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Apple Announces iTunes 7, Movies, Set-Top Box

Posted by kdawson on Tue Sep 12, 2006 03:02 PM
from the ooh-shiny dept.
necro81 writes, "As anticipated, Apple announced several additions and upgrades to its iPod and iTunes lineup. The iPod now comes in an 80 GB model, with a $50 price drop for the 30 GB model. The 2nd generation iPod Nano harkens back to the iPod Mini with metallic, multi-colored shells (though as diminutive as ever) and comes in an 8 GB model. The Shuffle has been completely redesigned and shrunk down to the size of a matchbook. All of this comes with the release of iTunes 7, which includes support for downloading full-length movies from iTMS." All 75 movies initially available are from Disney-related studios. The new iTunes will download cover art for all the songs in your library, no matter where you got them from, as long as you have an iTunes account. (A confirmation dialog says: "Information about songs with missing artwork will be sent to Apple. Apple does not keep any information related to the contents of your music library.") There's a new album-cover browsing view of your library. And Steve Jobs gave a sneak preview of a project code-named iTV: a Mac Mini-like wireless set-top box. Engadget has a blow-by-blow of Steve Jobs's presentation.
+ -
story

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[+] News: Special Apple Event Scheduled for September 12 113 comments
davidmcg writes "Macworld are reporting that Apple is hosting a special media event on Tuesday, September 12th 2006 in San Francisco, CA at 10AM Pacific. The event will also be simulcast to a location in London where journalists have also been invited. The invitation to the media was entitled It's Showtime — suggesting Movie-related announcements. Rumors sites had originally expected iMac updates during the event, but Apple surprised everyone with iMac and Mac mini updates last week. This leaves iPods, a Movie Store and the possibility of a new streaming Media device for the Tuesday event."
[+] News: Apple's Moment — Consumers Want To Download To TV 295 comments
ack154 writes, "With so much recent news surrounding Apple's upcoming iTV system, their timing may be nearly perfect. Ars Technica gives the rundown on a recent report, released from Accenture, stating that about half of users surveyed across the globe are now looking to get downloadable videos, movies and other content onto their TV. Based on the article, if Apple can get the right combination in features, price, and usability, many consumers may be ready to eat it up. Macworld has more speculation on Apple's potential living room dominance."
[+] Slashback: ITunes, Debian, ATMs 122 comments
Slashback tonight brings some clarifications and updates to previous Slashdot stories, including: iTunes 7.0, Wal-Mart threatens studios over iTunes sales, debate over a proposal to fund Debian, and Googling for ATM master passwords. Read on for details.
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  • Gapless Playback! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by blackmonday (607916) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:04PM (#16090646) Homepage
    Gapless Payck for iPod! Wonder if they will update the 5th gen with this?? Please???
    • Re:Gapless Playback! (Score:5, Informative)

      by tji (74570) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:11PM (#16090729)
      I haven't finished sync'ing my video iPod yet, but after installing iTunes 7, it brought up a dialog as it went through my library saying it was updating for gapless playback.

      This would imply that it's done within the audio files themselves, perhaps making it usable on all iPods.

      I'll see shortly.

      The new music view/organize modes in iTunes are great. One is divided by albums, showing a small image of the album cover along with all the tracks. The other looks like they licensed "Cover Flow", it looks like flipping through albums in your old physical collection. Definitely better visual feedback then scrolling through a huge text list of songs.
      • Re:Gapless Playback! (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Golias (176380) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:18PM (#16090790)
        Gapless is what's been keeping me from upgrading as well. I've got an old black-and-white 20GB iPod which I've been using the hell out of for years now (I've burned through two batteries on it, and was planning on buying yet another in a few months.)

        Color screens did not make me want to replace it.
        Nor did photos.
        Nor did putting the buttons on the clickwheel.
        Nor did the longer battery life.
        Nor did videos.

