Apple TV

With Blockbuster filing for bankruptcy protection next week, we lose an institution, a part of our culture for so many years, and lead the way to a possible monopoly of Netflix and or Hulu with their online streaming strategies.  Redbox’s surge to acceptance can not be ignored as well.

From Digital Media Wire:

Los Angeles - Video rental giant Blockbuster(NYSE: BBI) told the six major movie studios that it is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing sources. The company is strapped with nearly $1 billion in debt and unwanted leases on more than 500 of its underperforming rental store locations, and has lost a total of $1.1 billion since the outset of 2008.

Blockbuster is likely to enter a “pre-planned bankruptcy,” wherein many creditors are included in the process before the court weighs in.

The company, which has already shuttered more than 1,300 stores, has faced increasing competition in DVD rentals from Netflix and Redbox, and in the home video market from pay-TV video-on-demand, as well as online services like iTunes.

Apple is currently in talks with News Corp to offer 99 cent TV show rentals.  They are also in talks with other media firms according to Bloomberg.  The service would provide 48 hours of commercial free viewing time for the 99-cent rental fee.  Programs will apparently be available within 24 hours of their first broadcast.

Apple has apparently been shopping iTunes as a TV service to television network executives according to a report from allthingsdigital.com..

No word on whether any networks have actually signed on to the idea yet, however it appears that the service would be subscription based, cost about $30 per month and put Apple in direct competition with cable and satellite companies.

On the plus side this would be a great boost for the highly under-rated Apple TV platform as a distribution platform for on demand programming, hopefully without the high $$ associated with buying content currently available.

One of the most frequent questions I get asked from clients, as well as friends and family is which technology do you use at home for video?  Of course, as with most people I have cable TV with DVR (actually I use Direct TV) and a standard DVD player.  I also have Blu-Ray DVD and a couple of HDTV’s. But the appliance I really enjoy and use the most is Apple’s most highly underrated product, the Apple TV.

As an early adopter of new technologies, I purchased the Apple TV the first day it went on sale.  The Apple TV(version 1.0) was highly anticipated and had extremely high expectations from analysts and media professionals.  The reviews were less than impressive.  Since then, Apple has released a new version(2.0) and has quietly been gaining some momentum.

With the new release, Apple has – which may be – the most under appreciated product of the past 10 years. Intended for the “great room” or living room, and connected to an HDTV, the apple TV delivers content from an Itunes account wirelessly.  It can connect to your computers itunes account or operate largely on its own. With a broadband connection, you can rent movies, buy movies, tv shows and music, view youtube videos, access your photos on your computer as well as your mobile me and flickr accounts,and view itunes podcasts.

Here are my Top 5 Reasons (in no particular order!)

1. Rent Movies – Renting movies on the Apple TV is instant gratification at its finest!  No pre ordering movies from your que on netflix or blockbuster, no running to the store to find out the title you are looking for is sold out, and no hassles having to return the movie.  Simply point and click and the movie is ready for viewing.  There is in my opinion, a downside, and that is once you have rented a movie and pressed the play button, you have 24 hours to view it.  I think I am more psychologically opposed to this than anything else.  Remember the “Video Store” days with VHS?  It was always a return by COB the next day… It then turned into 3 day and 5 day rentals.  I think apple would be wise to take this approach in the future.
2. Missed TV shows – Ok, I know I have a “season pass” on my dvr, but then again there are times that I forget to program a new season, or missed a new show that everyone is raving about.  Sure, I could maybe watch them on Hulu.com or any other video site, but then again, the convenience of watching it in the den on my TV makes all the difference in the world.  
3. I have a Digital Library! – After years of VHS tapes and DVD’s I am literally running out of space for my video content.  I have boxes of VHS tapes that we never watch in the basement.  Now, I can store all my purchased TV shows and Movies and have them organized and backed up through itunes.  Our family movies are now backed up as well without having to burn countless DVD’s!!
4. Photos – You can now view your photos from your computer, Flickr, or .mac galleries and it couldn’t be simpler.  Simply use the apple remote to set up your accounts and you can view your public photos and movies.  Within the photo settings area you can choose from a number of slideshow options, accompanying music, repeat and shuffle.  You can even use the contents of your .mac gallery, or flickr album as the Apple TV’s screensaver.  This is great when you have guests over… You can set your galleries up to specific music to play while guests chat.
5. Podcasts and Youtube –  Although I love the industry and can not get enough of the amazing content people are creating online, I can only take so much while sitting in front of the computer.  The Apple TV gives me an option of viewing the latest podcasts and youtube content while relaxing in the den.

Apple TV Update

Apple has release an Apple TV update version 2.2.  The software updates include the following:

1. You can now purchase HDTV shows directly from the itunes store (US only)
2. Movie browsing by actor and director
3. Chapter selection, alternate audio and subtitles
4. Movie description while playing movie
5. Genius Playlists
6. On-the-go-playlists
7. Music videos in playlists
8. Apple TV Standby mode
9. Security fixes