Microsoft and Apple's digital download war

[CptGreedle]

I will be willing to downloads movies.. at least for rent.. in about 10 years or so.. when they can get closer to the quality of a Blu-ray. Until then I ain't touching it! Besides, who knows what else could come out before then.... 3D discs perhaps?!?

[ouiwey]

on demand is better.
HD on Demand is right away.
Thats better than Downloading.

But Above all is BLU-RAY

[ouiwey]

Digital Downloads stinks

[partridge]

Listen, ANYONE claiming that downloads are going to kill physical media any time soon is wrong.

Downloaded music sales have yet to match CD sales, they're not expected to until at least 2009. Even when they do, is the music industry going to stop making and selling CDs? Of course not.

With music we are talking very small file sizes, hardly any time to download at all. Yet the CD is alive and well. Given this, how on Earth are the DVD and blu-ray discs at risk? They are not.

Physical discs will be with us for a very long time; media companies aren't going to kill off a revenue stream until, like VHS, it is soundly beaten by something else. However, with VHS and DVD one type of player was replaced by another, it was a like for like swap.

The online distribution of movies is entirely dependent on the internet, which is nowhere near ready to takeover from standalone players. For years now experts have predicted internet meltdown from the increase in video over the net. What has happened to deal with that? Nothing. Add to that, more and more ISPs offer capped monthly allowances to deliberately limit the amount of data consumers access each month.

The blu-ray disc is the future for movies at home. There are alternatives, but these are niche and of no consequence or threat.

The reason MS and Apple push these online services is not because they are the future, not because they are any good (in no way do they match the image and sound quality of a DVD), but simply because the internet is their market and they both need new revenue streams.

[caliminius]

Originally Posted by ouiwey

Check this artical out!

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/0...vs-hd-dvd-war/

Sorry, but anything from the site you linked to is pretty much meaningless. That site is so pro-Apple and completely Anti-Microsoft that you have to look past all the redirect. For every "fact" stated, there's probably two or three things that were conveniently excluded that would have refuted the point he is trying to make.

Since Microsoft has to some extent "sided" with HD-DVD, of course his articles will end up favoring Blu-Ray but mostly in the end favor whatever Apple's current strategy is (ironically, digital downloads it seems). The fact that Microsoft's and Apple's current strategies are actually the same (digital downloads) will be conveniently obfuscated. This is pretty clear in how the article states how wrong it is for MS to push the use their proprietary WMV format but Apple is good because they use non-proprietary MP4 format for iTunes videos and then ignores the fact that since all iTunes videos contain Fairplay DRM they are basically turned into a proprietary format.

And that is the major issue I have with digital video downloads. That market is even more fractured format-wise than the HD disc war. Each store is basically pushing a different format regardless of the underlying technology and each one locks you into specific hardware. Microsoft's Xbox Live downloads obviously only work via the Xbox 360. iTunes Store downloads only work via Apple products (again no surprise). Amazon Unbox downloads only work via TiVo hardware and Windows PCs. Vudu requires the purchase of their hardware, etc.

[mightypen]

Originally Posted by partridge

Yet the CD is alive and well.

No, it's really not. Down 15% in the US in 2007 alone. Its a dead format walking.

Originally Posted by partridge

The reason MS and Apple push these online services is not because they are the future, not because they are any good (in no way do they match the image and sound quality of a DVD)

Have you used these products? I don't know anything about apple, but I have used MS's 360 service, and some if not most of the offers are in 720p, and look pretty good. Not better than a blu ray, of course, but better than the equivalent dvd.

[halamadrid]

After just recently sending in my second Tivo (which I love by the way) for a replacement due to HHD/software issues and losing multiple HD movie recordings in the process I just don't see downloads as the end all be all that M$ and others would make you think. First you take into account storage space alone (+back-up storage to mirror all your downloads) combined with having the ability to have those stored movies reach multiple sources, I just don't see it as financially feasible for most people. Then, I think that HDDs are just too fragile and unreliable to have your movie investment in. I also don't like the all eggs in one basket approach for my movie collection. Right now, if something bad happens to one of my BDs I can easily replace it for under $25. Imagine your HDD storage and back-up failing with your 100-movie collection going down the drain.

