Many Warner Bros Movies Have Reverted to HD Instead of 4K on iTunes and in User Movie Libraries [Update]

[Telomar]

If you hadn't read the article, you probably would not have known about this problem, which persisted for only a few hours. So stop reading MacRumors-- it's bad for your blood pressure.

Or alternatively, keep reading MacRumors, but develop patience.

Actually Disney/Marvel has done this as well, I am guessing in preparation of their Disney streaming service.

 

[ignatius345]

What a weird thing to get angry about. People can spend their money as they please.

Sure, of course they can. But that doesn't give corporations the right to rip people off. Digital property should be endowed with the same rights physical property has. And the fact is, if the story above is correct, a bunch of people out there paid for a 4K copy of a movie and had that degraded to a 1080p copy without their knowledge or consent. That should be illegal, period.
[doublepost=1557895621][/doublepost]

People sell disks? Hmmmm. I wonder what my X Box One collection is worth?

Wow.

I don't want to name drop, but lets just say someone is having "Pizza, Pizza" tonight!

Cool! And I can (still!) buy a copy of a playable PS4 game for the same as a gummy Little Caesars cheese-flavored disc.

 

[jst_testing]

Issue still seems to exist. Harry Potter and the sorcerers stone use to be in 4K HDR but isn’t anymore. I hope it’s just a glitch for the new Apple TV app and is fixed ASAP.

 

[BF1M]

I’m sure it’s just a glitch. Titles for movies are showing up in various languages. Some aren’t even the right movies.

It’ll work itself out.

 

[Marshall73]

Actually Disney/Marvel has done this as well, I am guessing in preparation of their Disney streaming service.

Disney haven’t put any content on iTunes in 4K.

 

[ErikGrim]

I’m sure it’s just a glitch. Titles for movies are showing up in various languages. Some aren’t even the right movies.

It’ll work itself out.

Clearly just an ongoing database refresh.

 

[atvusr]

I’m sure it’s just a glitch.

I think that too. Some days ago, for instance the Matrix Trilogy was displayed only as HD in my old iTunes 12.7 but now it's displayed even there as 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

It looks like it's due to an HDR- and Sound-Upgrade and the HD fall back is only temporary.

 

[bn-7bc]

This is why you should always buy a 35mm print of any movie you want to own. They can't downgrade it to 16mm when it's in your projector!

That is going a bit to fare, those prints are probably rather pricy, but yea the movies you want to rewatch snd want in the best possidle quality you buy on Uhd bd or standard bd if uhd is ubavalsble

 

[borntrouble]

laughing my ass off at all the outraged Harry Potter movie buyers who wanted to file a class action lawsuit yesterday

 

[alexhardaker]

Not necessarily. You can add any song to your Library, even if it's not available on Apple Music. Then you can play it anywhere on your Apple Music Library.

No you can’t

 

[Edsel]

You have a “forever” right to access when you engage in a buying transaction. Your “forever” access is of course contingent upon the lifespan of the product or service, but at no point does the seller get to substitute your purchased product for another product afterward, especially for a lesser quality product. This goes against the very nature of buyer-seller transactions.

When you buy a movie you are explicitly not renting and not subscribing. In this case, buyers are purchasing the right to view the 4K version of movies, not the HD version. Buyers rightly have a reasonable expectation to view their 4K movies as long as Warner Brothers exists, Apple’s iTunes Movie Store exists, and their user account exists. That is what any court would conclude.

If this not just a momentary glitch, this is a real problem and I suspect lawsuits will be coming.

You have a “forever” right to access when you engage in a buying transaction. Your “forever” access is of course contingent upon the lifespan of the product or service, but at no point does the seller get to substitute your purchased product for another product afterward, especially for a lesser quality product. This goes against the very nature of buyer-seller transactions.

When you buy a movie you are explicitly not renting and not subscribing. In this case, buyers are purchasing the right to view the 4K version of movies, not the HD version. Buyers rightly have a reasonable expectation to view their 4K movies as long as Warner Brothers exists, Apple’s iTunes Movie Store exists, and their user account exists. That is what any court would conclude.

