Apple celebrated its 200 millionth TV episode sold this week through the iTunes Store. Just as proud, Apple said that over 1 million of those episodes were in HD.
Apple also said that the four major networks will offer more shows from their fall lineup in HD. Primetime shows like “Lost,” “Heroes,” “The Office,” and “Prison Break” will be in HD for upcoming seasons. Apple’s iTunes now offers more than 30 shows in HD. High-definition shows from iTunes cost $2.99, while standard definition shows cost $1.99.
Apple called the iTunes Store the “most popular online TV store” and that could very well be true, but the lack of renting and purchasing videos for many countries outside the US could be stifling to Apple’s claim.
It is a slow-turning wheel to get this video content to an international distribution audience, but that looks to be the next necessary step.
While it built its foundation on music – iTunes has a catalog of over 8 million songs – it now features more than 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films, 600 of which are in HD.
With the success of iTunes for normal definition and HD programs, maybe Apple is right to stay away from featuring an expensive Blu-ray player in its products. And maybe Steve Jobs is right to still consider Blu-ray a “bag of hurt.”