Movies for iPods
p2p news / p2pnet: Apple plans to force-feed punters another reason to buy an iPod have come one step nearer, Steve Jobs now being one of the Hollywood elite..
He’s been "personally involved" in talks which initially propose selling movie downloads at a flat $10 per, says Daily Variety.
You can, of course, rent a movie for far less and be able to watch it properly. But some people think squinting to see a movie on a tiny screen is ultra.
But, "We can’t be put in a position where we lose the ability to price our most popular content higher than less popular stuff," the story quotes a studio exec "close to the negotiations" as saying.
Right now Apple demands $1 and up for low-fi music downloads, and $2.00 for TV shows and music videos. However, "It has recently experimented with some longer video content" selling the Disney ChannelDisney Channel telepictelepic High School Musical for $10 and the Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica mini-series for $15, says the story, going on, "Apple gives TV and music companies a 70% wholesale rate and is offering the same to film providers."
But, "There are signs Apple may bend, insiders say".
"Bending could mean "allowing" price points ranging from $10.00 to $20.00 to, "differentiate older titles from new releases".
A deal with Apple, "is key for many studios hoping to grow the digital distribution biz because of the huge iTunes install base and the popularity of video iPods, says Daily Variety, adding:
"Since Apple does not license its antipiracy software, other online retailers can’t sell music or video that works on an iPod, and other manufacturers can’t make players that work with iTunes content."
Significantly, nowhere does the story mention whether or not you’ll be willing to be ripped off for movies in the same way you’re currently being ripped off for music downloads.
That’s because having already been thoroughly brainwashed, you’re now totally incidental to the equation. And Hollywood reservations or not, nor will you find out what you’re expected to pay until Steve is good and ready to tell you.
Journalists who try to work around his wall of secrecy, "often face retaliation," says another Daily Variety story, adding:
"When Daily Variety broke the news that Job’s Pixar had hired writers for the pitch that became the 2007 release ‘Ratatouille,’ Jobs tracked the reporter down at the Sundance Film Festival, demanding to know her sources and threatening to fire the film’s writers. He called her on the private line of a rented condo – a number she had not given out to anyone. She still doesn’t know how he found it."
Can such a, "closed-mouth policy can survive in a town that is run on rumors, leaks and emails," wonders Daily Variety.
Also See:
Daily Variety – Apple plants seeds for pic downloads, June 18, 2006\
Daily Variety – Friend or foe?, June 18, 2006
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June 19th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
this is ridiculous
how many times must we pay for the same movie.
i dont care what circumvention laws exist. if i buy a fucking movie i will put it wherever i want to; on anything that i own. try and stop us and you won’t have anyone to buy your product.
that is like saying you can buy this car, but if you wanna drive it on the interstate.. thats another 1000$ if you wanna drive it in Florida, thats another 1500$. oh and wait. if you want to listen to this MP3 in your car. you gotta pay for a license. if you listen to it above volume 20 that counts as distribution and you must license it accordingly. another 30,000$.
you’ve just been owned.
STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS. WTF.
you’ve now spent 40$ for one movie. and thats probably just the beginning.
June 19th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
I’m in two minds: on the one hand the sort of people who use ITMS deserve to get ripped off, frankly. On the other hand though, they’re just encouraging Apple and co into doing more and more.
If I owned an IPod, if i was stupid enough to watch a whole 2-hour film on it’s pathetic little screen, I’d much rather USE A PROGRAM TO CONVERT MY EXISTING DVDS TO AN IPOD-FRIENDLY FORMAT.
Blimey.