Sony to Make an "iTunes for Movies"

dAzED1 writes "After years of complaining that the RIAA and MPAA were missing the boat, and should have embraced things like Napster instead of supressing them, we got iTunes and the like. Now, Sony has announced it will 'make its top 500 films available digitally in the next year' according to a report on the BBC, with Sony's iPod replacement being the PSP."

Comments

Re:Read between the lines

[2674]

Sony just wants control of the market., IMHO usually are clueless when it comes to such maneuvers. The NetMD was an abortion. They always try to push their proprtietary formart/device to th market thinking that it will gurantee them market dominance. What the stupid buggers do not realize is that they LOSE market share because of such stupid tactics. Same thing here. They will try something in a similar vein with proprietary stuff, and another apple will come along and take over the market with non-proprietary standard. Like you said, Read between the Lines. They just want to gain control of the market, but are clueless on how to do it.

Seriously, I wonder...

[dinohum]

How do I make my own UMD disks containing my home movies I shot with super-nifty keeno buttload expensive Sony video camera that I want to show grandma on our long car trip this summer on my cool new PSP? Once I find out how Sony is gonna' help me with this, I'll begin to commence to anticipate contemplating to start taking this seriously.

An interesting idea, but one main flaw

[Dark Paladin]

I've been playing with my own PSP for about a day now, and after spending another $80 for a 512 MB stick, I'm in the process of converting my unwatched episode of Battlestar Gallactica so I can watch it on the plane tomorrow. (Today Battlestar - tomorrow some anime ;) ).

One thing that the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) did right is how they went to *all* of the major labels before launch and got them onboard. Sony's online music service, I believe, has at least Sony music. Their online movie system? Sony movies. Microsoft has MSN and - other stuff.

When I see a iTunes Movie Store (and it doesn't have to be from Apple, really - I don't give a crap) that offers a good line of major studios (Disney, Miramax, Fox) as well as some independants (there are some documentaries that would go great with this system), let me burn it to a DVD to watch on my television or convert to a format I like (such as the PSP MPEG-4 format - then again, if I can burn my own DVD at least I could rerip it for the PSP if I feel up to it :) ), then you'll have a winner.

So far, though, most of the iTMS-like movie stores are kind of half assed about it. I'm sure that Jobs is working in the backgrounds, but knowing the movie studios and all of the copyright/union issues to deal with (like how do you pay people for the online version of a movie compared to the DVD version per sale, and so on), I believe it will take at least another 4-5 years. Not for the technology, but for the law to catch up and studios to listen to thier pocketbooks and not their lawyers.

Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Re:Prices?

[IANAAC]

I'm all for downloadable movies, or heck, extended trailers or synopses, but people don't buy iPods so they can go buy music from the iTMS -- they use the iTMS because they already have iPods.

While you and I might think that way, not everybody does. My sister, who is pretty illiterate, technologically speaking, recently was asking what kind of iPod she should get so she could download songs.

The power of marketing.

Re:This could rock, except...

[Niten]

I think you make a very good point in your comparison of the PSP to the evolution of portable music systems. However, I find it hard to believe that portable television and movies will ever be as big as the iPod.

When we listen to music, it is often as an accompaniment to whatever other activity we happen to be engaging in at the time. I often use my iPod while I am reading, going for a run, studying in the library, or working in the lab. (I used it on my bike, too, until an officer pulled me over... but that's another story.) Television and movies, on the other hand, demand the use of both your eyes and ears, and thus your full attention. The utility of portable video as opposed to portable music therefore seems greatly diminished.

This is not to say I think there is no market for such a device, but - and maybe I am just suffering from a case of tunnel vision here - I doubt that ten years from now we will see as many people that drag portable video players along with them wherever they go, as there are who keep their MP3 players in their side pockets today.

The Danish are already doing it

[donely]

starting this coming monday, danish TV station, TV2, will announce 250movies for download on their widely successful www.sputnik.dk TV2 station. Prices pr movie will likely be around $6, which is what is costs to rent a movie in Blockbuster here. They will add 250 movies each year until 2010 (obviously, this will likely change, but that is what they're currently saying). The movies will be streamed in in WMV format.