Why iTunes makes Blu-ray useless
Apple announced today that it has not only become the world's most popular TV programming store, thanks to 200 million unit sales of TV shows, but that all four of the major networks--CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC--are offering high-definition content on the iTunes store.
"We've got an incredible fall 2008 TV lineup with over 70 prime time comedies and dramas, including many of the most popular shows on TV in stunning HD," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet services. "With over 200 million episodes sold, iTunes customers have proven they love watching television on their computer, iPod, iPhone and TV with Apple TV."
If Apple is the world's leading store for buying TV shows and the world's largest music retailer, how can Blu-ray and it's measly 8 percent market share, expect to compete with Apple's freight train as it starts to pick up steam in the movie space?
I contacted Apple for its latest movie sales figures, but the company didn't provide any. Because of that, I'm forced to consider the fact that as of this past January, it had sold 7 million films on iTunes after 15 months of availability. Consider the fact that Blu-ray hit the 7 million-units-sold mark after 18 months, and it's quite obvious that people are ready and willing to download films instead of buying an expensive player and media to go with it.
Granted, the movies Apple has sold are standard definition and of the 2,500 films currently offered on iTunes, the 600 HD films can only be rented, but does that even matter?
When we consider the cost of ownership between Apple's integration and Blu-ray's, I simply don't see how it would make sense on any level to choose the latter. Not only are Blu-ray players more expensive than an Apple TV, it'll run you about $30 just to have one HD movie in most cases. And if you want to rent Blu-ray films from Blockbuster, it'll be $5.99 and you'll be forced to leave the house. The way I see it, the only logical way to get Blu-ray films into the house is through Netflix and even that company has raised its rates by $1 to make up for the additional cost of providing Blu-ray movies.
iTunes may just be a store, which may make it difficult for some to compare it to Blu-ray, but I don't think that's the case. Sure, it may be a store first, but when it comes to choosing and watching movies, it's no different than a Blu-ray player: you choose your movie with a remote, click play after buying or renting it, and watch the film on your HDTV with the help of your Apple TV. Oh, and by the way, that HD film you just rented costs just $4.99.
The only obstacle standing in the way of Blu-ray dying at the hands of iTunes is the fact that you can't buy HD movies on the service. But let's face it--if Apple went out of its way to tell us today that it's offering HD TV shows on iTunes now, don't you think that HD movies are right around the corner? I give it weeks, not months.
Blu-ray's decline will result from the popularity of the DVD too, but when we finally find a more suitable alternative to discs, it will be iTunes that will come out on top. Apple haters may not like to hear it, but at this point, I don't see any other downloading or streaming service that has the customer base to compete with Apple. And in turn, I simply don't see how Blu-ray can compete with a service that provides people with what they want: HD content directly in their homes.
iTunes is growing at a rapid rate and it's no longer just a music store. And as more consumers find that they can have HD content in their homes with little or no effort, iTunes will claim another victim.
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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
In the meantime, I will have my blu-ray movies served by netflix which I think is still a much cheaper and easy to use alternative to itunes.
iTunes = 720p
My TV = 1080p
I'll stick with blurry thanks :)
... and renting movies? I haven't done that in over a decade.
That's fine for those who choose to do so. The point was that most of the market disagrees with you. Not that 8% that uses blu-ray of course, but a lot of it.
1) download cap on my internet
2) download time
3) Many downloads (TV HD too) are only 720p
4) DRM (I don't expect to play bluray on anything other than a bluray player but i expect my downloads to play anywhere that can play them)
5) I like owning the physical media (+ i can re-sell the physical media)
6) When i-tunes stops supporting the DRM you can no longer move it... yeah BS
I'm too much of an information hog to completely disregard all the extras you get when you buy an actual DVD. Deleted scenes, documentaries, commentary, bloopers, etc. None of that comes when you buy a movie from the iTunes store. When I do finally break down and start building my HD library, you better believe I will have copies in hand, not stored on a machine somewhere.