        But gapless playback? They hooked me. I RAN to the Apple Store over my lunch hour, only to be told to "check again tomorrow", which I most certainly will do.

        The sweet thing about this is, since it also plays videos and a smattering of time-killer games, I can sell off both my old iPod and my souped-up PSP to friends who want them, and just about break even on the upgrade! w00t!
  • by neonprimetime (528653) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:06PM (#16090668)
    How much can your pocket hold? That's up to you and your iPod. It holds up to 20,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 100 hours of video -- or any combination of each.

    If only Apple new that I like 10 minute songs, 4096x3072 pics, and 3 hour movies.
    • Re:How Much Space (Score:5, Insightful)

      by TheGreek (2403) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:46PM (#16091069)
      How much can your pocket hold? That's up to you and your iPod. It holds up to 20,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos, and up to 100 hours of video -- or any combination of each.
      If only Apple new that I like 10 minute songs, 4096x3072 pics, and 3 hour movies.
      Yeah.

      They really should also market the raw capacity in GB on the Apple Store page. Maybe before the number of songs. In bold.
  • by darien (180561) <<darien> <at> <gmail.com>> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:08PM (#16090681)
    For fuck's sake. I hate giving money to Apple. But now my girlfriend's going to insist on having one of these new iPod Nanos for Christmas. And what really winds me up is that she isn't even going to care about the capacity, or the battery, or the patented scroll-wheel interface, or iTunes integration, or anything like that. She's going to want it because it's blue.
  • iTV (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Damek (515688) <<adam> <at> <damek.org>> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:08PM (#16090689) Homepage
    Looking forward to this - but the big question will be, can you import video, or does it all have to come from iTunes Music Store? Namely, will Apple support via iTunes, just as they do for CDs, importing DVDs? Because a set top box that can only play video from an iTunes-bearing computer is relatively useless in comparison with Tivo/DVR/EyeTV/whathaveyou. Combine your standard cable company's DVR box with EyeTV and you can get any video you want on your Mac mini. No need for an "iTV" then. I guess if they just want to make it easy for people to get their iTunes videos onto their TV screen, that'll be good for most, but I would hope they at least provide some advanced functionality.
    • Re:iTV (Score:5, Informative)

      by daveschroeder (516195) * <das@doit.3.14wisc.edu minus pi> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:30PM (#16090895) Homepage
      It looks like it will be an appliance that will simply stream video wirelessly from any Mac or Windows system with iTunes.

      But, since you can absolutely import any video you wish (including, say, ripped DVDs) into iTunes, there's no reason you wouldn't be able to play any media you wished.

      This is likely for people that DO NOT already have some kind of media center or EyeTV/EyeHome/DVR setup: the target for this isn't people who already have made the leap to having full-fledged computer systems in their living room. The target for this is the same as for AirPort Express: not people who build an MP3 and media station computer in their living room. People who want to plop down a device, hook the A/V outputs up to their TV and entertainment system, use an assistant (like AirPort Express) to set it up, and it's ready to play media they download/import on their computer/laptop/etc. elsewhere in the house.

      No second whole computer in the living room. This is, essentially, an AirPort Express for video (and yes, I know it's not exactly like an AirPort Express, but its functionality in the context of video and the living room can be summed up that way).

      There probably will be *some* advanced or interesting functionality, but it looks like this is more or less an appliance designed to play video content downloaded to iTunes on a remote computer via a Front Row-like interface. But yes, you will be able to add your own video content, since you can do that with iTunes now. The only requirement is that it be some format QuickTime understands.
  • by Dark Paladin (116525) <jhummelNO@SPAMjohnhummel.net> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:12PM (#16090739) Homepage
    That was the make or break for me. I could deal with a $10 movie price as long as I could burn the movie to DVD and watch it on TV.

    Without it - sorry, folks, but I'll wait.
  • by Rik Sweeney (471717) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:15PM (#16090766) Homepage
    Putting "Blow by blow" and "Steve Jobs" in one sentence really wasn't a good idea.

