Sony may take on iTunes with online movies
updated 09:05 am EDT, Tue September 4, 2007
Sony Considers Movie Store
Sony is contemplating creating its own direct-download movie store, the company remarked today in comments to the press. Spokesman Shigenori Yoshida explained that the firm was "looking into the area" of video downloads as a possible business venture, pointing to its practical reality in the market. The representative made no mention of how likely the service was to come into existence or what formats it would support, though a future development might require unprotected H.264 or MPEG-4 movies to support Sony's new video Walkman players as well as the PlayStation 3 and PSP, none of which currently play copy-protected video formats.
Separate sources suggest that regardless of the company's official stance, its chief executive Sir Howard Stringer intends to make online video a focus and will extend the video service as far as recent Bravia LCD TVs, many of which support the Bravia Internet Link that will access online content without requiring a separate computer. The sensitivity of movie studios to copy protection issues may however require adding a digital rights management layer to much of this pipeline, said the insiders, though whether this will involve Windows Media Video or a new format is unknown.
The hint comes just days after the company announced it was shuttering the Connect store, triggered in part by the company's previous insistence on using the proprietary ATRAC format that would only function with its own devices and software. Connect's downfall was followed by the release of new devices that would support protected WMA songs, allowing them to support most online music stores.
yeah well...
09/04, 11:02am reply
the PSP and PS3 are all selling so well......
Roehlstation
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
unprotected?
09/04, 11:37am reply
If they are really planning on selling unprotected H.264 videos, they might just have a shot at competing after all...
WiseWeasel
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 1999
so...
09/04, 12:36pm reply
Sony is setting themselves up, once again, for failure? Well, why not, they have been on a roll, after all, over the past decade .... why stop now.
The key to success in this busines climate is not to try to dethrone the iTunes store, and Apple, but rather to work with them in a complimentary form -- something hp tried to do, something SONY will never do.
ZinkDifferent
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2005
Implemented like eBooks
09/04, 02:05pm reply
If they implement it as badly as they implemented eBooks, it's bound for failure.
Limited book selection
Bad software (crashes, disconnects, and PC only)
Just slightly lower priced than all the other too highly priced digital books.
Sony never learns.
Deal
Mac Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2001
Great
09/04, 04:15pm reply
I would like to see that happens.
Kenneth
Addicted to MacNN
Joined: Mar 1999
falling further behind
09/04, 10:25pm reply
zinkdifferent has it right and i'll add, if Sony wants to try to compete and dethrone iTunes, they risk falling even further behind as they lose another couple years' lead to Apple if they don't succeed (which they likely won't).
If you're Sony, you can't bring yourself to admit that you own all that content and have to let someone else sell it for you AND dictate your pricing strategy. Oh and by the way that someone else is killing you in a market you pioneered, personal music players.
climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2001
Great Job
10/29, 02:06am reply
I think the Company is doing a great job for his own company and for the useers too. This is because as they allow the users to have MP4 movies on the Video walkman and on the PSP, Market going to boost up as well as the consumers.
chankya
Banned
Joined: Oct 2007