If this not just a momentary glitch, this is a real problem and I suspect lawsuits will be coming.

Your "forever" access is contingent upon the service agreement that you accepted when you hit "Agree", or complete a transaction. The world is filled with fine print. I often think "dark matter" in our universe is actually legalese.

 

[Jbusick7944]

Well, looks like it was a little glitch on the server side that’s being addressed. This thread has been incredibly entertaining though. Finger pointing. Threats to sue. Format wars. Post apocalyptic technophobia. Breathless hyperbole. It has it all!

Haha.
What are we gonna do when a real world calamity or comet or something hits and we actually have to figure out how to eat and survive.

laughing my ass off at all the outraged Harry Potter movie buyers who wanted to file a class action lawsuit yesterday

 

[ajguckian]

I wish updates to posts like these were made at the top of the article, as it negates the whole post. Most of us would probably still read the entire thing, but at least we'd know right away that it's already been dealt with.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Haha.
What are we gonna do when a real world calamity or comet or something hits and we actually have to figure out how to eat and survive.

I agree it's tragic! Grown up adults that need proper hobbies rather than TV consumption. I'm quite shocked how greedy and expecting some humans have become. But, when I travel the world, it's the people who have nothing but their health, smiles and sunshine that really do seem to be the happiest! More materialistic things = problem problems!
Switch that TV off and get out there! And maybe start appreciating the good that Apple has tried to do in the world
[doublepost=1557920998][/doublepost]

laughing my ass off at all the outraged Harry Potter movie buyers who wanted to file a class action lawsuit yesterday

I agree. It's truly tragic! These people need real friends!

 

[Ferc Kast]

Are we sure it's actually fixed? They're still showing as only HD on my iPad.

 

[4jasontv]

This is not correct. When Apple added 4K support via the Apple 4K TV, they were quite clear that when you purchased the HD version of the film, you would get a 4K version if it was available. And if a 4K version of a film was released that you had previously purchased in HD, you would be able to stream it in 4K. And any future film you purchased in HD that later became available in 4K would be stream-able in 4K.

So you are explicitly buying an "HD" version of the film, which will be streamed at 720p, 1080p or 2160p (4K) dependent on you having the proper playback equipment to support 4K and the content being available in a 4K format.

How were they clear about that?

 

[cube]

Where is Blu Ray 3D 4K?

It makes no sense to buy 3D movies in Blu Ray 4K because it is 2D.

Meanwhile, Blu Ray 3D on an active Full HD 3DTV or a passive 4K 3DTV gives you Full 3D.

So, Blu Ray 3D 4K needs an active 4K 3DTV or a passive 8K 3DTV for 4K3D.

 

[Telomar]

Disney haven’t put any content on iTunes in 4K.

Spider Man Homecoming was originally marked as 4k. Mind you as noted here is wasn't actually but now it isn't even marked as such. Perhaps this was just Apple cleaning up but it's worth noting this isn't the first time Apple has made these adjustments, just the most high profile.

https://www.imore.com/many-4k-itunes-movies-upscaled-lower-resolutions

 

[Jayderek]

Spider Man Homecoming was originally marked as 4k. Mind you as noted here is wasn't actually but now it isn't even marked as such. Perhaps this was just Apple cleaning up but it's worth noting this isn't the first time Apple has made these adjustments, just the most high profile.

https://www.imore.com/many-4k-itunes-movies-upscaled-lower-resolutions

Spider Man Homecoming technically is a joint release with Sony and is showing up as 4K

 

[Iconoclysm]

And THIS is why you should still buy movies on disc -- no one can downgrade your 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

Nobody can upgrade them to 8K either. Many, many of my 4K movies were bought in 720p long ago. I'd be repurchasing them on Blu-Ray right now. So, no, you shouldn't buy movies on disc.

[doublepost=1557925973][/doublepost]

No you can’t

Yes you can - if you have iTunes Plus
[doublepost=1557926134][/doublepost]

Which of these films were really shot and finished in 4K?

Films shot on actual film are far higher resolution than 4K, your question is pointless.

