Info
Report: Apple eyes Blu-Ray
Digital-music powerhouse is reportedly trying to convince movie studios to include iPod-ready versions of movies on new DVD format releases.
If Steve Jobs has his way, all new movies coming out on the new Blu-Ray DVD format will include iPod-ready versions--yet another content driver for Apple's iPod.
That's the word from a handful of iPod insider Web sites this week, a move that would substantially bolster the amount of iPod-ready film content, particularly if Apple unveils a video iPod with a larger display screen later this year. As of now, the only full-length feature film sold on iTunes is Disney's High School Musical.
The reports indicated that Jobs is leveraging both Apple's decision to support Sony's Blu-Ray format in its battle with HD-DVD and his increasing clout in Hollywood as Disney's biggest shareholder to convince movie studios to include iPod-ready content on Blu-Ray discs, which are set to hit retail stores next month.
Blu-ray is one of two new optical disc formats battling to replace DVDs for high-definition content. The main backers of Blu-Ray include Sony, Panasonic, Disney, Apple, and Samsung, while companies supporting the rival HD-DVD format include Toshiba, NEC, and Intel.
If true, the inclusion of iPod-ready film content on Blu-Ray DVDs would cut into potential revenues Apple could generate by selling those movies in iTunes, but it would also help sell more iPods as a result, which has been the core of Apple's business anyway.
Just added
