Comments on: Analyst Missing Secret Ingredient in iTunes/iPod Video Service: No DVD Involved http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html I've been observing personal computing behavior for a long time, and now I have some things to say. Here are my two cents about computing, music, software, and related topics. Sat, 02 May 2026 05:58:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: raygos http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-430 raygos Tue, 24 Oct 2006 01:18:59 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-430 Here, here! (Hear, hear!?) on the stupidity of some of these tortuous DVD menus and forced previews. We have one video, a Winnie the Pooh (it's my daughter's, actually!) that forces you to watch an explanation of how to watch the video, and explains the whole menu ("If you click here, you can choose the scenes that you want to watch. If you click here, you can . . . .), every time you want to watch, before it let's you actually watch the damned thing. I have to put it in, with the TV still off for five to ten minutes before she wants to watch, otherwise she gets mad (Daddy, I want to watch the movie, not this crap! - OK, that's not an exact quote, but it does convey the spirit of her complaints). I tried using Mac the Ripper's disable UOPs function, but this aggravation remained. Who is the 'genius' who thought this might be a good idea? Anyways, good article, sorry about the venting. Here, here! (Hear, hear!?) on the stupidity of some of these tortuous DVD menus and forced previews. We have one video, a Winnie the Pooh (it’s my daughter’s, actually!) that forces you to watch an explanation of how to watch the video, and explains the whole menu (”If you click here, you can choose the scenes that you want to watch. If you click here, you can . . . .), every time you want to watch, before it let’s you actually watch the damned thing. I have to put it in, with the TV still off for five to ten minutes before she wants to watch, otherwise she gets mad (Daddy, I want to watch the movie, not this crap! - OK, that’s not an exact quote, but it does convey the spirit of her complaints).
I tried using Mac the Ripper’s disable UOPs function, but this aggravation remained. Who is the ‘genius’ who thought this might be a good idea?
Anyways, good article, sorry about the venting.

]]> By: Matt Schinckel http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-429 Matt Schinckel Sat, 30 Sep 2006 22:38:40 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-429 Hi Leland, I think you've not quite gone far enough with this idea. I stopped buying CDs (and DVDs) a while ago, and store everything digitally on a network server at home. Then, I don't even need to plug my iPod into my TV to watch stuff (which is handy, since I only have an old iPod! But I do have my Xbox set up as a media centre), I can just watch whatever I want without having to find the DVD. As to Paul's comment, I've had to burn some stuff I'm unlikely to watch to DVD to have a backup, but with the dropping prices for Hard Disk Drives, and the great compression offered by modern formats (H.264 or whatever it's called makes great movies in 720x480 - or slightly higher in PAL that are only 700Mb) means that a server can store heaps of movies, TV shows, and music. As well as pictures (think iPhoto library available on TV). Eventually, I plan to go the route of a Mac Mini Media centre, which will handle the latter more effectively, but it's a great way to have a large media library accessible quickly. Oh, and by the way, DVDs and CDs shouldn't have apostrophes, as they are plural, not ownership or abbreviation terms. Regards, Matt. Hi Leland,

I think you’ve not quite gone far enough with this idea. I stopped buying CDs (and DVDs) a while ago, and store everything digitally on a network server at home. Then, I don’t even need to plug my iPod into my TV to watch stuff (which is handy, since I only have an old iPod! But I do have my Xbox set up as a media centre), I can just watch whatever I want without having to find the DVD.

As to Paul’s comment, I’ve had to burn some stuff I’m unlikely to watch to DVD to have a backup, but with the dropping prices for Hard Disk Drives, and the great compression offered by modern formats (H.264 or whatever it’s called makes great movies in 720×480 - or slightly higher in PAL that are only 700Mb) means that a server can store heaps of movies, TV shows, and music. As well as pictures (think iPhoto library available on TV).

Eventually, I plan to go the route of a Mac Mini Media centre, which will handle the latter more effectively, but it’s a great way to have a large media library accessible quickly.

Oh, and by the way, DVDs and CDs shouldn’t have apostrophes, as they are plural, not ownership or abbreviation terms.

Regards,

Matt.

