iTunes vs Blu-ray – bonus features

Due to the famous claim “bag of hurt” by Steve Jobs, Apple seems never let its own device support Blu-ray. But for competition, Apple offers its own 1080P movies via iTunes. Users can purchase on any device, and the movie will be instantly accessible in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC. You can watch the movie on iPad with Retina display or on your HDTV via Apple TV (3rd generation).

Blu-ray has a lot of merits except its price, compared to iTunes 1080P HD movie, including its HD video and audio quality. While iTunes’ 1080P movie has been compressed less than 10G and difference of quality between the two types cannot be recognized by naked eye. A very important feature is the extras, with which you can enjoy the behind-the-scenes footage, director’s introduction, etc. If you purchase high-definition movie from iTunes, the extra is often available and may be more than that in one Blu-ray disc. Keep in mind you can't download iTunes Extras; the content is streamed from the internet every time you watch them.

Another frustration is that iTunes Extras is only available for about 100 movies in Australia. Popular movies such as Gravity, The Lego Movie, Iron Man 3 and The Avengers come with iTunes Extras content is only in the US. That means iTunes 1080P movie still has one-step-distance with Blu-ray. Another thing you should note is that if you watch the bonus features regularly, iTunes Extra will put a dent in your monthly download limit.