[opendtv] Re: Third and last attempt

At 6:50 PM -0400 5/30/08, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:

Apple is setting up an iTunes store in France, on which it will sell
individual episodes of French TV shows and some US shows too. The shows
can be viewed on MACs, iPods, iPhone, Apple TV, etc., and PCs.

The story is at www.dtg.org.uk

This is in contrast to the US online TV show distribution model.

Craig must be torn.


Apple uses the SAME "walled garden approach" for the iTunes store in the U.S.

But is it really a walled garden?
First, rights must be negotiate for every country that Apple (or anyone else) wants to sell content in. When i mean sell, I am saying that the portal is gaining some economic benefit from delivering this content. It may be direct sales (the Apple model), or ad supported like the portals that the media conglomerates are operating in the U.S.
iTunes is just a storefront in cyberspace. I can easily go to Hulu or any other store that offers content. I would not call that a "Walled Garden."
It's funny, because last night my daughter had a problem. She "'thought" she had set up the PVR to record the last episode(s) of Season 4 of Lost, which were broadcast Thursday night. But something screwed up and she missed the last two. So she asked me to buy them from the iTunes store. So I started downloading them and them checked my e-mail and saw this post. 

Apple is selling several things:

1. Convenience
2. A DRM system that is not TOO onerous and allows you to move the content between devices that you own. 
3. Good quality (IMHO equal to SD-DVD)
4. No commercials

Is this worth $1.99 for 49 minutes of content?
Personally, I think that price is high. I don't mind paying $0.99 for a song, as I will listen to it MANY times. But most TV shows are watched once then thrown away.
I HOPE that the price will come down as more competition in the online download market begin to apply real market based pressure. 

Only time will tell.

Regards
Craig







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