iTunes Movie Rentals On The Way

[Soulquarian]

The Financial Times is reporting that Apple and Twentieth Century Fox have reached a deal to provide movie rentals on the iTunes Store, likely to be announced at Macworld. While Disney sells a full line of films on iTunes and other studios provide catalog titles, this is the first rental arrangement to date. Movies are expected to be downloadable for a limited-play window. Equally important, the agreement is expected to include onboarding of iPod-compatible video files with Fox DVDs, so that iPod users can load and go when the DVD is purchased (rather than ripping the DVD into MP4 video).

If I read that correctly, if you buy a Fox DVD, you get to download a copy for your iPhone/iPod. If so? Apple is going to get even MORE of my cash...

[aimster]

Something I have absolutely no use for, especially since I have a nice 42" HDTV and 800-watt home theatre system. Then again I hardly ever rent movies anyway. I just buy the ones I know I'll watch multiple times.

[lazyboy97O]

Unless this is a fee based system, I cannot imagine wanting to go back to pay per film rentals.

I give them a day before some guy has figured out how to burn the rentals to DVD.

I do really like the idea of DVDs coming with an MP4 version of the film.

[Sambo]

/\ Agreed. It seems that no matter how they try to tweak the model - it always falls short of consumer desires. The audio/video copyright/DRM model is ultimately doomed to die from its own bloat. They are just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic IMHO.

It needs to be stripped down, have the basic tenets examined in light of how they have worked in the recent past, and in light of the digital broadband media age - how they will work in the future. Those that are not working should be replaced.

Yeah, like that's likely to happen. Some folks just can't get their heads out of the past...

[Soulquarian]

Something I have absolutely no use for, especially since I have a nice 42" HDTV and 800-watt home theatre system. Then again I hardly ever rent movies anyway. I just buy the ones I know I'll watch multiple times.

Pretty snazzy for me. I spend a lot of time on the go, so having a rental option for movies via itunes is perfect. Will someone hack it? Probably, but I could care less, I purchase and rent media legally.