I think music is a whole different arena in terms of storage and downloads. My whole music collection right now takes under 20GB of space which is easy/cheap for me to back up. That in comparison is what...one HD movie.

I also read an interesting article in the lasted Playstation Magazine where Sony is promising that BDs will come with a digital code/file to allow you to watch the movies you buy on your PSP. Now, I think that's the best of both worlds and addresses people's needs in terms of storage and portability.

[miokti]

When HD-DVD was breathing, even all the red ants were against HD download... now that HD-DVD is on life support, the red ants are now praising and anticipating HD downloads...

[ouiwey]

Originally Posted by halamadrid

BDs will come with a digital code/file to allow you to watch the movies you buy on your PSP. Now, I think that's the best of both worlds and addresses people's needs in terms of storage and portability.

Thats whats up!

[reiella]

Originally Posted by JAGUAR1977

Music downlaods have been up and running, with major backing, for over five years, they are quick and easy to download, and benefit from highly portable, large capacity, MP3 players.

HD movie downloads will be huge in size, you are limited to your home TV, so portability isn't a benefit, and you have to get beyond the issue of the vast majority of the population not being upto speed with downloads, nevermind having the conenction and hardware.

I'd be suprised if downloads have 25 % of the HD market 5 years from now, even then they'll work as an alternative to rentals.

Well, there's also the negative.

People were sold on "Good Enough". Heavy compressed MP3s instead of CDs or SACDs and DVD Audio.

Thankfully, most people aren't stupid enough to think that a typical youtube compression is 'good enough' for entertainment purposes .

[partridge]

Originally Posted by mightypen

Have you used these products? I don't know anything about apple, but I have used MS's 360 service, and some if not most of the offers are in 720p, and look pretty good. Not better than a blu ray, of course, but better than the equivalent dvd.

I can take a video on my phone and show it on a 720p screen, that doesn't make it HD or anything like. When it comes to online content the terms 720p, etc are meaningless. It's not about resolution it's about the data behind the image. You can't tell me that a 5Gb download can match a 20Gb disc (for example).

Hey, I'm not saying you're wrong, at the end of the day it's personal taste and opinion. All I'm saying is that online movies are not a threat to disc based movies and should not be considered a part of any format war. Blu-ray will become the default HD movie format later this year, I've not doubt of that. Consumers will then have a clear route to upgrade.

I will happily give Sony's PS3 online service a look when it eventually comes online, but it won't stop me buying blu-ray discs. I want the best I can get for image and audio and right now that's blu-ray.

[bleed-blu]

**** microsoft

[ouiwey]

Blu-ray

[clownface]

I too like to have a hard copy of my movies, digital media is unappealing to me just because I know that hard drives die all the time. I would hate to have a Terabyte of movies and then have my hard drive die and not be able to recover the content.

[Mikeblu]

OK I'll say it again. By the time they have perfected downloading 1080p with 7.1 surround HVDs would have come out with ultra HD and 10.1 surround. Bandwith will never match the storage on the current generation disc only the last gen one.

[ouiwey]

microsoft really dont care about the quality of there product

[Scrapanatchi]

Apple TV is only for renting "½" HD movies, ppl would still want to buy movies

[keene6132]

I don't mean to "milk" off you but I totally agree with all your posts...my thoughts exactly...couldn't have said it better!

I had a friend at church the other day say the much overly used statement, "digital downloads will soon takeover CD and DVDs. I replied "that's funny you say that, lets see...the CD has been dying now for about 4-5 years yet I still see Cd's all over the place".

I then went to explain to him about HD packaged media...the simple fact that if you have a Blu-ray movie dedicated to a 25-50 gig disc and then you find the same ("HD") movie at a fraction of this size for download...believe me your not getting the same thing!!!

It's all about the quality!

[ouiwey]

Originally Posted by keene6132

It's all about the quality!

[ouiwey]

Plus On Digital Downloads You Dont Get The Dvd Extras