OT: iTunes 6 and Video iPod

So this looks pretty damn yummy but begs the questions:

Will Apple embrace the Indy film world on iTunes 6 so we can distribute our movies via download for $1.99? Gotta figure Netflix and many others will be/are doing it.

How big a file is a one hour TV show? Apple says 20 minutes to download. What? Internet 2? Cable? DSL? Assume its encoded H.264

Should we begin embracing the "movie for a 2.5 inch screen" and start to create content for that medium? Obviously huge in Japan right now, slowly creeping into the culture in the US on cell phones, but iTunes 6 and the video iPod seems to change the dynamic to a "everyone can do this" so go do this, attitude.

Trying to think like a teenager here. Would you watch a one hour show on a 2.5 inch screen? Or is the screen more suited to music videos, short visual bytes from the internet etc?

Just a few questions to get started on this topic

i gotta tell you, id rather watch a 2 hour movie on a 2 .5 inch screen than hold a hot 15-17" laptop on my lap on a plane ride...

have any of you used the video ipod yet?

Years ago I "invented" a display device that consisted of 2 small LCD screens mounted as lenses in a pair of glasses. With some close-focusing help and image offset to simulate 3-D, you'd have a hell of a "surround" movie watching experience without all that cumbersome stuff. Sounds like a pair of iPods might do the job. If you could solve all those annoying technical details that pretty much prevented me from going further than just having a brilliant idea. I'd be happy to split the profits with anyone who wanted to do all the work.

Scott

i know im just being a crotchety 36 year old curmudgeon here. but i remember days when people didnt have to constantly have music and movies to entertain themselves. it was ok to occasionaly just sit there, think, and enjoy the slience...

People still do Wayne. Its just we have more options today. Options being the big word

i wonder if you could do distance learning via video podcasts? now were getting somewhere...

if its any discount to my closed minded curmudgeoness - i just sold my ipod mini to my ex girlfriend and am about to order my video pod

the Tv out will allow us to visit clients with the film in our pocket

[stream.apple.akadns.net]

Jeez First thing I thought about was I can plug into my car radio to listen to music on a long trip and plug into those auto LCD displays to watch video instead of a dvd player. I'm sure someone will make a car adapter for this.

First -

Per Apple's site - encoding is "H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats. OR
MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile
with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file
formats.

I'm confused by the huge difference in bit rates. Also note the oddball frame size. My comment - Has anyone timed a H.264 compression? In my tests it took long enough to watch the grass grow.

I note the video out allowing it to be used on larger devices - but have no idea what it actually looks like. But count on a lot more character close ups as directors adapt.

What I predict - this will uncork short form media. Just as the i-tunes store uncorked short form audio. The type of media will diverge into two radically different types. The first will be more social wall paper - music video's and mood pieces that allow social interaction without demanding strict attention.

The second will be the video equivalent of books on tape - content that demands strict attention. This will be divided into ad break to ad break sized chunks. Content like LOST will be crafted to enhance the break between scenes and to deliver clif hanger mini events among the plot lines - suitable to breaking a broadcast show into 4 chunks.

I see a possibility here for the education market.

Repurposing of best of scenes will keep some folks busy. Just the car races for "Too Fast Too Furious". Just the final kung-fu brawl from "Kiss of the Dragon."

Just a few predictions

Ian

im with ian. i see a huge use in distance education.

If you live in LA, you can't appreciate your Video iPod - you are addicted to your car!

If you commuted by train every day for an hour or more, like in NYC or Tokyo, and yes, even SF, you'd be a power user of the Vpod for sure. In the big Apple and in the Big T, iPods are a lot more popular than you might imagine out here in So Cal. Catching up on your fave TV show on the way to work is being done on our local commuter trains here in SF, but guys usually whip out their laptops and drive down battery power awfully fast that way. I think that this might also be cool for long flights when your in flight movie sucks.

KM

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