Video content on the internet: Which is the viable option? – Part 2

I searched for the films of David Cronenberg and David Lynch (always a test I like to run because their catalogs are hard to come by), and found 9 Cronenberg movies on Amazon Video, and 10 on iTunes. (all were the same except for “Existenz,” which was iTunes-only). I found 5 films directed by David Lynch on both services, but, oddly, one movie was exclusive to each: “Eraserhead” was on iTunes, and “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” was on Amazon.

This is hardly a scientific test, but it’s a small window of how the search for most online video these days, even purchased or rented content, is hit-or-miss at best for back-catalog entertainment.

Meanwhile, TV content on Amazon and iTunes has normalized, for the most part. Most TV shows are available on both services.

Too close to call. Both services offer plenty of movies and shows, but have holes in their back catalogs: check through both yourself to see what’s available and missing.

iTunes

Movies are available to rent or buy, while TV shows can only be purchased. Apple charges up for HD versions: up to $4.99 per rental for movies, and anywhere from $14.99 to $19.99 for HD movie purchases (with occasional sales at $9.99). Selecting the cheaper “SD” (standard definition) version requires an extra click, and isn’t clear or intuitive to the average person. TV episodes work out at about $1.99 an episode for SD and $2.99 for HD, and full-season purchases are offered at a slight discount.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Aug 8 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.