All Articles Tagged itunes extras

It still baffles us how iTunes LP and iTunes Extras content — which was introduced in the seemingly Apple TV-ideal 720p format — wasn’t compatible with the new Apple TV 3.0 software to begin with. In fact, we’ve gotten Wall-E with iTunes Extras to play on our Apple TV already. But according to Apple, it’s now really for real compatible…

With the latest versions of iTunes (9.0.2) and Apple TV software (3.0), you can now use iTunes Extras on your Apple TV. We have updated iTunes Extras that were included with the movie Wall-E so that they can now be viewed on Apple TV in addition to your Mac or PC. It is available for you to download now, free of charge.

So begins an email Apple sent out to iTunes LP and iTunes Extras purchasers today, which follows up with download and update instructions. (And even a knowledge base article — Updating iTunes Extras and iTunes LP content for your Apple TV).

We’re downloading that new version of Wall-E now and will report back on what, if anything, looks different (any chance of a better UI for Extras?)

Still, we’re left to wonder — where’s the love for iPhone users, Apple? Could it be you’re prepping a new interface for them for iPhone 3.2? We’ll wait — if it’s worth it!

iTunes Extras was easy to see as a DVD extras competitor, offering a similar feature set to what’s already on the market, and users are already familiar with using. iTunes LP, on the other hand, harkened back to a time decades ago when vinyl albums and turn-tables were how people experienced music — something decidedly not familiar to modern MP3 and iTunes music listeners.

Why then — aside from Steve Jobs’ nostalgia, did Apple expend resources on iTunes LP? TNL.net, like us, saw the 720p resolution and immediately thought of the Apple TV — and TV in general. (We also thought of the rumored iTablet). Going further, however, they posit this might be the first step in a grander game. Could Apple be seeking to replicate the success of the App Store — tens of thousands of mostly independent developers creating mostly low cost, high volume content — for iTunes music and video? Could they be gearing up to give music and video creators the same easy distribution channel, and 30/70 split, they’ve given App developers?

The components all seem to be there and it seems to me that it won’t be long before Apple starts pushing the idea that we are all content producers (an old idea at Apple, which was at the source of their creating the iLife suite) and we can all make some money at producing that content. Having done so, Apple would not only have control of the music industry but could also assert itself in the TV and movie space.

Dr. Horrible was an experiment by Joss Whedon during the writers strike, and one that we enjoyed thoroughly. Could we see a world where the Dr. Horribles aren’t the experiment, but the norm? (And will they bring endless “cat on piano” videos — fart apps of the media space, the lot of them — along for the ride?)

Alex Lindsay from the PixelCorps has likewise been saying for a years that Apple now has everything in place, from Final Cut Pro on the backend through to Macs, Apple TVs, and iPods and iPhones on the front to offer a totally integrated media ecosystem with lower barriers of entry than have traditionally been in place.

Will Apple pull that trigger? Do we want them to?

More than 2 years post-iPhone launch, no news on Flash ever coming to the iPhone, yet Apple is pressing ahead with technologies like H.264 video (YouTube App’s been using it since day one), HTML 5 and CSS animation (iPhone Safari supported them first), HTTP Live Streaming, and now WebGL for hardware accelerated 3D-graphics, and TuneKit, the framework behind the new iTunes LP rich media content.

Read on to find out what they are, how they work, and why they might make plugins like Flash increasingly unnecessary…

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