CriterionCast

Apple Bringing New Exclusive Supplements To iTunes / Sony Movie Purchases

While Apple may not be the strongest player in the online video streaming/renting world, apparently the extras embedded within their iTunes video releases have started getting a lot of buzz.

One of these special features happens to be something really impressive.   On an iTunes video release, such as the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment release of The Other Guys (which is the focus of a new Paid Content article), there is a feature that allows the viewer to search any word, which when typed into a search bar, will take you to any moment within the film where that word is uttered.   Using the film’s script, the search allows you to literally go word by word through the film.



A few other interesting features include a ‘clip & share’ feature that allows users to post clips on respective social networks, as well as a playlist feature that goes through the film song by song or musical cue by musical cue.

Personally, this is where I think something like iTunes could really find a market.   I know as a fan of the Criterion Collection, that I can speak for the rest of us in saying that if we had to choose between a barebones release, or something with some truly special features, the latter will be far more interesting.

These very features also can be seen on Sony’s release of Salt and Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Could you see Criterion doing something like this? Maybe giving those who purchase a DVD/Blu-ray a code for a special feature or clip on their website? Thoughts?

Source: Paid Content

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.

2 comments

  • They’ve actually done this on a few recent blu-ray releases like Se7en where you can search for a keyword and the disc will find where the fillmakers talk about that specific issue in one of the commentaries. kind of like an index of ideas that you can look for within the commentaries. way cool!