iTunes Goes Day and Date with DVD Releases

Posted by Robert Fure (robert@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 1, 2008

iTunes Store

Apple is getting set to announce that Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate and New Line are going to be part of a deal that will allow iTunes to sell and rent movies online the same they’re released on DVD. Experts have long theorized this would lead to a cannabilization of DVD sales and it seems we’ll soon have the answer.

iTunes currently rents movies for 30 days in the $4 range, while movie sales tally up closer to $15, which is virtually the same as the DVDs price during its first week of release in many cases. Apple’s released figures indicate they’ve sold some 4million videos since their service began.

While I guess this is cool for people who love the digital download and computer viewing experience. Personally, I’m going to stick with DVDs and big screen TVs with booming sound. The day of the computer and direct download high quality flicks with seamless playback is not yet, but it comes closer. Warner Bros. recently expressed their intent to move forward with Video-On-Demand Day & Date releasing.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

| | Read more articles by Robert Fure

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Joe

I don't know if I ever even thought about buying movies from iTunes... I just always
thought music from them. I'm wondering if the downloaded movies, when played through
AppleTV, are as good as a traditional DVD through a player.

james

UH, heard of Apple TV,? you can watch movies in HI DEF on your TV.
so your argument about the big screen is moot.
If you are a PC user you are just plain dumb

james

They Look just as good if not better than dvd's. Why buy a piece of plastic and a box that
takes up space. Devices like Apple TV will kill dvd sales like ipod killed CD sales.
Thats why they came out with this whole blue ray HdDVD thing.
Don't let the industry trick you so the can buy another jag for there spoiled kid.
Also if you really want you can find movies for free via torrents, but i donyt do that

Robert Fure

AppleTV has sold under 1 million units. It's pretty much a failure. Plus, I dont have an AppleTV, nor will I buy, so my argument is still valid. And I, like 85% of the world, am a PC user. If someone wants to spend $2000 on a Mac, good for them. I've used them, they're ok. I can build a machine with the same specs for under $1,000. If I recycle parts from my previous PCs, I can generally make a top of line computer for $600 that I build myself. And when it gets old, I just rebuild a new one. Swap parts. When your apple is done, it's done. Plus, I can play video games.

People have been predicting the decline of physical sales for years. CD sales are down, but they still sell. DVD sales are up. There are still several generations of people who don't care for downloaded content. And until download speeds increase about 400%, downloading an HD movie takes as long to get as it does to drive to the store and back.

I've watched digital copies of things and playback is often more prone to lag, pixelation, and faltering image. Personally I still think DVD looks much better. It really comes down to your cables and your projection method, for better picture.

I'll stick with DVDs and PCs and Blu-Rays, thanks.

Bill Brasky

Why won't all the Apple fans just drink their "religious" Kool Aid together and quit forcing a high margin product down our throats already

iTunes Goes Day and Date with DVD Releases

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