MrHellpop

I wish NBC would host its own torrents - full quality - that would be interesting.

twylight

Looking forward to adding a Blu-ray burner when I get my next Mac!

leicaman

... but seriously... what has your statement (which by the way doesn't say much more than: "I hate Macs") got to do with NBC pulling out of iTunes? OH! I get it... you don't like the idea of pulling out early?

p.s. every time an iPhone is used for a phone call, a BSOD appears on a windoze box... no cancer... just reality... BSOD. Humans are not harmed in the apple universe so turn your cancer rays off and smarten up.

:-)

Ednonymous

Sounds like you need to review the meaning of the word "broadcast". I'd love to hear about these "pay for play" broadcasts that characterize the early days of broadcast television. Televisions tuners have a coin slot on them , did they?

If you're going to use belligerent ranting as your main mode of discourse, you might want to base it on something other than made up bullshit.

addabox

ibnabouna

I am all for diversification but limiting options is not the same thing. I am also all for toppling the iTunes monopoly, but that has to be done by delivering a superior mix of cost, convenience and service quality and so far no one has come close. Attempting to topple a distribution monopoly by restricting one brand of content will only make the restricted content less appealing for the consumers and that content holder more despised. Just ask The Beatles, who have finally caved.

Kudos to NBC for providing a free ad-supported on-line viewing option. Shame on them for restricting their content from the largest and most convenient distribution option.

Vagabum

TysonDD

Appletard

rmeehan17

digiprod

Exactly. At the ground floor of a revolution in content distribution, it is to the benefit of consumers if things diversify. The only people who can't tell are AppleTards.

ADismalScience

Some folks here are saying, 'fine, but that is a really stupid business move.' In fact, it is a very brave one. Right now there is a pseudo monopoly on video content distribution on the 'net, and Mr. Jobs is in control. The only way to change that is to not distribute content through Apple. The amount of money coming in through iTunes is minuscule, but that is going to change in the coming years. There is no better time to pull from Apple to head-off that monopoly before it gets out of control.

Monty

schrosa

Apple haters, can you recommend a PC and a portable player to play those Amazon unbox videos on? I haven't been able to find a portable player in the same class as my iPhone. Microsoft doesn't even make one. LOL

JackRB

As to content, NBC, and all this rant. NBC is poo - they are trying to be the victors in a new-platform duel giving credibility to no-one but themselves. The fact that they fired everyone on Leno and Obrien's team tells me that they are very self-absorbed. c'ok... all will get ironed out somehow.

As to apple-pc war itunes blah blah blah... I also do not own Ipod nor Zune for many reasons but the main was something called proprietary. I gave my money to something that was happy with whatever I gave it from wherever I gave it from. Again, market. I do not follow sheep or trends. Trying to look into the minds of NBC, I'm guessing they either aren't following the masses breaking the tradition before it becomes a "standard" is a valid point - but they better have a plan B in place because right now it just appears to be a silly move. What they did to the writers is non-explainable - I do not like., but thenagain, we also do not know the full story - only the plight of the writers on the streets... walking hungry and cold barefoot back and forth hoping the uproar of the masses will make the big execs give in. It's a mutual hostage situation - will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Honestly, maybe it's an opportunity for all us wonderful show and TV watchers to turn it off and enjoy that thing called outdoors! Spend time with our families and maybe head over to Esztergom! Highly recommend Hungary people - you'll never drink better!

So drink up gizzmonites, the end of the world is not from lack of tv shows or which UI is better... it's when we ignore the bigger picture.

zarchitect

The-Spectre

Cleverboy

Also, as a direct result of the writers strike consumers are soon going to be starved for content to watch on TV and portable devices. With NBC bailing on iTunes people will either pay for the competition's content instead (ABC, CBS, Fox, HBO), or they will return to p2p downloads for Fox shows they must have. The result no matter the balance is that Fox loses both digital viewers and digital revenue. Great call. The more I think about it the more I expect they will quickly realize they are shooting themselves in the foot (in addition to ankle, leg and hand) and they will soon go crawling back to iTunes with a fresh (albeit short-term) contract.

Vagabum

banmojo

:^))

banmojo

:^))

banmojo

BM has spoken, good day sirs.

banmojo

your banana analogy leaves out the one fact NBC keeps ignoring also.
-the bananas most people use are not purchased. they are "picked" from their own tree, and just to carry your well thought out analogy further. NBC has decided to take the few (but growing) bananas people were paying for despite the fact they are otherwise free, and then remove them from the largest for-pay banana market in the world and sell them out of the back of a truck in an alley no one wants to walk down.

-I'm not sure how itunes is the problem with the world today, but I am sure that the business model apple uses for itunes (keep prices to an absolute minimum, despite the protestations of the "greedy" vendors, is the most successful business model in the world...see Wal-Mart, Amazon etc). If amazon's DRM free model works, what will all the people buying this music play it on? this drives sales of the ipod up and when these millions want to watch an episode of ""the office" but cant, it's not the ipod they will be dissatisfied with.

-cellphones. media providers biggest wet dream, if only they can lock the content and force us to pay for it yet again. except everything they want to sell is already available. thats the problem with digital content. if nbc wants to corner the market on video on phones, what they need are phones that can deliver high quality video. What they have are phones that deliver crappy streams over crappy networks, poor UI, and mobile providers which are even stupider and more poorly run than media providers...good luck.

