Can those places be trusted? I'm finding Ghost in the Shell for 2.95 from here. Its 19.99 on iTunes.
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Anyone all in on itunes movies and tv shows
- Thread starter jetjaguar
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Can those places be trusted? I'm finding Ghost in the Shell for 2.95 from here. Its 19.99 on iTunes.
I am too at this point, for lots of reasons. I prefer to go digital as my house doesn’t have a ton of space to store physical media and I love having access to everything wherever I am. And with iTunes I like not having the responsibility of having to store and backup my files. I used to do that and after having a hard drive fail I’d much rather pay for the convenience of not having to do that anymore. Just my personal preference though.
The ease of just downloading something without having to do any work is great too...I used to spend hours ripping, encoding, and finding/adding metadata, and now all that’s done for me. I know the studios can pull their stuff at any time, but for me the risk of that happening is worth all those benefits.
And you guys put me to shame with your libraries! I have about 120 iTunes movies at this point. However, I have absolutely no idea how many TV shows...definitely dozens of titles, most of which are full seasons and/or entire series. I didn’t have cable for a long time so this was the bad habit I developed, haha. I used to travel a lot too so having access to all my favorites was definitely worth the cost, and still is. I love how I can start something on my iPad and pick it back up on any of my TVs, and vice versa.
Edited to add I’ve also used code sites a lot in the last few years. So far I’ve never had any bad experiences with them.
The ease of just downloading something without having to do any work is great too...I used to spend hours ripping, encoding, and finding/adding metadata, and now all that’s done for me. I know the studios can pull their stuff at any time, but for me the risk of that happening is worth all those benefits.
And you guys put me to shame with your libraries! I have about 120 iTunes movies at this point. However, I have absolutely no idea how many TV shows...definitely dozens of titles, most of which are full seasons and/or entire series. I didn’t have cable for a long time so this was the bad habit I developed, haha. I used to travel a lot too so having access to all my favorites was definitely worth the cost, and still is. I love how I can start something on my iPad and pick it back up on any of my TVs, and vice versa.
Edited to add I’ve also used code sites a lot in the last few years. So far I’ve never had any bad experiences with them.
At least some can. I can't comment on that place you linked. The thing to note is where the code is redeemable at. Not all can be redeemed for itunes. There's a thread on the bluray forums for people to post what codes they are selling, how much and where they are redeemable. That was recommended to me. There's also a community on google+ for this but i'm not entirely sure I trust that one.
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With using plex you don't have to do anything with metadata. I rip some discs and then set them to batch encode over night and it's done. Easy as pie.
As far as hard drive loss I know what you mean. I have built servers with redundency but now I just use a drobo plugged into my desktop. If a drive dies I pull it out and put in a new one. No data lost.
I think I might just download my iTunes library and remove drm and load it into plex
Been buying digital codes for a while now for under $3. Best way to go if going all in with iTunes. It does get dangerous though with being so cheap. I think I have 20-25 movies in my iTunes collection I've yet to watch. Another benefit of iTunes with Apple TV is linking friends or families accounts so you can easily watch eachothers purchased movies.
It's in the same line as family sharing but I think its technically different. Its just adding multiple iTunes accounts into your Apple TV and then you can switch between them to view purchased content on that other account.
Found this link about it - https://www.imore.com/how-set-multiple-accounts-your-apple-tv
iTunes no longer offers Human Target Season 2 episodes (nobody has it even in physical media). I still have episodes from that season that I did buy available to watch. I have some more on Amazon streaming too.
My friend was able to download Deadpool (the game) from Steam when it was taken out of the store due to licensing issues. I wanted to buy it but I couldn't, so I just played my friend's copy instead. He still had access to it after the studio pulled it from the store.
There might possibly me licensing issues that would prevent access if it was already purchased, but I have never run into this. I have always been able to get access to my digital content even after they have been pulled.
Now on to the topic. Yes, I get everything from iTunes. Regarding TV, this is my "cord-cutting" I spend only $250 a year buying season passes of all the shows I watch instead of paying $50 a month for Cable.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
That's a tremendous- and standard- defense of iTunes and cloud storage: never happened to me, implying it won't happen to anyone else.
