Anime on itunes

[EMY23-23]

I just received an email from Funimation informing me that anime is now available on itunes. So far complete seasons of Desert Punk, Samurai 7 and Speed Grapher are available. I think this is a good thing given other companies (besides Funimation) follow the trend. It makes it a lot easier on me just downloading (legally) a series instead of having to illegally download and convert it so I can have it on my ipod.

[KiraraKim]

I read that on ANN the other day. I think this is great news. It will be a lot easier to watch licensed anime this way. I checked and an episode is going for $1.99. That is not bad at all.

[Ieyasu]

Just so there's no ambitguity, it is the dub you get and not the sub, correct?

[f1rst children]

It's a nice idea, but pass.

1) iTunes video is only 320*240 resolution. I'm don't want to pay for sub-SDTV quality.

2) There's no conversion to DVD. Why not? You can burn iTunes songs to CD, but not videos to DVD - makes no sense.

[Ieyasu]

It's a nice idea, but pass.

1) iTunes video is only 320*240 resolution. I'm don't want to pay for sub-SDTV quality.

2) There's no conversion to DVD. Why not? You can burn iTunes songs to CD, but not videos to DVD - makes no sense.

Truth. But I could still be persuaded if they build up a good library. Buying anime is suprisingly difficult for me ._.

But that's sure as hell not gonna happen if they don't start selling subbed versions.

[Starwind Amada]

It probably costs more money to put a Japanese track you didn't produce on iTunes. That, and they probably want to aim for a broader audience, not just the hardcore sub crowd.

And there's no way in hell FUNi will allow burning to DVD-Rs. You know how much money they'd lose from potential DVD sales?

[f1rst children]

And there's no way in hell FUNi will allow burning to DVD-Rs. You know how much money they'd lose from potential DVD sales?

Funimation's already getting paid: I'm paying $2 an episode, and all I'm getting is a collection of bits. I'm providing the physical media (DVD-R) and I'm paying the distribution costs (ISP fee) myself. I'm not getting multiple audio tracks, I'm not getting DVD-quality video, I'm not getting case art, I'm not getting liner notes, and I'm not getting any "extras," which is usually code for "commercials for our other shows."

All that costs money, and Funimation's not paying for any of it. They're not even paying the digital inventory (server upkeep) costs - Apple is. All in all, I think for $2 an episode that's a pretty sweet deal for Funimation. All I want is fair use for what I've bought.

[Tyrdium]

1) iTunes video is only 320*240 resolution. I'm don't want to pay for sub-SDTV quality.Used to be. Apple bumped up the resolution on everything to 640 x 480 a while ago.

[Pachinko]

This is actually great. It makes it much more easier for me now.

[laborpilot86]

This is a smart move for Funimation and for Apple...there's gold in them thar toons:cool:

[Roark]

I can find thin packs online for $34 or so, and that's for the DVD's. What advantage does this offer aside from iPod compatibility? (I'm not sure if you can convert DVD -> iPod video and play it.)

Note that this may be an argument for getting better dubs, though. I can't imagine tryign to read subs on an iPod screen.

[f1rst children]

I can find thin packs online for $34 or so, and that's for the DVD's. What advantage does this offer aside from iPod compatibility? (I'm not sure if you can convert DVD -> iPod video and play it.)

Going in that direction is pretty simple. Here's a guide using DVD Decrypter and Videora, both freeware:

http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/guides.html#1000

Going in the other direction, iPod -> DVD, seems to be undoable - at this point no one's cracked the iPod video copy protection/DRM.

Would I be correct in assuming that videos downloaded off iTunes are playable only on iPods, like songs are? Devices, not computer programs.

[LunarEmpress]

I personally wouldn't buy.. It's hard for me technology-wise just to access the internet.. I prefer my frugal way of living and honestly buying my anime at outlets stores and ebay. Episodes only cost less than a quarter for me.