Apple announces online movie rentals

[redytrk]

With video rentals, Apple managed to sign up all the major studios, including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Sony Pictures. The service launched Tuesday, and is expected to have more than 1,000 films by the end of February. New films would be available 30 days after the DVD release, which should make DVD retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores happy.

Rented films must be played within 30 days, and once a person starts watching a movie, he has 24 hours to finish. Movies can be transferred to a Mac, PC, iPod Touch, or iPhone. The cost is $2.99 for an older title, and $3.99 for a new movie. High-definition versions are available for a $1 more.

Question: If Redbox can rent DVD`s for $1.00 a nite, why can`t Apple?

[mrgoodtude]

I agree RT but guess that is how Apple wrapped the production market.
$$$$
Speaking of HD "whoa" Christmas shopping at Best Buy almost made me a non expediter this year...
I spied me a 42" HD with Blu Ray hooked up and a Bose theater..
INSANE

[greg334]

So what

When they solve the online bandwidth problem and get to provide free high speed internet for the masses, then it is something to cheer about

[redytrk]

So what

When they solve the online bandwidth problem and get to provide free high speed Internet for the masses, then it is something to cheer about

Stay Tuned: Tons of Bandwidth have been freed up by the TV move from analog to digital.

Google has said it will bid Billions and Billions for this vacated space. Wireless data will be the recipient.

[greg334]

Stay Tuned: Tons of Bandwidth have been freed up by the TV move from analog to digital.

Google has said it will bid Billions and Billions for this vacated space. Wireless data will be the recipient.

Yea that's another scam in the making by the FCC. One issue that I find disturbing is the shift to a global standard band plan and the lack of concern on the FCC's part of this mess that they have been creating with other things. It is fine that we have a shift into the digital world, but I don't buy into the issue that we have to do so without some analog resources being left.

Also I don't know if you noticed but there is a lot of advantage being taken by the cable industry and this shift from analog to digital. Now you have to have a converter box, pay the $4.95 to $15 a month for it for each device you have if you want access. They are scaring the subscribers into getting the box and using the excuse that because all television is going to be in digital, the cable channels have to follow - which not true because Cable is a closed system and they already do a digital to analog conversion.

AND I don't see that being a viable source of resources for free internet access because of a number of reasons, one being that the devices already on the market are using technology that is above our UHF channels.

[ATeam]

I'd enjoy hearing from the non-cynical folks who are using the above-mentioned products and services now to view TV and video in their trucks. To watch TV and videos, what are you using in your truck?

By choice, we have no TV in the truck. For the occasional movie, we'll play a DVD on a laptop. I have purchased a couple seasons worth of a TV series we like, but don't like how the disks take up space in the truck. Same applies to movies we might buy.

I learned from another thread here on EO about online TV episodes that can be viewed. The other night, we enjoyed a streaming version of C.S.I. using the laptop and air card internet connection. That works fine where good signal strength is available, and good signal strength is becoming available in more an dmore places.

I miss TV very little, but miss it most during football playoff season. We caught a couple recent games by dining at sports bars (no drinking, we were in service). A TV tuner for the laptop is an option, but that means messing around witth antennas.

iPod? DivX? Netflix? iPhone? What are y'all using? Is the disk dead? What do you think you might be using a year or two from now to view TV and videos in the truck?

[greg334]

Ohh... I see.... cynical....?

Well Phil,

I have three USB sticks here on the desk as I type and two in the truck.

The three I have here are;
Pinnacle pro
Pinnacle ultimate
Avermedia AverTV

In the truck;
Kworld 305U
ADS MINI TV

I like the pinnacle pro best of all, it also is the most expensive one I got to review. You can record 1080i with no problem and even save it in DivX format (the format not the defunct service). The kworld works good (opposed to the ADS, that is something I need to throw out), I watched a lot of Mexican TV stations while sitting on the boarder with just a wire for an antenna.

The antenna issue not a big deal, some come with a mag antenna (the pinnacle pro I got has a cheap telescopic one I already broke) and it really isn't a big deal except for those who are... well....

I'm a beta tester for a couple streaming video content providers and I am really cynical for a good reason on highly compressed video delivery that a lot of companies use. I find Netflix is the closest one that delivers the quality I like.

As for DVD's, well I guess it is the cynic in me but I see that a tangible item is better than a virtual item.

Oh I also have a DVB system I never hooked up. Maybe I should, wha'ch you think?

[TeamCaffee]

We have not had TV for many years and I doubt we will ever have it again. We do like movies though and have found a way around the storage problem. We buy the Storage soft sided cases for CD's. They can store over 60 DVD's in a very small space. I am sucker for Disney Movies so we have plenty of them on hand.

[pelicn]

We have the soft side storage cases for DVD's too. We bought a DVD recorder for ourselves for Christmas, now when we're home I get to copy all those VCR tapes I have that are gathering dust.