Anyone curious about this topic should do a simple web search about purchased videos disappearing from iTunes. There are tons of posts about this. And it's not just an iTunes issue. It happens in all "storage in the cloud" media distribution. Studios can pull their content at any time from any service. Some studios will pull their own content from their own service. Note how stuff is available on Netflix, then not, and then may come back again. That's not just a Netflix issue. That's what happens when for-profit middlemen are allowed to wedge themselves in between consumers and content.
Recall the time when Apple & NBC could not settle on a renewal deal for a while and all of NBCs content got pulled from iTunes: http://fortune.com/2007/12/03/nbc-pulls-its-tv-shows-from-apple-itunes/ Could that never happen again? What happens to movie collections in the cloud if the Studios & Apple have some great falling out with each other?
Ever notice how cable/satt/streaming cable will lose some channels for a while or maybe forever out of the blue. But we paid for that subscription that included those channels. How could they possibly just be gone? The cloud allows middlemen to step in between us and "our" media. And occasionally some of us get the hard lesson that when we trust strangers between us and our media, sometimes those strangers will let us down. There's always some people ready to say: "never happened to me" to imply it won't ever happen to you, but I doubt that is ever actually true... and point anyone to an easy google search to see another side of the same argument, with specifics, and specific outcomes.
Anyone curious about this topic should do a simple web search about purchased videos disappearing from iTunes. There are tons of posts about this. And it's not just an iTunes issue. It happens in all "storage in the cloud" media distribution. Studios can pull their content at any time from any service. Some studios will pull their own content from their own service. Note how stuff is available on Netflix, then not, and then may come back again. That's not just a Netflix issue. That's what happens when for-profit middlemen are allowed to wedge themselves in between consumers and content.
Recall the time when Apple & NBC could not settle on a renewal deal for a while and all of NBCs content got pulled from iTunes: http://fortune.com/2007/12/03/nbc-pulls-its-tv-shows-from-apple-itunes/ Could that never happen again? What happens to movie collections in the cloud if the Studios & Apple have some great falling out with each other?
Ever notice how cable/satt/streaming cable will lose some channels for a while or maybe forever out of the blue. But we paid for that subscription that included those channels. How could they possibly just be gone? The cloud allows middlemen to step in between us and "our" media. And occasionally some of us get the hard lesson that when we trust strangers between us and our media, sometimes those strangers will let us down. There's always some people ready to say: "never happened to me" to imply it won't ever happen to you, but I doubt that is ever actually true... and point anyone to an easy google search to see another side of the same argument, with specifics, and specific outcomes.
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And that makes it true? I still have to hear about a case that is confirmed by multiple people. More often than not, it's user error (e.g. the movie got accidentally hidden in iTunes).
Not the same thing. You are not buying individual movies on Netflix. Every subscriber understands that they keep adding and removing content.
Existing owners were still able to access their content.
Besides, you keep talking about ripping discs. You can just as well remove the DRM from downloaded movies if you think the big bad corporations are out to screw you out of your movies. But the reality is that the industry has a vested interest in not letting things like this happen, because they know full well it would undermine their own business if consumers lost trust in these services.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Again, there's no attack on Apple here. The defense force doesn't need to kick in. I am talking about a general problem of trusting the cloud as storage of your media. If it helps, pretend that the topic is not even about Apple at all.
Yes, the Netflix example is not an identical issue, but it is one that easily illustrates how the entity from which you think you get content in exchange for money doesn't actually have control of that content... that the underlying owners of the content can remove it if they wish. Apple is the same that way. Apple doesn't own/control all of the video in the iTunes store (cloud). If a studio wishes to pull their content from iTunes they can.
And that last bit does work- download and actually store the content on your own hard drives and you have control of your content. I'm talking about those who leave it in the cloud with no local copy.
Points I've tried to make in this thread have practically nothing to do with DRM. The point about discs was in support of controlling your media vs. trusting the cloud and hoping that others will be sure that all of your media can still be accessed for you AS IF you stored it locally on your own drives.
