Hot on the trails of Apple's recent debut of a video-capable iPod music/photo/video player, Central Park Media has become the first anime company to offer Anime trailers and select full-length episodes of some of it's popular and upcoming anime titles for free download in iPod compatible format. Central Park Media is no stranger to offering portable video content for download, as they already offer many of these trailers and videos for Sony's PSP portable gaming and media device as well.
Downloading a full 23 minute episode took about 5-7 minutes on my broadband connection and were amazingly good quality at 320x240 pixels; roughly 1/4th of television-quality resolution, and with a file size of about 105MB each. The iPod screen plays them clear and vibrant and using the optional Audio/Video cable the episodes played extremely well on a 32 inch TV, although at times it was very obvious that they were made for a 2 1/2 inch LCD screen.
Don't have an iPod? The good news is that these files can play on any computer capable of running the latest Quicktime player or iTunes software available from Apple's web site for download at no charge.
Peter Tatara, Central Park Media's fan community liaison executive, added, "It is a well-known fact that anime fans are the earliest adopters of new technology hardware and software. We are sure that they will quickly become a major customer base for video iPods, so we want to ensure that they can enjoy their favorite Central Park Media titles on this new device.”
Central Park Media currently offers these videos for download through there web site, but says that they are in negotiations with Apple to have it's programming included in the iTunes online store. No information was available as to when that might happen.
About Central Park Media:
Central Park Media has been a leading supplier of anime in the United States since 1990. The company currently manufactures and distributes three home entertainment labels, each offering anime product for a distinct and discriminating anime audience: U. S. Manga Corps, Central Park Media and Software Sculptors. With exclusive rights to hundreds of book, video and music products, the company has become a leader in integrated media, as well as a leading publisher of graphic novels under its CPM Press label. Central Park Media also carries a broad array of documentaries released under its CPM label, as well as live-action Japanese feature films under its Asia Pulp Cinema label.
http://www.centralparkmedia.com/ipod/
http://www.apple.com/ipod/