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Wal-Mart's head of digital video services has taken up a job with Apple as new head of international movies and TV

With the closing of Wal-Mart’s digital video store last month, the mega-retailer’s digital media head, Kevin Swint, has taken off for greener pastures.  Swint moved from Wal-Mart to become Apple’s head of international movies and TV.

It was an expected move on his part due Wal-Mart’s failed digital video store.  Wal-Mart’s attempt at digital video market was not completely far-fetched.  Just last year, the company signed up all six major movie studios, beating Apple’s iTunes Store. 

The blame for the service’s failure can mostly be placed on the “unfriendly” DRM and a multitude of absurd fees, reports Ars Technica.  Wal-Mart’s service attempted to leach off of consumer’s wallets, for example, charging extra fees for device-friendly copies.

Another reason for the move, is Apple’s new Digital Copy initiative.  The initiative offers customers iTunes-friendly versions of movies.  Apple currently has a deal with Twentieth Century Fox, allowing customers who purchase the DVD to copy the movie into their iTunes library.  These movies can then be played on Apple’s iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV.

 


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The best way for digital download from DVD...
By daftrok on 2/6/2008 11:02:26 AM , Rating: 2
1) Once you have the DVD (with the case and everything) simply go to any store (Walmart, Best Buy, etc.) and get a special code for that particular DVD (make it nice and long, like 24 characters with numbers). This ensures that its a DVD you physically have and avoids piracy.

2) Go home and go online to a Fox movie download site. Type in the code and input the DVD into your computer to ensure that you have the actual DVD.

3) Choose what format you want (mpeg, wmv, h.264, xvid, etc.) and what resolution (480p, standard 320x240 resolution) and what audio (stereo, mono, 5.1 surround).

Because its a special code and its in the system for that particular DVD, there can be very little chance of people getting downloads of movies they don't own. Its the perfect solution. People still buy the movies and at the same time can enjoy the flexibility of taking it on ANY PMP and not just iPods.




RE: The best way for digital download from DVD...
By pauldovi on 2/6/2008 12:53:35 PM , Rating: 3
Like CD Keys? Those are real hard to break aren't they?

My problem with these scoundrels is that they want you to buy the same content on different formats. No I am not going to buy a movie again to be able to play it on my mobile device and another time to play it on a DVD drive, and another time....

Screw you!

I bought the content, not the format.


By daftrok on 2/6/2008 4:05:52 PM , Rating: 2
Umm...the process I was talking about is Fox DVDs you already have can be taken to a store for verification that the DVD is actually yours and THEN they punch into a computer what DVD you bought and then give you a DVD key, not buy a DVD that can support this system. And the DVD is completely random and different. Its a DVD key for YOUR DVD of that movie. You can't use the same key for the same movie on a different disc that would be stupid. The system would collapse in weeks.


By GaryJohnson on 2/6/2008 12:57:04 PM , Rating: 2
How would that be different from removing the DRM from DVDs and letting people legally rip them?


RE: The best way for digital download from DVD...
By daftrok on 2/6/2008 4:00:38 PM , Rating: 2
Because people can just rent movies from Netflix or Blockbuster and rip a digital version of a movie they don't own.


By GaryJohnson on 2/6/2008 8:51:23 PM , Rating: 2
Then those copies would continue to be DRMed.


Doomed to fail
By FITCamaro on 2/6/2008 10:48:31 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
Apple currently has a deal with Twentieth Century Fox, allowing customers who purchase the DVD to copy the movie into their iTunes library. These movies can then be played on Apple’s iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV.


Yes and for the rest of us, we'll just copy the movie to our PC and re-encode in the size and format we want. I appreciate the idea of having a mobile friendly version of the movie on a disc. But I don't have any iSuck products. Nor do I plan to. I do have a PSP. But apparently those aren't important enough.




RE: Doomed to fail
By ebakke on 2/6/2008 10:59:09 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
I do have a PSP. But apparently those aren't important enough.


Well they (the PSPs) surely aren't important enough to Apple. If you're complaining about Twentieth Century Fox... well, they already back UMD. http://www.foxhome.com/psp/


RE: Doomed to fail
By AlphaVirus on 2/6/2008 1:11:46 PM , Rating: 2
Well of course he is upset with Apple, look at what he wrote.
quote:
But I don't have any iSuck products


I mean I fully agree with him too. Apple has been and always will be in "nobody else in my sand pit" mode and thats a bunch of crap.


RE: Doomed to fail
By ebakke on 2/6/2008 3:02:58 PM , Rating: 2
I understand exactly what he was saying. I just think his frustration is absurd. Why would Apple give a damn about any other media player's format when it owns so much of the market? That's just stupid.


Fingers Crossed
By kelmon on 2/6/2008 2:44:26 PM , Rating: 2
Needless to say I get the hump whenever Apple (or anyone else for that matter) announces a new product/service that is US-only. The iTunes Store does a good job in those locations where it is present to provide music but there's pretty much nothing else except in the UK. If this guy can deliver content for the other countries then I'm very happy at the news. At the end of the day, content is king and the lack of it is the #1 reason why the Apple TV remains a useless product outside the US.




RE: Fingers Crossed
By Scott66 on 2/6/2008 11:22:12 PM , Rating: 2
The only reason they introduce such services in the US is due to the DCMA. No other country was stupid enough to think it is a good idea for its citizens. The Movie industry wants complete control over the content and how it can be distributed as this is how they make more and more money.


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