Yes, the Netflix example is not an identical issue, but it is one that easily illustrates how the entity from which you think you get content in exchange for money doesn't actually have control of that content... that the underlying owners of the content can remove it if they wish. Apple is the same that way. Apple doesn't own/control all of the video in the iTunes store (cloud). If a studio wishes to pull their content from iTunes they can.
And that last bit does work- download and actually store the content on your own hard drives and you have control of your content. I'm talking about those who leave it in the cloud with no local copy.
Points I've tried to make in this thread have practically nothing to do with DRM. The point about discs was in support of controlling your media vs. trusting the cloud and hoping that others will be sure that all of your media can still be accessed for you AS IF you stored it locally on your own drives.
You keep saying "pull content from iTunes". But in reality, the only thing the studios occasionally do is to pull it from the store. I am not aware of a confirmed case where movies were removed from the libraries of existing owners. Why would they want to do that?
Discs have DRM too. If you don't remove it, you will be screwed once BD players are no longer commonly available. Also, your discs will never be updated, so at some point you'll no longer want to use them anyway just like you're not using VHS tapes anymore.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Once again, it's easy enough for anyone objective to do searches and read and learn. Then believe what you wish. If it never happens, then trust the middlemen in the cloud to always have your data available to you. If it does happen, then be sure to thank those who implied that it can't happen in spite of so many posts to the contrary. It's certainly possible that all those posts could be user error.
And again RIGBY- disc DRM has practically NOTHING to do with the points of my post. Yes, I mentioned discs as part of reminding people of the benefit of physically possessing their media (of which iTunes file downloads to our own hard drives would work too). I mentioned ripping them only to remind everyone that there is a way to get a copy into iTunes so that the disc-based approach delivers all the benefits of iTunes file ready availability. On many you don't even have to rip: use the code, download or stream the copy and still possess a physical copy (the disc) just in case you can no longer stream the file because it has been yanked.
And again RIGBY- disc DRM has practically NOTHING to do with the points of my post. Yes, I mentioned discs as part of reminding people of the benefit of physically possessing their media (of which iTunes file downloads to our own hard drives would work too). I mentioned ripping them only to remind everyone that there is a way to get a copy into iTunes so that the disc-based approach delivers all the benefits of iTunes file ready availability. On many you don't even have to rip: use the code, download or stream the copy and still possess a physical copy (the disc) just in case you can no longer stream the file because it has been yanked.
Hi Guys,
I've been reading this thread with interest and as from my experience with Apple yesterday, HobeSoundDarryl is 100% CORRECT about the importance of backing up your iTunes films/TV purchases!
Until yesterday, I'd decided to replace my DVD/BluRay collection with iTunes HD purchases. I've been buying film from iTunes for seven years now.
My favourite films, I back up - I download once on my MacBook and then do a backup to my LaCie harddrive via TimeMachine. (I then write the date that the film was backed up.) I do use HomeSharing sometimes BUT two iTunes films don't stream well from my MacBook to the ATV - they stutter after 1 minute of playing and constantly stutter every two or three seconds, so for me the iCloud is my preferred way to watch.
Anyway yesterday, I noticed that a film was MISSING from my iTunes library (not downloaded sadly) Bruce Weber - Let's Get Lost. No sign of it on my other devices either. I bought it in Sept 2013. Because it was over 90 days old, Apple were not interested. The film is STILL SOLD on iTunes.
After dealing with Apple for one hour, I was told that the file must have been modified by the film seller and that here was nothing that Apple could do. The lady, Michelle told me that i'd have to buy it again! And that was it. No offer of giving me a discount or an iTunes voucher for my time and worry with the matter. I questioned the fact that 4K iTunes can't be downloaded and that Apple promote the iCloud on every occasion. I also pointed out that one iTunes under the download button, there really should be small print saying 'Apple strongly recommends that you download a copy of this film for future reference'.
Basically, I was fobbed off and the woman quickly ended the chat without me even having the chance to reply.
In all, the worst service that i've ever experienced from Apple. Because of this I really can't 100% recommend buying off iTunes for a long term. They showed no interest in me as a customer. I have to question, what if i bought box set TV series with 100+ episodes - do they really expect you to download all of them just for safe keeping?
