Apple's Moment — Consumers Want To Download To TV

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Apple's Moment — Consumers Want To Download To TV

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Thursday September 21, 2006 @02:26AM from the last-10-feet dept.

ack154 writes, "With so much recent news surrounding Apple's upcoming iTV system, their timing may be nearly perfect. Ars Technica gives the rundown on a recent report, released from Accenture, stating that about half of users surveyed across the globe are now looking to get downloadable videos, movies and other content onto their TV. Based on the article, if Apple can get the right combination in features, price, and usability, many consumers may be ready to eat it up. Macworld has more speculation on Apple's potential living room dominance."

12 of 295 comments (clear)

It really does work. by AKAImBatman · 2006-09-21 02:27 · Score: 5, Insightful

I've been shying away from iTunes television for awhile now, mostly because they're so slow at getting the content on there. It's cheaper and easier for me to watch the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica on SciFi rather than wait two weeks for iTunes.

However, I have long considered that if iTunes was a bit faster at getting the content (or had exclusive content!) I'd hop on the bandwagon in an instant. To that end, I was one of the many who downloaded the Aquaman Pilot to check it out. For a pilot, it was quite good - though a bit too "hip and edgy" in Stargate 200 kind of way. Still, if there were more episodes I would have seriously considered downloading them.

Then iTunes got Eureka.

For those of you who don't know what it is, Eureka is a SciFi Channel original TV Show that is on during weeknight timeslots. Exactly the type of timeslots I don't manage to catch very often. I've been curious about the show for a while now, but wasn't curious enough to pay a $1.99. But then iTunes had a special. The Pilot Episode could be downloaded for FREE, as in at no charge. (A promotion that I'm sad to say appears to be over.) So I downloaded it.

Suffice it to say, this show was GREAT! It was like Stargate hits Andy Griffith, if you can imagine that. All the humor and technobabble of a SciFi show, but combined with a traditionally rooted character who's trying to make the adjustment. As of yesterday, I have now purchased and watched every Eureka episode available. The quality is good, and the price is right. If iTunes would just carry Stargate and stop making us wait 2 weeks, I'd cancel my cable. Even at a $1.99 an episode, I would probably save money over what I pay Comcast today.

I don't know about anyone else, but I just don't watch the TV enough to make cable worth my while. Which means that I'm paying a premium to watch shows like Stargate, BSG, and Star Trek Enhanced. :(

If there's any complaint I have about iTunes its that its video player is still somewhat immature. I often like to watch shows in a small window while I work. (I have a TV card for a TV.) Unfortunately, iTunes still lacks an "Always on Top" feature to prevent the show from getting obscured by the corners of windows. Also, the size controls are a bit random If you undock the window from the postage stamp in the corner. For example, if I minimize the main iTunes window (what else am I going to do with it while I'm watching a show?) the "Fullscreen" control will redock the player rather than switching between full screen and windowed mode.

These aren't MAJOR issues, but I do hope they get fixed in the near future.

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Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
1. Re:It really does work. by KingSkippus · 2006-09-21 03:10 · Score: 4, Interesting
  But I seriously doubt I could bring myself to pay $2 an ep to watch it.
  
  Hell, that would probably save me money. I'm one of those weird people who watch little enough television that if I could pay for the shows I watch by episode, it would be cheaper then paying a monthly cable/satellite bill.
  
  I'd love to see some kind of tiered pay structure set up. For example:
  
  $1.99 per episode on the day it's released.
  
  $1.99 x number of episodes - %discount for prepayment for pre-paying for a whole season that you can download whenever you want to.
  
  $1.49 per episode a couple of months after it's released.
  
  $1.49 per episode x number of episodes - %discount for volume purchase for a complete season after all episodes from that season have been released
  
  $0.49 "bargain bin" for shows that are several years old and that never really got good ratings
  
  I doubt the networks would go for it, because it would cut into DVD sales. (Never mind that it would increase overall sales and end up making them lots and lots more money in the end. Remember, they're stupid.)
  
  But if Apple had enough boxes out there to start developing their own content (i.e. pay television and movie studios to develop good-quality content exclusively for them), not only would they revolutionize how we all watch television, they would revolutionize the entire entertainment distribution medium. There's no telling what kind of major impact it would have on television networks and cable/satellite companies.
  
  Of course, you can probably shortly thereafter count on cable/satellite companies paying lots and lots of money to Congresscritters so that they'll legislate what can and can't be shown via iTV, lest they lose major marketshare. (A la the way cable companies legislated what television networks I can and can't watch via DirecTV here in Atlanta. "Sorry, if you want to watch the New York ABC station, you're SOL!") Hopefully by that time though, Apple will have made enough money to fight that kind of fire with bigger and hotter fire.
  
