Watching iTunes movies on my TV

An AppleTV3 would work.

FYI iTunes movies are DRM protected, they'll only play on the device they were purchased on.

you need an apple related product connected to your tv to watch (such as ipod, iphone, apple tv, computer with itunes) in order to watch the shows or movies purchased through iTunes.

CrockAlley said:

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking of getting a cable to hook my computer up to my TV. No to be too grumpy, but this DRM is really a pain in the butt.

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so how were you trying to play the movies on the TV in the first place?

There needs to be a source (device like a dvd player or ipod) to feed the video to the TV...

Seems like you are getting fairly frustrated over something that is solved with a cheap cable (from ipod, iphone, laptop etc to the tv).

if you went to best buy and bought Lincoln on bluray, then took it home and set the disc on top of your TV, would you be upset that you actually needed a bluray player to view it?

CrockAlley said:

I have in the past downloaded movies, put them on a flash drive, and plugged it into my TV. ...

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And what is the quality of those movies that you downloaded in the past?

CrockAlley said:

I have in the past downloaded movies, put them on a flash drive, and plugged it into my TV. But that doesn't work with movies I buy from iTunes, thanks to DRM. I cannot watch them in my living room on my nice TV without an additional $100 of hardware. Take away the DRM, and my problem is solved.

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Hollywood doesn't want to remove DRM. They don't trust that you won't share your purchase with others who might pay them for it.

You need the appropriate cables to connect from your computer to the display. You might also, at least on a Mac, have to change the primary display so that you can play on the TV. The cables should be under $50. I did this not long ago; Display Dort cable to HDMI female connector, Apple HDMI cable. My MBP also sends out the audio to the TV via the HDMI.

Then you need a $50 laptop display port to HDMI cable.

An $89 refurbished ATV3 from Apple would be a much better solution though. Plus you can get iTunes cards on sale for 20% off on occasion too.

CrockAlley said:

Thanks for the reply.

I really don't want to spend $100 just to watch TV shows on a TV. This is a really souring experience. I'm trying to do the right thing and pay for the TV shows that I like. But roadblocks like this are pushing me back in the other direction.

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iTunes isn't the only way to get movies & TV shows. I assume your HDTV is not Internet ready so do you happen to have any other devices already hooked up to your TV such as a PS3, Xbox 360 or Blu-ray player? The PS3 and 360 offer first and third party services for video rental or purchasing and most any Blu-ray player made in the past few years is Internet ready and can give you access to video services such as Amazon streaming, Hulu+, Netflix, VUDU, etc.,.

CrockAlley said:

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking of getting a cable to hook my computer up to my TV. No to be too grumpy, but this DRM is really a pain in the butt.

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Why don't you purchase them on Blu-ray? Generally, BD discs aren't more expensive than iTunes Store movies and still deliver sometimes much better quality & extras etc., and aren't riddled by DRM.

Kudos to you for going legit on your TV shows.

As far as the best / most-cost-effective way to watch shows on your TV, may I suggest the following:

1. Instead of getting the cords to hook up your computer to your TV, I second the suggestion to grab an ATV3. You can get a refurbished one from Apple here for $85 plus tax (free shipping). While the cords to hook up your computer will certainly cost less than $85, I think you will find the added convenience of not having to hook/unhook your laptop to your TV, "detect displays" and all that every time you want to watch a TV show will be well worth the cost difference. You can also "Airplay Mirror" your PC/Mac's screen to the ATV3 using either AirParrot (for mac or PC), or the built-in Airplay mirroring on recent Macs running Mountain Lion. Plus if you have an iOS device you can airplay any photos/videos/music from that device to Apple TV as well.

2. Using the iTunes store for first-run TV shows may not be the most cost effective way to watch them. It depends on what shows you watch.

If you are watching shows which are only otherwise available on cable channels (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, etc.), then iTunes is probably your best bet.

If you are watching regular network TV shows (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS), then it's likely you'll be able to watch those shows for free via either the networks' websites on your PC/Mac (airplay mirrored to your ATV3) or your iOS device (via a network app and Airplayed to your ATV3.) Free Hulu on your PC/Mac, Airplayed to your ATV3 should work as well for all except CBS.
Even Hulu Plus (at $8/month subscription) might be a better deal than paying $2/episode on iTunes. And your Samsung may even have a Hulu Plus "app" on it, if it's a "smart TV", which may eliminate the need for purchasing cables or an ATV3.