Andy Bergholtz
10-29-2007, 09:59 PM
Hey y'all...
I've been coveting the Apple TV gadget for a while but there's one glaring question that I can't seem to find an answer for anywhere on Apple's website.
When you download a movie from iTunes, is it downloaded in HD resolution? For that matter, is it even downloaded in standard DVD resolution? My impression from the few iTunes movie downloads I've watched is that when blown up to fit a big-screen HDTV it would probably look absolutely terrible.
Apple boasts this feature as one of it's main selling points for the Apple TV, but I can't imagine viewing an iTunes-sized movie file on an HDTV and being even remotely satisfied with the picture quality.
With the movie feature pretty much being moot, the Apple TV seems almost comically useless. Almost anyone who owns a digital camera can already watch a slideshow of their digital pix on their TV, so that's not a big plus. And I don't know anyone who prefers to listen to their MP3's on their television sets. The only other thing the product has going for it is the You Tube capability, but even that is pretty weak.
Am I missing something here? If iTunes would start offering HD movie downloads, then I think the Apple TV would be not only more interesting, it would be downright unbeatable as an integral part of every home theater. But unless the quality/resolution of the iTunes movie files is at LEAST comparable to standard DVD's, I simply can't understand the point.
I always frowned on the notion that internet downloads might replace physical DVD's (and/or eliminate the current HD format war), but thinking about it in this context actually has me pretty excited. Download HD movies from iTunes, broadcast it to your Apple TV box (connected to you TV via HDMI) and you're all set. No more fuss over which hardware to buy, etc.
I've been coveting the Apple TV gadget for a while but there's one glaring question that I can't seem to find an answer for anywhere on Apple's website.
When you download a movie from iTunes, is it downloaded in HD resolution? For that matter, is it even downloaded in standard DVD resolution? My impression from the few iTunes movie downloads I've watched is that when blown up to fit a big-screen HDTV it would probably look absolutely terrible.
Apple boasts this feature as one of it's main selling points for the Apple TV, but I can't imagine viewing an iTunes-sized movie file on an HDTV and being even remotely satisfied with the picture quality.
With the movie feature pretty much being moot, the Apple TV seems almost comically useless. Almost anyone who owns a digital camera can already watch a slideshow of their digital pix on their TV, so that's not a big plus. And I don't know anyone who prefers to listen to their MP3's on their television sets. The only other thing the product has going for it is the You Tube capability, but even that is pretty weak.
Am I missing something here? If iTunes would start offering HD movie downloads, then I think the Apple TV would be not only more interesting, it would be downright unbeatable as an integral part of every home theater. But unless the quality/resolution of the iTunes movie files is at LEAST comparable to standard DVD's, I simply can't understand the point.
I always frowned on the notion that internet downloads might replace physical DVD's (and/or eliminate the current HD format war), but thinking about it in this context actually has me pretty excited. Download HD movies from iTunes, broadcast it to your Apple TV box (connected to you TV via HDMI) and you're all set. No more fuss over which hardware to buy, etc.