"Lost" in iTunes video
Tags: Marketing, Apple, iPod, Video iPod, Apple Movies, Apple TV, Consumer Electronics, HDTV, Steve Jobs, Front Row
I was intrigued by Les Posen's experiment showing iTunes Video on a Pioneer plasma display, so I decided I should emulate him and try out some of the new iTunes video product as well. So I downloaded the first two episodes of Lost from last year and watched bits of them. Despite the fact I write a lot about HDTV, I don't yet own one (running a start-up business tends to discourage toy-buying), so I watched the episodes on my 22" Apple Cinema display at a distance of about two feet. That's about four times closer than I should be for a typical HDTV viewing experience, (viewing distance should be about 3.3 times horizontal screen size), but it is where my chair is.
The bottom line: Les is right. The video is completely watchable. The place where the compression artifacts really show up is during the credits. They get noticeably fuzzy. But that's about it. Even the closeups of people's faces in the pilot episode were fine, if a bit softer than my screen is capable of. But I now have no concerns about whether the iTunes video store is delivering a product people will buy; if people will watch standard definition TV over the air, then they'll watch iTunes video. And without commercials, it's a very absorbing experience.
I was intrigued by Les Posen's experiment showing iTunes Video on a Pioneer plasma display, so I decided I should emulate him and try out some of the new iTunes video product as well. So I downloaded the first two episodes of Lost from last year and watched bits of them. Despite the fact I write a lot about HDTV, I don't yet own one (running a start-up business tends to discourage toy-buying), so I watched the episodes on my 22" Apple Cinema display at a distance of about two feet. That's about four times closer than I should be for a typical HDTV viewing experience, (viewing distance should be about 3.3 times horizontal screen size), but it is where my chair is.
The bottom line: Les is right. The video is completely watchable. The place where the compression artifacts really show up is during the credits. They get noticeably fuzzy. But that's about it. Even the closeups of people's faces in the pilot episode were fine, if a bit softer than my screen is capable of. But I now have no concerns about whether the iTunes video store is delivering a product people will buy; if people will watch standard definition TV over the air, then they'll watch iTunes video. And without commercials, it's a very absorbing experience.
posted by Carl Howe at
9:28 AM
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