It could be that anytime soon you may well be receiving new releases of movies via iTunes, the same company that rocketed the legal music download industry into the stratosphere.
Now it looks like Apple Computer Inc. plans on doing the exact same kind of revolutionary business venture with films and video by launching a movie download service.
The company made a surprise announcement that “Showtime!” was just around the corner for the Apple Expo in Paris, France next week. Those with the inside track are confident that Apple will use the event to announce its new movie download feature at that time.
Some annonymous sources from inside the studio system have already indicated that they are in talks to sell their films through iTunes. Regardless of the outcome, it will probably be only a few new and older films offered initially until all the wrinkles can be ironed out of the legal issues.
Apple already has significant studio connections after CEO Steve Jobs became a board member and the largest stockholder at The Walt Disney Co. earlier this year through its acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios Inc., which Jobs also headed. That could well allow Disney and all of its various film distribution and production companies to be the tent-pole studio and among the first to sign a distribution deal with iTunes.
At this time, or at least until September 12th at the Expo, Apple and Hollywood studio representatives are refusing to comment on the speculation of a movie licensing deal.
One of the studios greatest concerns at this time is the digital protection offered by Apple.
Studios would prefer that they keep a strong hold over their product. One studio executive said Tuesday that deals being struck for a similar download service planned by Amazon.com are more flexible and allow for higher profit margins.
Another concern is the size of the viewing screen. Music videos on an iPod is one thing, but a full feature film on a tiney screen has many in the industry concerned that once the novelty wears off, people will return to their bigger screens. And, even though Apple is promising a wide-screen iPod in the near future, studio execs feel that watching movies meant for the big screen on a small portable display or a computer screen is still not ideal.
Inspite of these drawbacks, Jobs is confident in the technology’s future and Apple is forging ahead to make its products the digital media hub for consumers. Its groundbreaking iPod player is designed for music and video on-the-go, its iTunes store is a leading destination for getting digital content, and its Macintosh computers are touted for managing all the multimedia. Some futurists are even predicting that Apple may well, like what BOSE did for radio, soon be entering the living and family rooms with products designed to connect directly to a home’s big-screen television set.
Not sure why there’s such a focus on screen size on the iPod. When I want to watch video on the big screen, I plug my iPod into the Video-in/Audio In on my TV or Theater system and I have big screen viewing. What does need to happen is a slight better codec for this type of viewing. Some of the detail washes out. Good enough for that need to see TV show (BSG) but I’d rather have the quality of the DVD video. Course, Mr. Jobs may have something new up his sleeve to address the quality of video issue.
Oh yeah, that’s what I want to do….watch a movie on a iPod.
Please.
Unless the codec allows for DVD quality on my television, this is a bad idea. I already have a program that allows me to copy my DVD’s and play them on my ipod, PSP, or just about any other device that plays video. Unless the price is drastically less than that of a DVD (which, in my opinion, is what killed the UMD), I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing now, thank you very much.
The new widescreen Ipod looks v impressive, I wouldn’t mind watching movies on that.
I agree with Randy Dickson’s comments. I have my iPod driving a 42″ plasma and it looks fine for episodic television (Weeds, Desperate Housewives, etc). But the CODEC issue is more a matter of who is doing the encoding than choice. If you use H.264 like you are supposed to with 2-pass VBR you will be fine. Both “Weeds” and “Desperate” shoot on 35mm, but the former looks a bit oversaturated and the later just great. IMHO.