Angry Puppy

Our two wishes for the AppleTV (that would require only a software upgrade) were granted today at the Macworld Keynote.

• Direct access to the iTunes store
• Video rentals

We’ll give you a full review in a couple of weeks when the software update becomes available, but in the meantime, here are some details:

• Rentals will be $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases. HD versions of either cost $1 more: $3.99 and $4.99, respectively.
• Lots of studios are involved, including: 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lionsgate and New Line Cinema.
• Rentals are valid for up to thirty days after rental. However, like my DVRs VOD service, files will auto-delete 24 hours after being started.
• 1000 titles are expected by the end of February, some with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound

Just as the rumors said, DVDs from Fox marked “iTunes Digital Copy” will now include an iTunes compatible copy on the disk. It can be imported into only one iTunes library, but from there can be played an unlimited number of times (you own it, after all) on your compatible iPod, PC, Mac or AppleTV.

Drink some Kool-Aid and watch the official Guided Tour on the Apple site.

Have an idea for the imminently necessary nanohazard symbol? Go add it to the list or just have a look at the submissions.  Here’s mine:

Via Boing Boing

“Great” news. Netflix has loosened the “Watch Now” restrictions on their site.

Under this program, included with your membership, PC users can stream videos from a library of over 5,000 movies and television episodes directly to their computer via the Netflix Movie Viewer software. The change is that there is no longer any limit on how much you can watch, but rather on how many simultaneous streams:

“1-disc plans may watch on one device at a time, 2-disc plans on up to two devices at the same time, 3-disc plans on up to three devices, and plans with four or more discs on up to four devices simultaneously.”

I say “great” news, because Mac and Linux users are left out altogether.

“We’re required to use Digital Rights Management to protect movies watched instantly online, and right now we only have approval for this protection on Windows Operating systems, not the Mac.”

This move is seen as a response to iTunes movie rentals (expected to be announced this week), so I can’t say I’ll feel too left out.

I’m sure the Germans have a single word for disappointment-anticipation, that feeling you have when something should have been groundbreaking, really wasn’t, but still might be. Right now I need that word.

“So, Mabel, my Apple TV is really [insert word here], but did you see yesterday’s Financial Times?”

As we mentioned in Episode 7, a couple of tweaks would make the Apple TV more than a glorified slideshow/visualizer for parties.

1. Direct access to the iTunes store
2. Video rentals

For the time being, you’ll need to keep syncing your Apple TV with a computer to get content from iTunes, but according to a recent article in the Financial Times, our second wish is about to be granted.

Apple and Fox have reportedly agreed to let iTunes users rent Fox DVD releases. In addition, the actual DVDs from Fox would include a copy of the movie with FairPlay DRM protection so that consumers could legally (and simply) sync movies from purchased DVDs onto their iPods.

There are no details on the specifics, but educated speculations have included an enticing 30-day rental for only $2.99. Expect to learn more from Jobs himself at the Macworld show on January 14.

…or is that some kind of cheesy New Year’s costume?

Firefox 3.0 Beta 2 was just released, and I have to applaud the post-installation landing page. (Note: I don’t necessarily recommend downloading this beta as your primary browser. Mozilla intends it for developers. Release Notes)

Click to Enlarge

Over at Into the Fuzz, John Slater, Creative Director at Mozilla issues a challenge:

“Answer the unanswered questions…who is behind this rampaging robot? Are the UFO’s in the background working with or against it? What’s the significance of it all? Post your theories in the comments section - the best one gets a Firefox t-shirt.”

In Windows-only news, Internet Explorer 8, which is expected to be released as a beta in 2008, has just passed the Acid2 test. If you’re not into web development, trust me, that’s not as exciting as it sounds. If you *are*, then, trust me, it’s more exciting than it sounds.

And rounding it all out, on Monday Apple released a security update for the Windows version of Safari 3. The issue addressed?

“Visiting a malicious website may result in the disclosure of sensitive information”

Fun.