at all right now. Maybe if the AppleTV included support for the necessary software and hardware to give the AppleTV DVR capabilities. I see no point in Apple trying to replace a VCR for the purpose of playing video cassettes.

What the AppleTV does offer is access to whatever people have stored on their computers, YouTube Videos and anything they can buy or rent via iTunes. That's cool but still a niche in my opinion when compared to what the average person wants in their living room.

I believe Apple could find more than niche success if it could produce software and hardware add-ons to the AppleTV that increases its functionality to replace some of the above items entirely, preferably without requiring a connection to a computer. They'd have to be elegantly designed and marketed correctly.

The inclusion of an a special copyable version of a movie with a regular store bought DVD is a step in the right direction. That way, people who buy DVDs and/or receive them as gifts can easily store a movie on their computer and in turn AppleTV for viewing. That is cool and something I'll definitely take into consideration when I buy movies now.

That and include all of these new features for the current price. The initial cost of the AppleTV is tough to swallow considering its limited usability. It'll be far more enticing once it includes more features, i.e. DVR functionality.

Robert

Total and complete FUD, how many iPod users are there compared to the 2.7 million Blu-ray users.

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Quote
x-uri
As February 2009 approaches, the number of 1080p displays in homes will exceed the number of 720p displays.

I doubt it. Even today, most of the sets I see for sale are still only 1280 x 720p native.

Quote

It am guessing that many people will have both a set-top box for digital downloads and a Blu Ray (or HD DVD) player.

Maybe. If this downloadable thing catches on quickly enough, many may just bypass the physical media altogether.

Quote

It is still a question of how many people will have access to broadband in the same room where they watch TV.

That's the beauty of Apple TV: 802.11n is built right in to the box. If the consumer has broadband service, broadband comes to it.

Quote

I am thinking that the success, or failure, of AppleTV will rest on how easy it is to browse the catalogs of older movies, rather on how well they market this feature. People like to shop.

Agreed, and nothing is more convenient than doing so from the comfort of a familiar couch.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2008 11:09AM by Article Accelerator.

Article,

One thing I can say is if I purchase and download a movie, I'll want a convenient means of backing it up onto another device and/or media. For example... Imagine I buy and download X movie via itunes. It goes directly to my AppleTV because I do not want the computer involved.

How dow I backup the movie I just downloaded? I'd like to store it on a DVD. That way, if something happens to my AppleTV, I can watch the movie I purchased elsewhere, i.e. on my Mac, a friend's computer, via DVD player.

Do I have that as an option or am I SOL? From everything I've seen so far, I'm SOL.

I'll take it a step further. I buy a movie via Apple. It downloads to my Mac. Since I don't want to watch it on a small screen, I download or stream it to my AppleTV for viewing on my large TV. But, I want to a backup copy of the movie I purchased from Apple.

Can I copy the movie I purchased to a DVD? How about to another hard disk drive? The majority of my movie viewing isn't at home. It's at my girlfriend's house. If I buy a movie, I want the option of backing it up as well as taking it with me for viewing elsewhere. From what I've seen so far, these options aren't going to be available to me.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Robert

I was thinking more of movie rentals than purchases, Robert.

Anyway, you're right about purchases: you really should be backing them up but you can't create a video DVD from the purchase. The best you can do is add your purchased movies to your normal data backup.

As far as transporting the purchase is concerned, Apple TV is amazingly convenient for that--it's very compact, self-contained, and needs just an HDMI and power connection--a one minute operation. Do that, and you could instantly have access to potentially dozens of stored movies, just right for that cozy vacation cabin...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2008 02:07PM by Article Accelerator.

Article,

I can't back them up in a manner that allows them to remain immediately usable? Yuck. That limitation bothers me tremendously. Right now, with my TIVO DVD recorder, I record movies and such off cable and take them to my parents house, girlfriend's house, etc. The movie is backed up and in a form that allows me to use it on any device that can play DVDs.

I can imagine taking an AppleTV with me on the road once in a very long while as a nifty treat. But to do it regularly? That's just ridiculous. Assuming the TVs even have the appropriate connectors (none in my family have HDMI. Most don't even have S-Video and one doesn't even have RCA jacks for audio and video), I'm not going to start rewiring their TVs and/or a/v receivers for the sole purpose of watching content on an AppleTV for a couple of hours. I'm sure most people would feel the same way.

Nobody would want to be bothered. It may only take a few seconds but who wants to be messing with cables in the first place? That said, I'd take a laptop for that purpose far more quickly than i would an AppleTV. At least the laptop has a built-in power supply. I'd take a DVD or two with me far more quickly than a laptop. A DVD doesn't require a separate power supply. No rewiring. Just slip in DVD player. Hit play. Enjoy.

Robert



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2008 05:03PM by Robert M.

Quote
Robert MAt least the laptop has a built-in power supply.[/quote

So does the Apple TV--no power brick.

Article,

Please don't be stupid. You know exactly what I meant when I said a laptop has a built-in power supply. But, since you insist, I'll say it differently. A laptop works off battery _or_ can be plugged into an outlet. An AppleTV must be plugged into an outlet of some kind for functionality, i.e. wall outlet, UPS, etc. That means a laptop requires one less cable, at least for a while and definitely enough to watch a movie or two even when connected to a TV/receiver/etc.

Robert

Harsh, Robert.

Article,

Yes, it was harsh. But, what did you expect when you said, "So does the AppleTV--no power brick."? I was astonished by that response since you're much smarter than it implied.

Robert