NBC hates Mac users. That’s pretty much the only conclusion you can draw after reading up on NBC’s new download service. NBC Direct will let users—pardon, Windows users—download popular shows like “Heroes” and Leno immediately after they air. The shows remain available for a week and have built-in, unable-to-be-skipped commercials. Oh, and the file self-destructs after seven days.
You know NBC, I graduate in May. If you need somebody to help draw up a plan that doesn’t totally screw your customers, give me a holler.
To be fair, NBC has said that it will launch a download-to-own service sometime next year, along with a Mac-comptible client. Why you would replace iTunes, which worked perfectly fine for everyone (less Linux), with a service that, at least initially, only works on Windows PCs is beyond me. Oh, wait—I’m getting word… yes. OK, money was the motivation. Surprising.
TPB, anyone?
NBC to Offer a Free Video Download Service [New York Times]
Actually it does work on Macs….if your using Bootcamp or parallels, isn’t that the Mac user answer to everything when trying to convert Windows users? lol I’m picking.
This seems ok, other than the fact that you cant keep it. I can think of plenty of times where I didn’t get home in time to watch a show that I wanted to watch that night and wished I could go to the networks site and watch or download it. will com in handy in those situations.
Me personally, it doesn’t matter if the show is on iTunes, Unboxed, the network or whatever, all of those services have limitations. One is just as bad as the other. iTunes is popular because so many people have iPods, but if the iPod and Zune were to switch places as far as market share, iTunes would be just another limited restrictive way to download video that people would complain about, just like the rest.
I want to be able to buy TV shows and do whatever I want with them. transfer them to any device, keep a collection, burn to DVD’s without worry or installing some proprietary software to access it. Or be limited to using one or certain brands of players. I paid for it right?
Until someone does that, the link you have at the end of the post is almost the only way.
“…Oh, wait—I’m getting word… yes. OK, money was the motivation. Surprising. ..”
Are you talking about the greedy terms that Apple tried to force onto NBC? You must be because YOU say this is a free service that NBC offers.
If a company is going to offer a free to the customer service like this you can be sure that they have spent much bucks rolling out the service and maintaining it.
Why increase that expense at al for a lousy 3% more of the market? Me thinks this is a bigger problem with Apple than NBC.
Why does Apple not only ignore but intentionally block Linux users?
I loved Animaniacs.
This service is only free if your time has no value. Mine does. Ergo, unskippable commercials = not free.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=10672
The iPlayer is as popular as iTunes in the UK. Maybe you need another year in school to study business models? Much like the iPlayer NBC is launching in Windows with the intention to support Macs as soon as they can.
And who said this is replacing iTunes? ITMS maybe, and you wont here me bitching about more competition for ITMS. I’m not quite sure how Apple escapes the greedy tag when they dictate the wholesale pricing terms that content owners must take to have product sold on ITMS. Apple created a walled garden. Remember, all video on iTunes is DRM protected too. And that DRM is not open, so you must go through Apple if you want to be able to put video on an iPod. How consumer friendly is that?
I for one am happy that I’ll be able to watch Hero’s for free this year. I watched quite a few Hero’s episodes on their ad supported, streaming site NBC Replay and would have really liked to be able to watch offline as well. Frankly, the online ad supported content I’ve watched has signifigantly less commecials then when it airs on TV.
Greed is universal.
Apples greed kept them from making the deal with NBC thus forcing it’s patrons to go elsewhere and loosing market share and possible opening the door for a competitor in a market they had cornered. Thats not greed it’s stupidity.
NBCs greed kept them from continuing with a working model for a self controlled commercialized version that is untested and is already irritating customers while isolating others from it’s customer base. Again more stupidity.
They only ones that really loose out are us while billion dollar companies continue to pad there pockets. That’s right folks it’s the baseball strike all over again. You’d think that these companies would see the similarities and note that Baseball has yet to gain back the popularity (although still popular) of it’s pre-strike level. More Stupidity
Then there’s us greedy to be entertained and any belief that Apple or NBC gives one shake about us … well, that’s real the stupidity
I understand the commercials.
I understand that it’s windows only
I understand that that the files self-destruct after 7 days
But I don’t understand why the user interface sucks so bad.
The web site is confusing, it plays the commercial at the smaller screen size and I have to keep getting up after the commercials to enlarge the screen. And do I have to look at the annoying picture of the Nissan Rogue (or what ever) during the show?
So it’s about the money. Isn’t that the reason for ALL BUSINESSES??? Hello! If I own a computer company, the first version of a program or service will HAVE to be for the majority of the computers out there. That’s just good business.