iPod shuffles into film scene_英文原版

the ipod revolution is about to be spread from music to movies.

apple yesterday unveiled a movie download service allowing users to watch films on its ipods or pcs or have them beamed to tvs.

the company revealed a new generation of ipods with brighter screens and extended memory and battery life to make the service possible.

the development will revolutionise the ipod, which was originally devised as a digital jukebox capable of holding thousands of songs.

apple also plans to offer a set-top box that will allow people to beam movies it offers from home computers to television sets.

the movie service went live in the us yesterday, and apple has promised to bring it to australia next year.

apple promises that the broadcast standard will be "near-dvd'' quality - significantly better than current video downloads.