Page 2 – News Debris For The Week Of August 14th
An Apple Blockbuster Movie Deal

There are reports that Apple has trying to work a deal to bring theatrical movie rentals to Apple TV as soon as 17 days after debut—for a hefty US$50. No deal has yet been struck according to Bloomberg: “Hollywood, Apple Said to Mull Rental Plan, Defying Theaters.”

The dynamics are interesting. Declining DVD sales have driven the studios to ponder new revenue streams, but the ever present concern about upsetting the theater owners remains. How shall the studios juggle their revenue streams, remain on good terms with partners and sustain growth? Bloomberg notes:

Some of the biggest proponents, including Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, are pressing on in talks with Apple Inc. and Comcast Corp. on ways to push ahead with the project even without theater chains, the people said. After months of negotiations, the two sides have been unable to arrive at a mutually beneficial way to create a $30 to $50 premium movie-download product.

Again, while no deal has been struck, this article is full of tidbits about how the industry is thinking as well as what Apple’s been up to.

We haven’t heard the last of schemes like this because the studios are keen to connect directly with customers, leverage the 4K revolution, and develop a new, enduring revenue stream.  One scheme, according to Bloomberg, is that theater owners would be compensated for lost revenue over a 10 year period. Just how well that would work remains a big question.

Will movie theaters survive this almost certain initiative? Can the sharing revenue really work? Are there new things theaters can offer to make the experience more compelling? Currently, the plusses are the big screen and big sound experience, the social experience, food and, in some cases, alcoholic beverages. But disruptions by inconsiderate viewers, mobile phone users, and untidy conditions can ruin the experience.

Only time will tell.

More Debris

• Speaking of streaming TV, the number of streaming services keeps growing, and keeping track of them and their features is more and more difficult. Fortunately, Jeff Dunn and BI has put together a comparison to help us all out. “There are 6 major services that let you stream live TV over the internet — here’s how they compare.”

• The always insightful Dan Moren at Macworld does a good job of exploring the technical options and issues for an Apple Watch Series 3 with (rumored) LTE support. “The pros and cons of a cellular Apple Watch.”

Surprise! It’s also a phone! (Maybe.)

• While I’m on the subject of corporate omniscience and intrusion, (page 1), see: “How to see all the terrifying things Google knows about you.”

• Have you been thinking that, with iOS 11, the iPad may be the only computer you may need? Here’s another, but very good, article that conducts the ongoing key experiment for you. “I Used the New 10.5-Inch iPad Pro for a Month Instead of a MacBook. Here’s What I Learned.”

• I read this article once and realized that I’m going to have to read it at least two more times to internalize the facts. I”m referring to USB-C, cable lengths and protocols that are transported. It sounds pretty geeky, and it is. But given Apple’s (correct) decision to forge on with USB-C, it seems that this tutorial is a good one to both bookmark and read again from time to time. Must reading, actually. “PSA: Thunderbolt 3 cables longer than 0.5m generally don’t support USB 3.1 speeds.”

• We all know the difference between 1080p and 1080i video, right? In case you need a refresher, this very easy to read and visually oriented article explains the difference and why it matters. “Why Netflix videos look so much better than cable TV.”

That article has a focus on cable. I should note that DirecTV has had the capability of delivering 1080p video for some time now. Moreover, if your AV receiver or HDTV can de-interlace 1080i, there isn’t much of an issue. Still, the BI article is nicely written, just not comprehensive.

For a broader, more techical introduction to 4K streaming, I recommend this article from back in June. “How To Stream Netflix in 4K.” With H.265/HEVC, streamed 4K/UHD content on the internet will be 2160p. But it’ll be highly compressed to manage a decent picture at, say, 15 Mbps into the home.

• Finally, I bring this up because of the differences in corporate culture between Apple and HP. Because it’s been ceded that Apple will do very well with AR, how is a company like HP to compete? The answer lies in AR catering to fields that Apple isn’t strong in, namely science. See: “HP enlists creative and scientific community to help imagine life on Mars.” Projects like this won’t make a dent in Apple’s AR success, but they will reinforce HP’s legitimacy with science customers and provide a continuing technical contrast between the two companies.

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Particle Debris is a generally a mix of John Martellaro’s observations and opinions about a standout event or article of the week (preamble on page one) followed on page two by a discussion of articles that didn’t make the TMO headlines, the technical news debris. The column is published most every Friday except for holiday weekends.