Apple Movie Junkie » Apple

Real To Introduce Legal DVD Copying For Real

Eddie V. — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:39:30 +0000

Update – According to Gizmodo this software has been approved by the DVD Copy Control Association, so there will be no suing going by the movie studios. One other Gizmodo tidbit, apparently these ripped movies are only playable in Real’s own movie player and cannot be converted for use by your other devices, like iPods or phones. Fun.

[NYTimes] Real Networks will announce today software which a whole lot of iTunes users wish Apple would integrate into iTunes, software which will allow you to make a “legal” digital copy of an entire DVD. Legal meaning that this software adds additional DRM to the copies you make. This is how Real hopes to avoid any problems with the studios.

The New York Times article states that the software, which will go on sale on Real.com and Amazon.com this month, will allow buyers to make one copy of a DVD, playable only on the computer where it was made. The user can transfer that copy to up to five other Windows computers, but only by buying additional copies of the software for $20 each. The software does not work on high-definition Blu-ray discs and is Windows only.

I for one am hoping that Real is successful in this endeavor. If you don’t mind the additional DRM, I think it would only be a matter of time before Apple integrated this capability into iTunes. ~~Of course thats if the studios don’t sue Real Networks into extinction.~~

Head on over to the NY Times to read the entire article.

Ars Techinca Reports That iTunes Finally Reaches 1,000 Movie Mark

Eddie V. — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:55:27 +0000

It took them squeezing every once out of the definition “Movie”, but Ars Techinca is reporting that Apple has finally done it and reached the 1,000 mark. Wow. At this point, a few months late, is it really a mark to even bother following anymore? Call me when they hit the 1,000 HD movie mark and hopefully they won’t be doing that with a load of HD “Short Films”. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, give me quality Apple, not quantity.

Appleinsider Claims iTunes Movies Sold At Loss

Eddie V. — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:44:03 +0000

Citing a Wall Street Journal article, Appleinsider claims that Apple is selling movies above wholesale cost out of frustration with the lackluster performance of it’s video service. Read the entire post here.

Hollywood Reporter Says Apple Expected To Announce Deal With Major Studios Today! – Updated!

Eddie V. — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:30 +0000

Update – Official Press Release

According to the Hollywood Reporter Apple is expected to announce today that it has struck a deal with a wide array of major and mini studios to offer many new releases for purchase at its iTunes Store. “The move would allow a broad slate of top-shelf films to be offered day-and-date with home video releases, which risks cannibalizing DVD sale.”

There is no mention of titles being released in HD in the article. Obviously this is exactly what Apple has been preparing for all night with the release of the new titles. If the major studios are willing to risk cannibalizing DVD sales why not go all the way with HD content as well, considering that the HD market is that much smaller. At the very least we can only hope that at tthis will mean a more consistent release schedule for HD titles.

I want to say thanks to Aditya for the heads up about the article.