I think we're all aware that iTunes SD video resolution doubled a good few years back (2006?). However I've noticed that for some SD content there has been further improvements to the video and audio in the last year or so.
For example I purchased In the Birds back in 2005 (resolution 320x176, stereo sound). In 2012 re-downloaded it using iTunes in the Cloud and got a video file of 640 × 352 again with stereo sound. The other day I re-downloaded it again and got a file 853 × 460 complete with DD 5.1. I had a look at some of my other video content including Breaking Bad series 1, and the Damages pilot and when I re-downloaded it, the content was at the higher resolution with surround sound.
Apologies if this has been discussed or commented on before - I searched and couldn't find anything. Anyway it's a bit of a heads up for everyone with older video content. I guess it would be nice if there was a notification system in place for when the content is upgraded, especially as there are likely to be further improvements in the future with H.265 encoding, and 7.1 audio (at some point).
For example I purchased In the Birds back in 2005 (resolution 320x176, stereo sound). In 2012 re-downloaded it using iTunes in the Cloud and got a video file of 640 × 352 again with stereo sound. The other day I re-downloaded it again and got a file 853 × 460 complete with DD 5.1. I had a look at some of my other video content including Breaking Bad series 1, and the Damages pilot and when I re-downloaded it, the content was at the higher resolution with surround sound.
Apologies if this has been discussed or commented on before - I searched and couldn't find anything. Anyway it's a bit of a heads up for everyone with older video content. I guess it would be nice if there was a notification system in place for when the content is upgraded, especially as there are likely to be further improvements in the future with H.265 encoding, and 7.1 audio (at some point).