-bad business, luckily bad business is always viciously punished in the end by the market.

docb

lucky_you

unionosx

frieze

still NBC sucks balls. not for this but for the whole writer strike crap. they are shafting the writers and i'm not getting to watch my shows like scrubs. they are considering not picking up scrubs for another season which would suck without a proper ending. thank you NBC for almost ruining an amazing show.

thank you NBC for serving the consumer with a bunch of crap.

benjimandodd

I just don't know why it is that you Apple fan boys hate Microsoft. And I'm shocked that anyone really considers MS and company to be anti-competitive, orverarchingly proprietary or monopolistic. I'm just shocked. I'm awestruck. Just dumbfounded.

macspirit

As for iTunes, it's fast becoming ubiquitous.

NeoPoliticus

snitch29

Sounds like you need to brush up on the history of broadcast TV!

ADismalScience

Huh. I wasn't aware that television proceeded from "pay to pay" to "subscription" to "ad supported". Oh, wait, that's because it didn't.

But don't let reality intrude on your spittle inflected rant. Carry on.

addabox

Then vote with your dollars! Demand content portability and refuse to patronize services that don't meet your needs! The market will address you. At this point though, the revolution is in the homes of viewers - it will spread to the places where viewers go.

ADismalScience

Asking someone to respond in a rational, intelligent manner to that pile of shit you're passing off as argumentation is the height of irony. Just go cuddle up with your brand allegiances. The big boys and girls care about the content, not the provider.

If I want a banana, I want a good banana as cheaply as possible from a store that's easy to get to. Having lots of places to go that compete on quality and location benefits me. Your knob-polish of an argument is, essentially, that the power of Apple's brand is superior to the concept of competition and diversity improving things for consumers. This is the essence of fanboy idiocy, the crux of the problem with the world today distilled into a discussion about freaking iTunes.

Also, fyi, as for content platforms - they have these things called cellphones? Are you not familiar with the media and entertainment industries? There is a minor stir over these mobile phone things that you may have heard, something about the fastest-growing source of new screens with a built-in audience in the world. There's a reason why iPods were given calling features.

ADismalScience

docb

I don't like commercials and I don't want to watch TV shows on my computer in a browser as is required by NBC's so called iTunes Video replacement Hulu.com. Hulu does not help me when I am bored at 35000 feet in the air and want to watch a TV show on my iPod or when I want to relax on the couch and watch a TV show on my TV. They can continue to have Hulu or any website like that I don't really care but I want to have the OPTION to buy a TV show so that I can use it for the purposes stated above.

helmsb

Wow...just WOW!!!

lets just drop the apple hate for one second and look at facts here.

-NBC had a model where they charged advertisers and you watch it on TV, then they could charge you $1.99 and have you buy the episode commercial free.

-Now they have a model where you watch it free on TV or watch the online episodes...on what? No one is dragging computers around to watch TV. The default portable player in this country is the ipod. Just like the default portable operating system in this country is windows. There is no rational argument against this statement. If you want someone to hear or see your media, you put it on itunes. All competitors against itunes have failed, every one of them...you want to know why, just go ask your little brother or cousin. No one can have a non-ipod and be respected. That is just the way it is.

-The secret NBC doesnt realize but every person who wrote in above does is.....95% of the stuff on our ipods doesn't come from the itunes store. The ipod excepts all open formats and one closed format. It just doesn't except the other guy's closed format. So my ipod is full of mp3s and a few AACs. I bought the few episodes of battlestar gallactica i missed, but if I can't get it from itunes, I'll just get em from a torrent or rapidshare. It's cheaper to do that than change players.

-This is a very poor business move on the part of NBC, and smacks of 100% hubris by people who have an axe to grind.

-Meanwhile this christmas...check how many of your cousins, co-workers and friends become part of the ipod/iphone ecosystem. These are the people universal just decided they don't want to sell to.

If you respond, please do so in a rational, intelligent manner.

docb

kibets

Rather than paying for content that's free if you have a television through the iTunes model, you can log on to NBC.com and just download it. Things are going from a pay-to-play model to an advertising-based model. YOU ARE GETTING SOMETHING FOR FREE THAT YOU USED TO HAVE TO PAY FOR. This is because competing distribution platforms for media content have always proceeded from pay-for-play models and subscription models to ad-supported free models. TV did it, internet print content did it, and now internet TV and music are arcing in the same direction. In case you haven't noticed, the freedom of the content brings choice, variety, and quality to your TV set because advertisers watch the data and vote with their dollars to provide consumers with what they want the most.

Morons. I hope iPhone really is made of goddamn carcinogens. It's certainly made of something that damages the brain.

ADismalScience

Joe Alien

DeadWriter

baldingnerd

ColonelSmith

teexcue

it's amazing to think that people who are obviously quite savvy in many other ways don't appreciate the fact their usefulness is rapidly coming to a close. they should be bending over backwards to appease both the content producers and consumers. storing up as much good will as humanly possible for that inevitable day when neither creator nor consumer have any use for their services.

dashielm

Cleverboy

discounteggroll

Yup.

dead_red_eyes

bobdobbs

davidwb

Vagabum

yoshi

daftrok

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!