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ac921ol

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 1, 2011
330
108
Just iTunes? Or do you get it from a DVD and change the format to it so it works with iTunes?? If so which program do you use?
 

bt22

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2009
309
19
Alabama
Mostly rent from iTunes. If I purchase I usually buy from Best Buy. I usually try to get the movie with digital copy. I use Handbrake and VLC when converting to a digital file.
 

toypadlock

macrumors regular
May 17, 2010
101
28
UK
honest answer? the same as the actual answer for the posters before me, but they don't want to admit it:

torrents. mkvtools/handbrake can make any .mkv into a lovely hi res .m4v that makes dvds look like VHS copies. not proud of it, but it is the true answer.
 

Panch0

macrumors 6502a
Feb 23, 2010
684
9
Virginia
1) For most viewing (predominately TV series so far): Netflix Instant Streaming

1.5) Over the Air with EyeTV (Just started doing this a week ago, not sure it's going to take)

2) For New Releases: iTunes (usually rent vs. buy)

3) iTunes Specials: Almost every week, iTunes will have specials for $4.99 movies - there's usually something there that I'm willing to pay $4.99 for.

4) for those hard to find items that I can't find in digital format, I'll buy DVDs from Amazon. I really don't like doing this - physical media is just so inconvenient!
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
Amazon, Play.com, Zavvi.
If it's a very good film/series I'll rip it to iTunes.

Yeah I'm not going the way of digital downloads for films/TV. If they followed the Steam approach (cheaper than retail, re-download) I'd switch.
 

MacDawg

Moderator emeritus
Mar 20, 2004
19,823
4,503
"Between the Hedges"
honest answer? the same as the actual answer for the posters before me, but they don't want to admit it:

torrents. mkvtools/handbrake can make any .mkv into a lovely hi res .m4v that makes dvds look like VHS copies. not proud of it, but it is the true answer.

Not everybody takes that route
In fact, I have never torrented anything

Netflix for me
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,805
Munich, Germany
honest answer? the same as the actual answer for the posters before me, but they don't want to admit it:

torrents. mkvtools/handbrake can make any .mkv into a lovely hi res .m4v that makes dvds look like VHS copies. not proud of it, but it is the true answer.

You are probably right. Most people just download mkv files and convert them using Handbrake. I do that too. The only difference is that if I like a movie a lot, I buy it in Bluray.
 

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Dec 10, 2008
22,164
582
Finland
I hate to admit but it's torrents. I wish we had services like Netflix in here :( Only good way to get high definition content that I'm aware of is either go and buy/rent a Blu-Ray or torrent it. Since I only watch a movie once, I'm not ready to pay 30€ just for one movie and often I'm too lazy to get my ass up and go to a rent shop to rent one.

I know these are just excuses but seriously, I would be ready to pay if there was a service that offered something similar to torrents on terms of quality and availability. I think this website sums up my thoughts exactly.
 

petvas

macrumors 603
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,805
Munich, Germany
I hate to admit but it's torrents. I wish we had services like Netflix in here :( Only good way to get high definition content that I'm aware of is either go and buy/rent a Blu-Ray or torrent it. Since I only watch a movie once, I'm not ready to pay 30€ just for one movie and often I'm too lazy to get my ass up and go to a rent shop to rent one.

I know these are just excuses but seriously, I would be ready to pay if there was a service that offered something similar to torrents on terms of quality and availability. I think this website sums up my thoughts exactly.

I agree. I also have a problem paying money for content of low quality. In iTunes HD content isn't really HD. Another thing that bothers me is that the Audio isn't the original English (in most cases).
There are also none alternatives. The Playstation store has similar issues. The only thing that I could use are Bluray rental services, but the prices are very high and the way most of them work isn't ok. You have to create a wish list and the rental service sends you discs from the wish list, but there is no guarantee which disc will be delivered.

The only thing that works are mkv files from usenet...
 

georgee2face

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2010
94
0
i used to do torrents and rip dvd from the city library. Now, I rent what i don't want to keep from ITUNES STORE, or wait and buy from ITUNES store.

No more work, no more conversions, no more bad rips, sorry recodes, no media to return buy or trade off.

I love it this way. The SMALL extra cost to get what I want from ITUNES store far outweighs the "OMIG, I used the wrong handbrake setting again"

But that's just me.
 

coochiekuta

macrumors 6502
Nov 6, 2010
258
2
here and there
if its a good movie that i know i like then i buy it on bluray from whoever offers the best price.

if its an older movie i like, not on bluray, i get it from whenever i can.

i dont buy downloads from anyone who uses drm. no itunes for me. why? because more often than not, the physical copy is the same price and my choices for playback are limited.
 

mouthster

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2005
298
267
Torrent 720p .mkvs. RSS feed for TV episodes, get new ones automatically. Jailbroken ATV2's with XBMC, no need for lame iTunes conversions.

System is so easy it would actually take more effort to set-up my DVR to record the TV shows, and I would have to fast-forward through commercials.
 

coochiekuta

macrumors 6502
Nov 6, 2010
258
2
here and there
I made a simple observation and I issued no condemnation
I only challenged the assumption that everyone did it or lied about it

You can get off your high horse whenever you choose :)

i didnt have the patience for torrents on my isp but i do have movies from coworkers i know were gotten by torrents or the like. its basically the same difference. sure not everyone uses torrents but ill bet nearly all of us have helped spread the fire.
 

mouthster

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2005
298
267
i didnt have the patience for torrents on my isp but i do have movies from coworkers i know were gotten by torrents or the like. its basically the same difference. sure not everyone uses torrents but ill bet nearly all of us have helped spread the fire.

You call it fire, I prefer to think of it as spreading the love.
 

henry2

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2010
207
5
Amazon or DVD Empire or few other places that i found on the internet ..
 

MRiOS

macrumors regular
Jun 2, 2010
184
0
If I like it and It's available on DVD or Blu-ray I buy it and rip it using Handbrake/MakMKV and put it in iTunes.
for items not regularly available via normal methods (iTunes, amazon, etc…) Like the most recent episodes of TV shows, read Chuck from NBC which won't put the new season on iTunes, then I usually grab the highest quality torrent I can until I can purchase them. (then I usually re-rip the newer/better copy into iTunes)
If I'm unsure if I'll like it, then I rent via iTunes before purchasing.
 
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