Blu-Ray has alot better options, extras, picture quality, sound quality.
Yes digital downloads have their place. I use them, but... Blu-Ray is just better. hands down better!
Sorry, consumers want a choice, and Apple is denying them that choice. Give the option for us to get a BD reading superdrive. give the option for a BD burning Superdrive for more money.
it is so ridiculous that you need to lobby your own darn favorite computer company to do something that other companies are offering for some time now.
Apple is starting to lose its Halo.
That makes tons more sense to me then going to a store and buying when I can simply push a button.
HDTVs standards are set at 1080p... downloadable media can barely deliver 720p at a decent size while broadcast TV can not go past 1080i. Plus consider how many internet providers have download limits, how many shows and movies you watch will be ultimately limited. Portability issues and DRM is a major flaw that will prevent many from fully embracing iTunes, as a "replacement" for Blu-Rays. Who wants to sit and wait hours and hours for a movie to download, while their general internet is crippled in the process. Not to mention the destruction of speeds across networks we'll see if everyone adopts downloadable media as their HD standard. This is a ludicrous suggestion.
iTunes is not only not competitive in the HD media market they don't even exist because they don't SELL movies.
Talk about hitting me where it hurts the most, my wallet.
Oh and also with the audio tracks. Blu-ray's storage capabilities allows the studios to offer uncompressed lossless audio tracks for the best sound possible. The iTunes versions again compress the sound, thus limits the audio quality.
And am I the only one who prefers to have a hard copy of my movies? Digital copies are handy and all but all it takes is a hard-drive to crap out and you lost your movie.
The independent experts all tend to agree on this point.. 1080p is just about the least important factor in picture quality particularly if you are seated outside the physical boundaries where our human eye can no longer discern the resolution differences. This is a sliding distance scale which depends on screen size in relation to seating distance. Here's one such chart example:
http://hdguru.com/wp-content/uploads...ance_chart.pdf
Color accuracy, contrast, black levels, scaling/processing all come before resolution in importance. The smaller the panel, the less important resolution becomes UNLESS you will be using the panel as a computer monitor (where you'll often be seated within 4ft. of the display, and at a distance that close, you will much more likely notice & appreciate the difference). On a 37" panel, for example, you have to be within 5ft. to tell the difference. And that's under ideal circumstances.
Disregard any poster who suggests otherwise. They are seeing something other than the true difference between 1080p & 720p when they claim they can tell the difference even on smaller (37"-42") panels beyond 5-6ft. The difference they claim to see is likely to be in the processing of non-native signal, i.e., panels will typically display their native rate better than they can a lesser resolution which the panel then has to scale to match it's own.
Not to mention they are NOT competing as you think. Blu-ray appeals to the disc crowd, the people that want the quality sound and video and a hard physical disc. Downloads appeals mainly to the renting and younger crowd. They are not as reliable, not NEARLY as high quality, and take much to long to access for main stream media. Don't forget that the internet was NOT DESIGNED to transfer movies like this. We have to expand the capabilities of the internet, but AS IT IS, ISPs are already charging people for high bandwidth use cause they download/upload too many movies. Blu-ray will never have these problems.
Besides.. Blu-ray has a 9-13% market share AND GROWING... which downloads consist of ... well.. less than 1% right now.
- by craigfaircloth October 16, 2008 11:53 AM PDT
- I do agree with you and have thought the same thing since the blueray player came out in the first place. That it was a half set in technology and not the next thing. Just like the huge laser discs that came out before DVD's. The xbox 360 has been offering this service for a while now, although they don't have the same selection as apple. There is one flaw in the theory and that is bandwidth. The time I tried to download an HD movie using my xbox it took over an hour for me to be able to use it. If people continue with the trend of downloading movies it will take up even more. The internet infastructure needs to change for this to really take off and become more than a trend.
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- by PCUser2008 October 16, 2008 9:18 PM PDT
- sounds like you have a slow connection speed.....
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