This all seems well and good, and it shows us that Apple take their US iTunes sales models to other markets once they have proven their successfullness. However, will license restrictions be different for to-keep downloaded movies than DVDs?
As for rental movies, in America, the current licenses mean you must start watching your film within 30 days, and once you have started it, you have 24 hours to complete it as many times as you want.
In the States, the price for a normal standard-definition film is $3.99, I think, and for a HD film, where available, it's $4.99. What will the prices be over here?
Consider that America has much larger downstream web rates compared to us, will HD movies be available - remember they're in excess of 1.2gb usually - and also, American ISPs don't set stupid AUPs and FUPs on "unlimited" downloads: when they say "unlimited", they're what they say on the tin. Will we even get HD movies, therefore?
"In the States, the price for a normal standard-definition film is $3.99, I think, and for a HD film, where available, it's $4.99. What will the prices be over here?"
Did you even have to ask?
Of course it will be £3.99 and £4.99. This is the UK after all! £=$.
Microsoft already offer HD movie 'rental' downloads over their XBox Live service, the files coming in around the 5Gb mark. So I don't see why Apple (probably using Akamai just as they do for Quicktime trailers) shouldn't be able to offer the same.
With a shelf-full of unwatched HD-DVDs I've not tried the service myself yet, but it's there.
I'm already renting movies from iTunes despite being in the UK. You can set up an iTunes US account and load it up with US$ gift vouchers from eBay. Works a treat, and I'm loving renting movies through Apple TV. The HD ones take 20 mins or so of buffering before they start playing, while the SD ones play instantly (this is whith a Be "24Mbit" connection actually running at 12 Mbits). Fantastic news that we may be able to dl from iTunes UK now. If they try and sting us for the $/£ rate though the US option is still available... I just wish there was iPlayer on Apple TV as well.
- is on £2.99 and £3.99. Which is just too much. I could justify £2/£2.50 for the occasional instant-gratification rental, but when I'm only paying £14 for a LoveFilm subscription there's no way I'll be paying nearly a third of that for one movie.
is we like to moan. Infact we moan so much most actually forget to have a look around at what ISP deals there are.
The ISP I use for instance allows 30gigs on peek and 300gigs off peek per month, more than enough for iTunes.
Sadly most of the british public are a little, erm, 'knowledge shy' and think its either BT or Virgin. (Or heaven forbid tiscali, because they had the audacity to advertise on the televisual box)
Either you are bullshitting or you did it a long time ago. It is not possible to setup a US iTunes account without a US credit card. The registration process does an address check against the credit card. I you set it up then subsequently remove the US credit card it stops working... This has been the case for nearly two years now.
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Apple to launch UK movie downloads
Andrew Langhorn
A few things... #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 10:59 GMT
This all seems well and good, and it shows us that Apple take their US iTunes sales models to other markets once they have proven their successfullness. However, will license restrictions be different for to-keep downloaded movies than DVDs?
As for rental movies, in America, the current licenses mean you must start watching your film within 30 days, and once you have started it, you have 24 hours to complete it as many times as you want.
In the States, the price for a normal standard-definition film is $3.99, I think, and for a HD film, where available, it's $4.99. What will the prices be over here?
Consider that America has much larger downstream web rates compared to us, will HD movies be available - remember they're in excess of 1.2gb usually - and also, American ISPs don't set stupid AUPs and FUPs on "unlimited" downloads: when they say "unlimited", they're what they say on the tin. Will we even get HD movies, therefore?
Andrew
Steven Raith
ISPs #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 10:59 GMT
How long before ISPs start going mental about their bandwidth costs on *this* one then?
See the iPlayer debacle.
Steven R
TimM
price #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 11:18 GMT
"In the States, the price for a normal standard-definition film is $3.99, I think, and for a HD film, where available, it's $4.99. What will the prices be over here?"
Did you even have to ask?
Of course it will be £3.99 and £4.99. This is the UK after all! £=$.
Iain
@Andrew #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 11:47 GMT
Microsoft already offer HD movie 'rental' downloads over their XBox Live service, the files coming in around the 5Gb mark. So I don't see why Apple (probably using Akamai just as they do for Quicktime trailers) shouldn't be able to offer the same.
With a shelf-full of unwatched HD-DVDs I've not tried the service myself yet, but it's there.
Anonymous Coward
Pay in dollars #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 11:56 GMT
I'm already renting movies from iTunes despite being in the UK. You can set up an iTunes US account and load it up with US$ gift vouchers from eBay. Works a treat, and I'm loving renting movies through Apple TV. The HD ones take 20 mins or so of buffering before they start playing, while the SD ones play instantly (this is whith a Be "24Mbit" connection actually running at 12 Mbits). Fantastic news that we may be able to dl from iTunes UK now. If they try and sting us for the $/£ rate though the US option is still available... I just wish there was iPlayer on Apple TV as well.
Chris
Surely the bigger pricing issue for me is... #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 11:56 GMT
that it's going to be the same as a DVD.
DVD = subtitles. Download = no subtitles.
DVD = bonus features. Download = no bonus features.
DVD = physical product and burns. Download = no physical product, and probably very limited burns.
So if download is clearly an 'inferior' product, why the same price?
Andy
My money - #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 14:16 GMT
- is on £2.99 and £3.99. Which is just too much. I could justify £2/£2.50 for the occasional instant-gratification rental, but when I'm only paying £14 for a LoveFilm subscription there's no way I'll be paying nearly a third of that for one movie.
Stu Reeves
One problem #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 15:38 GMT
Download a Movie and a MS Service pack or Apple "patch" and Virgin will put a cap on your ass
Gareth Irwin
The trouble with the English... #
Posted Friday 30th May 2008 20:01 GMT
is we like to moan. Infact we moan so much most actually forget to have a look around at what ISP deals there are.
The ISP I use for instance allows 30gigs on peek and 300gigs off peek per month, more than enough for iTunes.
Sadly most of the british public are a little, erm, 'knowledge shy' and think its either BT or Virgin. (Or heaven forbid tiscali, because they had the audacity to advertise on the televisual box)
Anonymous Coward
@AC with US download #
Posted Monday 2nd June 2008 23:54 GMT
Either you are bullshitting or you did it a long time ago. It is not possible to setup a US iTunes account without a US credit card. The registration process does an address check against the credit card. I you set it up then subsequently remove the US credit card it stops working... This has been the case for nearly two years now.