  At any rate, this is definitely an idea that is right on—not ahead of its—time, and I'll be one of the first in line to get a new iTV. Really exciting stuff!
2. Re:It really does work. by conigs · 2006-09-21 05:43 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Ah, the resolution conversation.
  
  First of all, the actual resolution of a DVD image is 720x480 NTSC and 720x576 PAL. The displayed resolution, however, can vary depending on how you want to interpolate pixels. The common 640x480 is used because it contains all the vertical resolution of an NTSC signal, and squishes the horizontal resolution to display properly in square pixels. This is the equivalent of display a PAL image at 720x540. Oddly enough, if you display an NTSC signal by stretching out the vertical resolution instead of squishing the horizontal resolution, you also get 720x540, but with interpolated pixels. PAL would be 768x576.
  
  The 1024 res you mention is for 16:9 anamorphic image. Do you know why the call it anamorphic? Because the actual signal is 720x576. The image needs to be stretched out to display properly. For NTSC this would be 853x480.
  
  But I see after writing all this, that you did mention square pixel resolution. So I guess this post is rather useless. However, 640x480 isn't that low res if you have an NTSC DVD player, especially considering I'd have to either throw out or interpolate information to to display it properly on a square pixel display. But let's not get into a PAL vs NTSC flame-war. I personally hate them both for different reasons.
  
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  Slashdot: where repeating an article in a post is "+5 Insightful"
If everything works out, everything may work out by Kohath · 2006-09-21 02:33 · Score: 5, Funny

...if Apple can get the right combination in features, price, and usability, many consumers may be ready to eat it up

This is often true. If a product can be designed, priced, and produced so that it succeeds, then the product may be a success. Thanks Slashdot!
The moment they... by beckerist · 2006-09-21 02:35 · Score: 5, Funny

The moment they bring back Walker: Texas Ranger is the moment I'll buy this product.
This is why Apple "Gets It' by Tavor · 2006-09-21 02:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

First they came out with the iPod and iTunes at a time when the 'geekery' (us) and the 'general public' wanted MP3 players and a convenient download service, even though the RIAA cried wolf.
Now, we all want downloadable television/video content (as seen by YouTube, et al.) and iTV seems to be just that.
If the Form Factor is right, the price point is right, it should work.
(UI Omitted, as being Apple the UI *will* be right...)

Full disclosure: I am not an Apple fanboy. And the names give me an iHeadache.

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Windows has detected an undetectable error.
A la carte by jasoneisen · 2006-09-21 02:37 · Score: 5, Insightful

For those of us who for years have demanded a la carte pricing plans from cable companies, we are now finally getting a step closer.
Re:bah by AKAImBatman · 2006-09-21 02:37 · Score: 4, Funny

boring for anyone with an ounce of AV skills.

Damn straight! Who needs syndicated television, anyway? As long as you have an ounce of AV skill, you can make your own multimillion dollar television content for your own personal enjoyment. No need for all those fancy-schmansy shows like Stargate and Battlestar Galactica! If we want to see Stargate, we can make our own Stargate show! Do I hear an 'Amen'?

I can't hear you! DO I HEAR AN 'AMEN'?!?

*ponder*

Wait. What was the subject again?

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Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Tivo or iTV by Fysiks+Wurks · 2006-09-21 02:42 · Score: 4, Interesting

So, which is cheaper Tivo serivce or buying all my content from the iTunes Store?

Say there are 4 shows I really like @ $2 a show for 20 episodes = $160. That is $13.33/mo
Say there are 8 shows I really like @ $2 a show for 20 episodes = $320. That is $26.66/mo

Yes, ease of use and the cool factor will be a draw; however, economics will be the driving force.

Which model is kicking ass in the legal music word: buy your digital music or subcribe to a service and "rent" the music?

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P226
Re:Apple's biggest challenge: wireless LAN by Anonymous Coward · 2006-09-21 03:00 · Score: 5, Informative

Rumors suggest the iTV has a hard drive. That takes care of all your latency problems.
Aesthetic problem with iTV by orb_fan · 2006-09-21 03:00 · Score: 4, Interesting

iTV is a great idea (or a great implementation of an existing idea), but I have one major problem with it; it needs to look the same as other AV equipment. This seems to be a recurring problem with all the tech companies that try to create an AV device. They create these designs that while looking great, just don't fit in with the rest of the components. Please lets have a version that is 19" wide that comes with either brushed aluminum or black, and give it a LCD display so that you don't have to have the damn TV on to browse your music collection.
Steam like content by BMonger · 2006-09-21 03:07 · Score: 5, Insightful

You know how you could download most (if not all) of Half Life 2 before it was out, then on release day BOOM you could play it?

Why not the same with TV shows? Get a Season Pass to Lost, it preloads the morning of and knows that at 7pm in your time zone (or whatever time it's on) that you are now allowed to watch that content from your iTV.

I know a lot of people here want to pick what cable channels they have and pay a smaller price... it'd be almost nicer to just pick the shows.