  • This is lame (Score:5, Informative)

    by dangermouse (2242) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:15PM (#16090773) Homepage
    I sort of assumed that when Jobs said you could transfer music between iTunes libraries using the iPod, he meant all of your music. Nope [apple.com].

    Music and media not purchased from the iTunes store only syncs one way, from your computer to your iPod.

    I know this is not new, but enabling this functionality for iTMS tracks only is a real dick move.

  • by daveschroeder (516195) * <das@doit.3.14wisc.edu minus pi> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:22PM (#16090818) Homepage
    I downloaded The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as a test.

    - The movie is 1.22 GB, and downloaded in about 20 minutes on a 100 Mbps connection (Internet2).
    - The movie was able to be played before downloading was finished, and could skip to anywhere in the content that was already complete.
    - The content shows itself as being protected by "FairPlay Version: 2".
    - The bitrate is 1.5Mbps.
    - The framerate is 24fps.
    - The audio on this particular movie is Protected AAC, stereo, 128kbps, 44.1kHz.
    - The video on this particular movie is Protected H.264/AVC0 640x272 (Widescreen format, probably just 640x480 with the black bars eliminated).
    - The video looks very good (indeed, "near DVD quality") on a high quality 20" LCD. (I'm not a "videophile", but this is absolutely more than watchable on a nice quality large TV or monitor, and I suspect most consumers would agree).
    - The video can be played in QuickTime, and uses QuickTime Chapters for DVD chapters; chapters are also accessible in iTunes.
    - The video file can be burned to a DVD, but you cannot burn the file as a video DVD.
    - You can play the file on multiple computers (I *believe* up to three as opposed to five for music), or on an unlimited number of iPods (if the usage rights haven't changed with iTunes 7; I haven't looked through the terms - if someone knows this to be different please correct me. In any case, it's already less restrictive than Unbox).
    - iTunes 7.0 requires QuickTime 7.1.3.
    - Pretty much every movie I looked at was $9.99; some new releases were up to $14.99, but were cheaper if preordered.
    - When used on a Mac in a media center configuration, or with the forthcoming iTV solution that will presumably be much like a video AirPort Express (and yes, I know it's not an AirPort Express, but it will probably act a lot like a AirPort Express functionally, except allowing the streaming of video to your TV), this will be a pretty compelling and vertically integrated solution for most consumers.
  • by amliebsch (724858) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:23PM (#16090828) Journal

    I love that somewhat Orwellian slide that Engadget has from the presentation:

    Apple is in your den
    Apple is in your living room
    Apple is in your car
    Apple is in your pocket

    What's next?

    Strength Through iTunes
    iTunes Through Apple

    Apple Prevails

    • by soft_guy (534437) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:42PM (#16091011)
      I love that somewhat Orwellian slide that Engadget has from the presentation:

      Apple is in your den

      Apple is in your living room

      Apple is in your car

      Apple is in your pocket

      What's next?

      Strength Through iTunes

      iTunes Through Apple

      Apple Prevails


      It's always like that. Apple is going along, brainwashing people. Things are great. And then when we are watching a Steve Jobs special event presentation on a giant screen in an auditorium some athletic chic from IBM comes running in and throws a big hammer at the screen. Bummer.
    • Re:Big question... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mblase (200735) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:11PM (#16090725)
      Why is it that we eagerly participate in a mad rush to publicize every single product at every single Apple PR event? No one else *ever* gets that kind of coverage.

