Some of you may know, if you’ve been following the site long enough, that I am a little bit of a movie geek. I wish, often, that there were 26 hours in a day, just so I could watch an extra movie. Any news then of an exciting new way to watch the industry’s latest offerings, is always going to catch my eye.
Warner Bros., one of Hollywood’s most successful distributors, has announced that it will begin releasing its top films as iOS apps. The apps will be compatible with all devices; iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, providing you have iOS 3.1 or later.
Initially when you download it, it will be free, but it will only be in “preview mode”. “Preview mode” lets you view the first five minutes of the film, plus around a dozen special features.
To view the entire feature film there’s an in-app purchase required of around $10-$12, which gives you access to the entire movie, plus the rest of the bonus content. You can also choose whether or not you want to stream or download the movie to watch later, offline.
I’m sure the question comes to mind; why would I download the app when I can get the movie in iTunes? As downloads both the app and Apple’s own movie downloads are only available in SD (480p), it’s only rentals in the iTunes movies store that you can access HD quality videos.
However, the app does offer a lot more content, bonus features and has social network plugins to share things about the movie on Facebook or Twitter. I’m pretty excited by this, as the experience should be so much greater than just watching the movie.
“App Features Include:
•Offline Playback: Download the movie directly to your device to playback at anytime
•Streaming Playback: Stream the movie over Wi-Fi or 3G networks
•Exclusive Music: Five music tracks (three never-before-released) by composer Hans Zimmer
•Movie Extras: Enjoy bonus features that take you behind the scenes with filmmakers who discuss the production and challenges of such a complex film.
•Art Gallery: Explore an array of movie posters, production photography, and concept art.
•Multiple languages: Watch the film in your language of choice**
•Share: Let friends know when you¹re watching the film, and post your favorite quotes on Facebook and Twitter*
•Fan up: Check out other Inception related content available to download on iTunes
•Multi-Touch Support”
To see Dark Knight: app edition in action, check out the video below, or if you’re more of a Leo fan check out this link Inception: app edition in the App Store.