The fact that Apple are promoting 4K HDR iTunes but not allowing downloading sounds very dodgy AND explains why they are not charging anymore money for it as the 4K will obviously be pulled whenever there's a problem.
Crazy, that Apple could of made a long term customer happy just buy refunding £4.99 rather than simply saying 'Buy it again, we're greedy, we want you money, sucker'.
I've now decided not to replace DVD and Blu-Ray discs and instead invest in a really nice machine for the time that I use it - either a Panasonic or Oppo. Upsetting as I was loyal to iTunes.
I've been reading this thread with interest and as from my experience with Apple yesterday, HobeSoundDarryl is 100% CORRECT about the importance of backing up your iTunes films/TV purchases!
Until yesterday, I'd decided to replace my DVD/BluRay collection with iTunes HD purchases. I've been buying film from iTunes for seven years now.
My favourite films, I back up - I download once on my MacBook and then do a backup to my LaCie harddrive via TimeMachine. (I then write the date that the film was backed up.) I do use HomeSharing sometimes BUT two iTunes films don't stream well from my MacBook to the ATV - they stutter after 1 minute of playing and constantly stutter every two or three seconds, so for me the iCloud is my preferred way to watch.
Anyway yesterday, I noticed that a film was MISSING from my iTunes library (not downloaded sadly) Bruce Weber - Let's Get Lost. No sign of it on my other devices either. I bought it in Sept 2013. Because it was over 90 days old, Apple were not interested. The film is STILL SOLD on iTunes.
After dealing with Apple for one hour, I was told that the file must have been modified by the film seller and that here was nothing that Apple could do. The lady, Michelle told me that i'd have to buy it again! And that was it. No offer of giving me a discount or an iTunes voucher for my time and worry with the matter. I questioned the fact that 4K iTunes can't be downloaded and that Apple promote the iCloud on every occasion. I also pointed out that one iTunes under the download button, there really should be small print saying 'Apple strongly recommends that you download a copy of this film for future reference'.
Basically, I was fobbed off and the woman quickly ended the chat without me even having the chance to reply.
In all, the worst service that i've ever experienced from Apple. Because of this I really can't 100% recommend buying off iTunes for a long term. They showed no interest in me as a customer. I have to question, what if i bought box set TV series with 100+ episodes - do they really expect you to download all of them just for safe keeping?
The fact that Apple are promoting 4K HDR iTunes but not allowing downloading sounds very dodgy AND explains why they are not charging anymore money for it as the 4K will obviously be pulled whenever there's a problem.
Crazy, that Apple could of made a long term customer happy just buy refunding £4.99 rather than simply saying 'Buy it again, we're greedy, we want you money, sucker'.
I've now decided not to replace DVD and Blu-Ray discs and instead invest in a really nice machine for the time that I use it - either a Panasonic or Oppo. Upsetting as I was loyal to iTunes.
I usually get itunes movies when they on sale, just like today i bought Alien convenant for 9,99 in 4k/hdr also Planet of the Apes trilogy for 29,99 all three in 4k. 10$ a pop is good price for me! I still buy Uhd bluray for movies i really like! Rest of time i just rent.
You keep saying "pull content from iTunes". But in reality, the only thing the studios occasionally do is to pull it from the store. I am not aware of a confirmed case where movies were removed from the libraries of existing owners. Why would they want to do that?
Discs have DRM too. If you don't remove it, you will be screwed once BD players are no longer commonly available. Also, your discs will never be updated, so at some point you'll no longer want to use them anyway just like you're not using VHS tapes anymore.
Sadly happened to me yesterday Rigby. A film was 'removed' from my iTunes library. No sign of it whatsoever!
And sadly, Apple said that it wasn't their problem. It was the film company. I was told that i'd have to buy it again. When I told my friends last night, their first reaction was 'Wow, kudos to you for honestly buying a film, everyone else goes on Piratebay'. Sounds like Apple are the pirate here!
All I can say is, be careful! If you don't download it, it could be stolen at any time! And no, they will not refund you money - the richest company in the world. Go figure!
