iLounge

1

Somehow I highly doubt that CBS will offer NBC Nightly News downloads.  Call me crazy…

Posted by wil on November 3, 2005 at 1:53 PM (PST)

2

“CBS recently announced that it will offer downloads of ‘NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams’”

Isn’t that an NBC program? I don’t think CBS can legally do that.

Posted by Nate on November 3, 2005 at 1:53 PM (PST)

3

Yeah the article you linked says that CBS’s statement *followed* NBC’s statement that NBC would be offering that show… might wanna edit that…

Posted by matt on November 3, 2005 at 2:16 PM (PST)

4

YES! YES! How I Met your Mother! YES! DO IT! (It’s my fav new show of this season)

Posted by emutree on November 3, 2005 at 2:35 PM (PST)

5

“CBS recently announced that it will offer downloads of…â€?

Of course what they don’t promote is that it’s STREAMING! I hate streaming videos. One word: JERKY! Jerky image, jerky sound and all around bad bad bad. Even with a broadband connection. This is why I much rather pay a little bit of money and download it to my computer, even a lesser quality file rather than stream anything.

Streaming media should be banned from the internet.

Seriously. I kinda get the whole, we won’t allow you to save these files (so we can control when you watch them) thing but seriously, they should think about offering something that sounds at least semi-workable or more and more people are going to bittorrent these shows.

350Mb HDTV quality avi file vs. streaming version or low quality 2 dollar version? A lot of people will risk getting caught downloading illegally if the studios don’t offer something that doesn’t smell like a complete “we want all the rights, money and you get absolutely nothing” deal when it’s so insanely easy to download a really good quality version from the internet ... for free. They need to be less greedy (no money vs. some money is always better, if you ask me) and people will pay for good quality official downloads. Just don’t screw us over. We’re not stupid.

Posted by spongy on November 3, 2005 at 3:40 PM (PST)

6

Don’t get too excited about seeing your favorite prime time shows on iTunes very soon. It’s no coincidence that ABC chose “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” along with the Disney shows. They could come to terms with Apple because they handle production AND distribution for those shows. Most television shows are produced and broadcast under different corporations. And that means the rights/permissions/licensing fees get much, MUCH more complicated.

I think it will happen, but it will take a while, as everyone tries to get their piece of the pie (actors need residuals, etc.), and Steve Jobs tries to keep the cost down for the consumer.

In the near future, internet distribution will become a standard part of television contracts. Those rights will either be retained by the production company, or purchased by the television network. And everyone else who is lower in the chain (writers, actors, etc.) will already have their compensation spelled out in their contracts.

Posted by BJ Nemeth on November 3, 2005 at 7:06 PM (PST)

7

The day that some production company makes money, enough to cover their costs + a little dough for taking the risk, producing a show for the iPod, look for Apple to become HUGE in media WITHOUT busting our chops with ads.

Its starting with the amateurs, then the techies, then the pornographers, then the enthousiasts, then the pros.

I’ve seen product from everybody but the pros.

As soon as they can figure out the model, I look forward to the first “first run play” to be on and made for the iPod.

Posted by Charles-A Rovira on November 3, 2005 at 7:11 PM (PST)

8

Updated story… I read too quickly and thought they announced that they were offering both Threshold and CBS News downloads. Forgive me for not knowing who’s anchoring all the nightly news shows these days… there’s been a lot of changes lately at all the networks.

Posted by Larry Angell on November 3, 2005 at 7:58 PM (PST)

9

Just wait. Everyone will jump on this train.  I just want the NFL to get in.  Hell, for $5 I’d pay for the “great game” I missed on Sunday.

Posted by MOG on November 3, 2005 at 8:39 PM (PST)

10

I suppose it’s a step in SOME direction. But without the outside production houses offering up their product I don’t see this going very far…unless the networks decide to assume more risk in the production of their product just to have content to sell to services like iTMS.

However in OTHER news, I’m kinda surprised that there’s been no reporting here on ilounge about Sony’s little CD nefarious rootkit boo-boo…considering that this impacts one key competing format to the iTMS (music CDs), I’d think that Sony’s malware mess-up only serves to strengthen Apple’s market hold in the music selling business. I would think that this factor alone is worth reporting.

Posted by flatline response on November 3, 2005 at 10:10 PM (PST)

11

Jack, shows can be backed up to a disc.  That’s not to say a DVD or VCD could be made…but they can be backed up.

Posted by Gordy. in Atlanta, GA on November 4, 2005 at 6:13 AM (PST)

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In RE: spongy’s comment about “350Mb HDTV quality avi file vs. streaming version or low quality 2 dollar version?”:

There are NO 350Mb “HDTV” quality AVI’s online. Anything less than 1280x720 is NOT HIGH DEF. Ever.

HDTV is either 1920x1080 or 1280x720. Capturing a show in HD then scaling it down to sub DVD resolution takes away the whole “High Definition” part of the equation.

By that logic, Apple could label their stuff as “HDTV” quality if its encoded from HD Sources…

Posted by Kai Cherry on November 4, 2005 at 7:03 AM (PST)

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“There are NO 350Mb “HDTVâ€? quality AVI’s online. Anything less than 1280x720 is NOT HIGH DEF. Ever.”

Fair enough, but my point was, you can get a really good quality avi file that’s from a HD source and watch it on your television rather than stream any kind of crap. I still think streaming is the wrong way to go. Every time. There’s nothing as irritating as trying to watch jerky streaming video and then have it be cut in the middle and then having to start all over again or have the sound and video go out of sync half way through. Just give us a file to download with some advertisements or something but DON’T give us streaming videos!

Posted by spongy on November 4, 2005 at 7:50 AM (PST)