      Two reasons. One: we love new iPods. and Two: Apple nearly wrote the book on this sort of marketing technique, and we still love to fall for it every single time.
    • by mblase (200735) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:18PM (#16090791)
      Interesting that they did a preview of a product they're not ready to formally announce yet. Rather uncharacteristic

      It's been pointed out that the only reason most iTMS users would buy full-length movies online is so they could watch them on their TV set. Since DVD burning isn't an option (yet?), Apple had to announce their intended set-top box to give the movie announcement some real weight..................
    • by squiggleslash (241428) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:45PM (#16091061) Homepage Journal
      Interesting that they did a preview of a product they're not ready to formally announce yet. Rather uncharacteristic. I guess they feel their hand is being forced. Perhaps they're trying to steal thunder from Vista Media Center Edition or whatever it's called? You'd think they'd at least finalize the name, though. Really odd.

      I don't think that's the case. What Apple appears to be doing is dropping a huge hint in terms of how they expect the whole downloadable visual media thing to work.

      Before the announcement, most people were talking about "downloadable movies" in terms of watching them on iPods. This was seen by most people as completely ridiculous, even assuming a "video iPod" was just around the corner with a larger screen. So the talk moved towards the idea that perhaps you were supposed to watch the movies on your laptop, or hook up a video card to your computer that would pipe the output to a TV. These are all ugly options for various reasons, and they certainly take away from the idea of this as more than a gimmick.

      Now imagine the year 2010. You have broadband in common with 95% of the country. You flop in front of the TV, and select the program you want to watch and watch it. The programs come from a variety of sources: free video blogs, CNN newscasts available on a subscription basis, serials available on a subscription basis, free sample pilots, plus movies you're either renting or downloading.

      How are you doing this?

      With the products Apple announced today (and some its already announced.) That's how. You already could buy TV shows from Apple. You can now buy DVDs, and (once Jobs and the studios work something out) the chances are that movies on a PPV basis will probably be available too. The other thing necessary is the TV, the whole "flop on the couch" thing, and that's iTV.

      They couldn't have announced the products they did today without announcing iTV. The question isn't why they pre-announced the iTV today, it's why they announced the movie store today without the iTV being ready.

    • by Mattintosh (758112) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:22PM (#16090817)
      It looks like Mail.app. That's 10000x better than the all-brushed-metal monstrosity it was before.
      • by jmc (4639) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @03:40PM (#16090986) Homepage
        Where've you been? Brushed metal was ditched with iTunes 6. And none of the cosmetic changes with iTunes 7 bear any resemblance to Mail.app.

        The most noticable difference appears to be the new scollbars. I agree with the original poster -- I don't like them.

        Can we please just get everything looking consistent again Apple? Please? Before you stick Java scollbars on iTunes 7, can we please ditch brushed metal in Finder (and a half dozen other Apple apps that ship with OS X)?

        I mean seriously, OS X is starting to look more frankensteinish than your typical Linux installation. I can count 5 different application "looks" now:

        - iLife (darker, unified toolbar, squared off corners)
        - iTunes 7 (same as iLife, new scrollbars)
        - Mail.app (unified toolbar, lighter than iLife, rounder corners)
        - Safari/Finder/iCal (etc) (brushed metal)
        - TextEdit/Preview (etc) (older non-unified look)

        I love my MacBook Pro, but I'm not sure what happened to that consistency that Macs were supposed to be known for. :(

    • Re:Yawn (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dangermouse (2242) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @04:01PM (#16091227) Homepage
      A big part of the appeal of the Shuffle is that it had an integrated USB connector - you could use it to replace a USB flash drive and get an MP3 player to boot, without having to carry around a cable. Now you need a cable - a stupid proprietary one at that, not even a standard mini-USB connector.
      I was happy to see the new Shuffle, until you pointed this out. Not because I want or need a USB flash drive, but because it's just less convenient. My girlfriend has one of the white Shuffles, and it's been great for mindlessly grabbing some music to take with us. I've always thought of it as a sort of sample syringe for music: You jab it into the laptop, it sucks up whatever's in there, and then you pull it out and you're good to go.

      A dock isn't so bad if you have a desktop computer, but with a laptop that moves around a lot, it's suddenly a third component to keep track of, where you really only want two.