]]> By: Paul Randall http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-428 Paul Randall Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:07:33 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-428 Hi Leland, Thanks for responding to my comment. It seems rare these days for people to show such courtesy. I spend many a night reading Apple related sites and I must admit I find yours extremely interesting. Especially the Martian theme. The use of scriptaculous and ajax and other fine Javascript is very impressive. Sorry for all of the typos in my first post. I have read and re-read this one and apart from my native British spellings I believe it's all spelled correctly this time :-) Keep up the great work. Cheers Paul Hi Leland,

Thanks for responding to my comment. It seems rare these days for people to show such courtesy. I spend many a night reading Apple related sites and I must admit I find yours extremely interesting. Especially the Martian theme. The use of scriptaculous and ajax and other fine Javascript is very impressive.

Sorry for all of the typos in my first post. I have read and re-read this one and apart from my native British spellings I believe it’s all spelled correctly this time :-)

Keep up the great work.

Cheers

Paul

]]> By: Leland http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-427 Leland Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:36:02 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-427 Hi Paul, Good point... I haven't tested this, but I suspect that the restriction Pegoraro is talking about is one that would prevent you burning the movie AS A DVD. You most likely could roll it into a data-storage-type disk image and burn it to DVD. You just wouldn't be able to "watch" the DVD in that form. However, you could still stick such a DVD back into your computer, mount the disk image, and copy it to your iPod for viewing. I'll test my theory on that with Shakespeare in Love later today. Cheers, Leland Hi Paul,
Good point… I haven’t tested this, but I suspect that the restriction Pegoraro is talking about is one that would prevent you burning the movie AS A DVD. You most likely could roll it into a data-storage-type disk image and burn it to DVD. You just wouldn’t be able to “watch” the DVD in that form. However, you could still stick such a DVD back into your computer, mount the disk image, and copy it to your iPod for viewing. I’ll test my theory on that with Shakespeare in Love later today.

Cheers,
Leland

]]> By: Paul Randall http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-426 Paul Randall Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:19:43 +0000 http://www.musingsfrommars.org/2006/09/itunes-video-store-no-dvd-involved.html#comment-426 I really see your point about not wanting to burn the title to take it over to your DVD player to watch it on your telly, and yes, even though DVD menus can be very creative I agree that it can be confusing trying to navigate them and those ads and previews, what a pain!!! I agree with everything you say but there is one thing I need to point out. If you pay a tenner for a movie. Isn't there a possibility you might just want to keep it to watch again some time in the future? So what when your hard drive is full? Can you back your colection up to say another external hard drive and start volume 2 of your new iTunes based video colection? So I kind of agree with both you for the convenience factoe and Pegoraro for the longjevity factor. Also, being able to burn from iTunes to DVD surely wouldn't include menus or ads or previews so wouldn't that be a plus point. My point is movies take up soooo much more space than music so if you are a real movie buff and have big collection then you would need a lot of hard drive space. Also there is something else that is flawed regarding saving everything to your Mac. What is your hard drive goes down? I hope that "Time Machine" will address that little chestnut when it comes to iTunes video and music. So I say. 1) Download it. 2) Plug the iPod in to your telly box and watch it. 3) Burn it to DVD and store it to watch again another day. Apple, please let us burn our movies to DVD. I really see your point about not wanting to burn the title to take it over to your DVD player to watch it on your telly, and yes, even though DVD menus can be very creative I agree that it can be confusing trying to navigate them and those ads and previews, what a pain!!! I agree with everything you say but there is one thing I need to point out. If you pay a tenner for a movie. Isn’t there a possibility you might just want to keep it to watch again some time in the future? So what when your hard drive is full? Can you back your colection up to say another external hard drive and start volume 2 of your new iTunes based video colection?

So I kind of agree with both you for the convenience factoe and Pegoraro for the longjevity factor. Also, being able to burn from iTunes to DVD surely wouldn’t include menus or ads or previews so wouldn’t that be a plus point. My point is movies take up soooo much more space than music so if you are a real movie buff and have big collection then you would need a lot of hard drive space. Also there is something else that is flawed regarding saving everything to your Mac. What is your hard drive goes down? I hope that “Time Machine” will address that little chestnut when it comes to iTunes video and music. So I say.

1) Download it.
2) Plug the iPod in to your telly box and watch it.
3) Burn it to DVD and store it to watch again another day.

Apple, please let us burn our movies to DVD.

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