Apple’s flood of announcements this month continues apace today with the addition of high-def movie purchases to the iTunes Store. Although HD TV shows were previously available to buy, HD movies were rental-only until now.
HD flicks will cost you $19.99, and we’re guessing they’re the same H.264 compressed 720p quality as usual, so videophiles will probably want to stick to Blu-ray. Purchases will come with both an HD file and an iPod / iPhone-ready SD file, which is a nice touch, and Apple’s also promising that HD rentals will now be on the store within 30 days of retail release — better, but not perfect. It’s all going live today with exclusive pre-orders of Quantum of Solace and Twilight, but honestly, we’re still wondering when Apple will implement subscription video and really take it to Netflix.