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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Apple’s iTunes Music Store is on record to releasing TV shows within 24 hours of airing on its store. However, interesting enough, the hit show 24 season finale could not be found the day after its two hour finale. Where was it?
Well it is now available on iTMS but not in one easy download for the two hour show. No, instead Apple and Fox Network on Demand has decided to chop it into two episodes and cash in an extra $2 out of this. While fans sat through commercials on the Monday night airing, no one had to wait for it in two parts. Even BitTorrent users had a single two-hour copy of it the next morning (sans advertisement.)
SvenOnTech is a bit upset that Apple has allowed a single episode to be split into two to add revenue to the bottom line. Calls to Apple went unanswered and thus we can not confirm whose idea to chop it in two it was. It may have been Fox’s idea but Apple could be at fault, too. Either way, BitTorrent may be a better alternative since someone felt squeezing an extra two dollars was a good idea. But do note this, SvenOnTech has viewed two of the most seeded XVid versions of the season finale and the quality is not that of what you will get from iTMS, though they were both in widescreen which iTMS does not offer. Take your choice, save four dollars with less quality or pay up and get the better black tones. 
May 24th, 2006 at 13:15
It wasn’t one episode. It was split in two when it aired, with ending credits after the first hour and a recap of the first hour preceding the second. It wasn’t one two-hour episode, it was two one-hour episodes aired back-to-back.
May 24th, 2006 at 15:01
Yeah, what chomp said. Also, although somebody may have packed the two episodes in a single torrent later on, the first BitTorrent releases were two separate torrents for the two hours.
And do I really need to point out that a two hour back-to-back showing is twice as long, and normally allows the network to air twice as many commercials, and so it is perfectly reasonable to charge twice as much?
It sounds like somebody is just looking for any excuse to ding iTunes and push BitTorrents.
Well you know what? You don’t need an excuse! Torrents are always available and 100% free. Have a party.
If you don’t mind paying $2 an hour for an extremely hassle-free download that is quickly and easily transferrable to your video iPod, go iTunes.
May 24th, 2006 at 15:36
Fully agree with chomp and Ignatius. And it is Fox’s call on whether it is one episode or two (and it was two.) And it’s always been this way for every “two-hour” commercial airing of 24.
May 24th, 2006 at 20:12
Do note that Fox was pushing the finale as a “2 hour special”. One would assume that’s a single episode. True, previous years, it has always been “single hour” episodes; however, it still seems cheesy what Fox did on iTMS.
I do agree about the ease of use of iTMS and thus that’s what prompted this post of “where is it?”. BitTorrent has its use, but clean official releases are always the better way to go.
May 24th, 2006 at 21:38
“it still seems cheesy what Fox did on iTMS.”
Come on Sven…two bucks per hour of commercial free 24 is cheap. It’s also 220 MB. Two hours would be a 440 MB D/L.