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NEWS: Funimation Launches iTunes Store

All that's missing are subtitles.

All in all, a very good start though.

-t

Looks like a good start indeed. I just wish companies would find a way to convince whoever it is they have to convince to be able to sell stuff without DRM. I know they do it to protect their content from piracy or whatever (which doesn't work, BTW) but still...DRM is a bitch.

But yeah I agree, all that is missing is the sub version. All in all, great start.

-Karasuhebi

It cannot be overstated what a positive step this is. The red tape barrier in Japan to downloadable content is immense. That a company was finally able to bridge this gap means that everybody will have to follow suit sooner rather than later.

I wish Funimation unprecidented success in their new venture.

Steve Jobs is already trying to get rid of DRM so it won't stick around for very long. All in all though great step towards making anime more accessible. All that it needs is subtitles

It's not just Apple, it's Monster Cable and Yahoo! too. Check it out:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/yahoo-monster-cable-join-antidrm-front-236243.php

-Karasuhebi

Subtitled or not, it doesn't matter to me. At least it's available.

Their show selection is an indicator of who they're targeting. It would appear that they're not (in ths first round, at least) going for the rank and file "anime fans." These are titles that will have broader appeal, but ones that mainstream audiences probably don't know about since I doubt they even glance at the anime section for longer than 10 seconds as they pass by. Sampling a $1.99 episode is a lot easier than buying a $20/30 volume blind.

At least for this week, Speed Grapher and Samurai 7 are pretty highly visible in the Store and each has little 30-second episode previews up. So perhaps this exercise will bring in some new people. Kind of like how Cowboy Bebop running on Adult Swim brought in its own share of new fans. Like jsevakis says, I'm sure this is just the first domino to fall ('least I hope it is). Someone had to make the first step. Now let's get some more in there.

Don't be so sure on DRM being on its death bed. A lot of the reason, or so I've heard, that domestic anime licensors have had trouble distributing anime in an online-digital format is because the Japanese parent companies are not thrilled about the prospect of their native Japanese consumers having access to our much cheaper prices. It's part of the reason DVDs have region codes, so consumers can't screw over domestic distributors by buying much cheaper products from over seas. High quality, DRM free videos represent a bit of a threat in the minds of Japanese companies because they assume an Otaku would eventually stop paying 50 dollars USD for a 2 episode Haruhi DVD and just hold on a while and snag the same 2 episodes from iTunes for 4 bucks, assuming subtitled versions would be made available online. Presumably they wouldn't be interested in our dubs. Again, this is only speculation I've read on other sites, I've never heard an ADV rep or anything say it, so it could be totally untrue.

I wish they woulda put FMA on there...
Though, this is a big step in the right direction, $2 an ep is good, IMO.
They also need subs...<_<

This definitely is a great step for anime. This will attract those people who might not buy volumes, but wouldn't feel bad about paying $2 to check out an episode.
Although this technology isn't for everyone (such as me, as I still prefer to buy the DVDs), I can only think of positives in terms of what this means for anime.

It's an interesting idea. Too bad the resolution is too small for something you're paying for. DVD-rip groups offer dual audio and higher resolutions (640x360 is a joke). We'll see if this affects ADV's download service...

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Forum - View topicNEWS: Funimation Launches iTunes Store

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NEWS: Funimation Launches iTunes Store