I pulled all my movies off my MacBook Air to free up space. However if I go to my movies library in iTunes, I can download any of them again from the cloud. And these go back for years. Are you saying that this does not work for you? https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201272
But I do agree about the importance of backups. I have multiple backups of my library which includes around 1200 DVD's that I ripped and a few dozen iTunes purchases.
Hi Boyd,
The crazy thing is, the ENTIRE film - artwork, wording, title, etc were it should be is truly deleted! 9s though it's been hidden but sadly, has not). That has scared me as i thought that it would be there but if i pressed play a message might appear saying 'this film is no longer available' etc but it's truly disappeared - deleted!
Every other movie, i've been available to download at anytime from the iCloud etc.
Truly shows that this can happen even in 2017!!!
What does that mean for 4K HDR iTune film as they cannot be download? Maybe in 3 years time, people will find 4K films of theirs missing only to be available as a HD download back up! I guess we are simply 'renting' these streaming files! WOW, and we are the guys who 'buy' film not illegally download. Now, who are the pirates?
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PS Boyd, I have a copy of the Apple conversation if you'd like to read it!
I'm sorry, but still don't understand what you're saying. Did you look at the link I posted above?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201272
__________________________
On a Mac or PC
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201272
__________________________
On a Mac or PC
- Open iTunes.
- If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID.
- From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose Account > Purchased.
-
- Depending on what you want to download, click Movies or TV Shows in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window. If you have rented movies available to download, you'll also see a Rentals tab. To redownload rentals, you need iOS 10.3 or later and iTunes 12.6 or later.
- Click "Not in My Library" to view purchased content that isn't on your computer.
- Find the movie or TV show that you want to download, then click in the upper-right corner. The movie or TV show downloads to your library.
Hi Boyd,
Thank you for that. Yes, I've checked 'purchased' AND it's been 'removed' from there! Removed from everywhere apart from of course my invoice which I have along with the order number etc. Because it was bought over 90 days ago, Apple won't offer a refund or credit to my account.
It was definitely in my iTunes library (as iCloud) two months ago, so it's been deleted with an iTunes update possibly after the film owner changed the saleable file. Who knows. It goes to show that this does happen!
Thank you for that. Yes, I've checked 'purchased' AND it's been 'removed' from there! Removed from everywhere apart from of course my invoice which I have along with the order number etc. Because it was bought over 90 days ago, Apple won't offer a refund or credit to my account.
It was definitely in my iTunes library (as iCloud) two months ago, so it's been deleted with an iTunes update possibly after the film owner changed the saleable file. Who knows. It goes to show that this does happen!
Absolutely! Truly delete in every aspect! If I hadn't of known it was there previously, I would of been none the wiser! The upsetting legal issue is, Apple should refund the customer and then chase up the cost with the film company etc. But it shows, whatever Angela or Tim say on stage about their wonderful Apple experience to their customers, once a purchase is over 90 days, there really isn't any customer experience support! It's impossible to speak to Apple management about issues like this!
[doublepost=1507998141][/doublepost]Boyd here is the end of the conversation with Apple...
Michelle
Thank you for your patience. It does look like this movie has either been removed from the store or modified since the original date of purchase. Because of this, we will not be able to assist with restoring this movie. If you have it backed up, you can restore it that way. If not, you will need to repurchase it.
Me
It's still on the iTunes store as of today though
Michelle
It’s been modified and that’s why you can’t redownload the other copy.
It’s all about the provider.
Me
Apple really need to have print on their iTunes store saying DOWNLOAD your film
Michelle
I am sorry. It’s all about how the contracts work with the artists provide the stuff. You are welcome to leave feedback about this. Go to Apple.com/feedback and click iTunes.
Thank you for contacting AppleCare today! Remember, Your case number is 10xxxxxxxxx7 and we are open in chat 24/7/365 days a year. Once more my name is Michelle and I hope you have been satisfied with the support I provided! if you have any questions or concerns, please do chat us back! Have a great day!
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I happen to own this (excellent) documentary too. I can still access it in my cloud library.
Make sure that the movie didn't get "hidden" by mistake. Select "View my account" from the Account menu, and click Hidden Purchases/Manage under "iTunes in the Cloud".