 

[Plutonius]

Over the course of the last week or so, multiple Warner Bros movies that were previously available in 4K have reverted to HD, a change that applies to new purchases from iTunes as well as previously purchased movies.

There are complaints about the change both on Twitter and on the Blu-ray forums, as highlighted by 9to5Mac this afternoon. There are quite a few titles that have reverted from 4K to HD, including all of the Harry Potter movies.

A Blu-ray forums user compiled a list of the known titles that have recently been downgraded from 4K to HD.

[*]22 Jump Street (2014)
[*]About Last Night
[*]Aloha (2015)
[*]American Sniper
[*]Annie (2014)
[*]Batman vs. Superman
[*]The Brothers Grimsby (2016)
[*]The Equalizer (2014)
[*]Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
[*]Ghostbusters II (1989)
[*]Goosebumps (2015)
[*]Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011)
[*]Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
[*]Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010)
[*]Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
[*]Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
[*]Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
[*]Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
[*]Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
[*]Hercules (2014)
[*]Hitch (2005)
[*]Hotel Deluxe (2013)
[*]Matrix Reloaded
[*]The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
[*]Risen (2016)
[*]Spaceballs (1987)
[*]Taxi Driver (1976)
[*]Unforgiven (1993)
[*]The Walk (2015)
[*]X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

It's not clear why these movies are no longer available in 4K, but there have been instances where movies are downgraded to HD and then are later made available again in 4K, so we'll need to wait to see if that's the case here.

One Apple support representative said that the downgrade was due to changes implemented by Warner Bros, which could potentially be accurate as that's often a reason why 4K availability shifts, but Apple support representatives don't always have the most up to date information.

Apple has been offering 4K movie titles from a range of different movie studios since the launch of the Apple TV 4K.

Update: This issue may be resolved as it appears many of the movies that were downgraded to HD are once again available in 4K.

Article Link: Many Warner Bros Movies Have Reverted to HD Instead of 4K on iTunes and in User Movie Libraries [Update]

In the case of Harry Potter, isn't it usually Slytherin's fault .

It looks like iTunes corrected the issue but that's always a risk you take if you don't own the physical media.

 

[alexnyc8]

This only shows how easy it is to rid you of the stuff "you don't own" in the cloud. Glitch or not, if you don't physically own it (money under your mattress or movie on your harddrive) - it can literally be disappeared with a click of a button.
This, the twitter "gps glitch" keeps showing that people are not in control, but the vast majority continue to be indifferent "because its convenient". Frogs will be boiled to death, slowly

 

[Plutonius]

An American will sue if the wind blows the wrong direction to their liking.

Unfortunately, unlike like most civilized countries, the US does not have Tort reform .
[doublepost=1557926887][/doublepost]

Space is a premium for many people. Think of the dozens of VHS tapes and DVDs you have piled somewhere that you'll never touch again. It's true that owning a physical disc is better, but that too will become just another antiquated medium collecting dust.

There are no perfect options, just what's most convenient in someone's lifestyle or circumstance.

Space is a problem if people insist on keeping the cases the media came with.

If you store the media in a binder case, you can store 100's without taking up much room.

Also, since computer storage is relatively cheap, many people view the physical media they purchase via PLEX or something similar.

 

[Martyimac]

In hindsight, glad I stayed with a physically owned format - DVD-, can't downgrade that. And 4K is not in my near future near as I can figure. No 4K on cable, no 4K OTA, no 4K on ANY of the channels I normally view. IF any of my currently owned HD TV's die I MAY buy a 4K TV but there will have to be something I MUST have and so far, don't see anything that drives me to 4K. YMMV.

 

[clayj]

"Nobody can upgrade them to 8K either. Many, many of my 4K movies were bought in 720p long ago. I'd be repurchasing them on Blu-Ray right now. So, no, you shouldn't buy movies on disc."

Just because Apple have -- so far -- been generous in offering a free upgrade to 4K (streaming, downloaded to certain devices from iTunes) on some movies does not mean this will always be the case, and as we have seen, your control over what happens with cloud-based content is nonexistent.

As far as 8K goes: Give me a break. 8K is a solution in search of a problem which doesn't really exist.