Movie Rentals Limited To Latest iPods

[matticus008]

Steve Jobs wants people with other options to invest in Apple hardware, and then on top of that, pay for rentals that only work with Apple hardware. OK, fair enough, but why limit the audience?

To sell the hardware...

So because I refuse to buy a set-top box that is so locked-down and uni-functional, a box that any other content provider would happily "lease" to me for free if I were giving them money on a regular basis (cable co/sat co/netflix)

Lease for free for money? Nothing is free. My Comcast box is $13 a month, and never becomes mine. In two years' time, I've given them $300...for nothing, and that doesn't even cover the service itself.

When another "content provider" offers a set-top box for free, let us know. The Netflix one, when/if it arrives, will be accompanied by a higher subscription fee...and will never become yours (and talk about locked down and unifunctional!).

The Mac mini is a better solution for certain sets of needs, but it's far more than people may need or want in their living room. There's no reason not to offer both. I have no need for a computer connected to my TV, or another DVD player, or a machine that delivers 1080p content from files (since there is none to deliver). The Mac mini is $300 of nothing for me and for most people who have no use for an actual computer in their living room.

 

[LizKat]

Many places? Where?

The average person doesn't listen to the keynote, and that's the only place I've come across it.

As I linked above, the page on apple's website just says "ipods" and makes it sound like it works on any video ipod.

Looking at iTunes, I see no mention of it on rental pages, or in the boxes that pop up asking if you really want to buy. It's buried in the TOS, but how many people dig through that. The info shouldn't be hidden, and apple's OWN WEBSITE should get it right.

Seriously, how is a 5G owner supposed to find out this limitation? Show me.

You are right.

I'm surprising myself here because I am usually tempted to tell people to RTFM and RTFdirections and etc. But in this case I'm not on Apple's side.

On the iTunes Store home page, if you click on Movies, when the Movies home page first loads, there's a blurb in the upper right hand corner that says Movie Rentals, and underneath that it says 30 Days to Start Watching, and beneath that a link that's just labelled Learn More.

Now that linked info does say which ipods work with rentals. But this is a pretty obscure presentation of vital hardware compatibility information.

It's worse than obscure, actually: the blurb about rentals is quickly replaced by an ads like the rest of the ads in that top panel in Movies home page. So if you don't click on "Learn More" immediately, in a minute there's no rentals blurb, no Learn More link and the area is occupied by just another ad for some movie.

And what does Learn More mean anyway? It's an invitation, not a warning.

It doesn't say "btw that shiny black 30Gb iPod your aunt gave you last year won't play rentals, so go ask her to buy you the Classic."

Basically if I'm the average consumer and I have a "video" iPod and have played podcasts and my purchased TV shows or movies on it, then it's logical enough to assume I can play a rental movie on the thing. I fault Apple for not making the hardware requirement unmistakably clear at the point of renting the movie.

 

[Wolfpup]

Yeah, they should really make it clear. I didn't know, and I follow Apple news and rumors closer than 99.9% of people do (as do all of us that visit this site).

 

[xDANx]

...any screen...

Ditto, quote, Ditto. not really news, just bad reading by consumers.

If I remember correctly, he even showed pictures of the iPods that it was for.

you do realize that the majority of consumers with ipods do not watch keynote presentations, right? on apple's webpage detailing the movie rental service it says,"Movies you rent from the iTunes Store transfer to your iPod or iPhone to watch on the go." with a footnote that reads, "Movies rented on the iTunes Store will play only on the current-generation iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod touch." so obviously people should read the fine print...but the title of the text (in big bold letters) is, "From the silver screen to any screen." I'm not surprised people have made assumptions about what ipods can play the rentals...apple hasn't put very much effort into making it clear.

 

[Black Belt]

Well this is absurd!

So why did Apple make me download the latest crapfest they call iTunes if I can't even use the dumb rental function? I swear each version is more unstable than the last. Now every time I plug in my iPod it claims it is "unformatted" until I reboot the computer. WTF is that crap! Yeah, really makes me want to use a Mac with engineering like that. I love the iPod but if they are going to make it unusable because iTunes is so badly written maybe it's no longer the best on the market. And I have so little desire to rent a movie from Apple it isn't even funny. I can do PPV on DirectTV and burn it to a DVD if i so desire. I can rip any kind of DVD including HD with 3 clicks of my mouse. I don't see the point of even buying something from Apple because you have to back it up on disk at YOUR cost. Why not buy the frickin disk in the first place, dispense with the DRM and put in on whatever device you want?

And this thread is a perfect example of why people hate Mac Users, it is full of fan-bois insulting people because they don't have the time to bother listening and deciphering every bit of half-truth spoken by Jobs.

 

[Daveoc64]

I have to agree with the above post. I sometimes just don't get the attitude of some hardcore Mac fans.

In this case it just doesn't make sense to stop people with iPods that are less than 6 months old downloading these movies.

I can't see Apple wanting to drop that much revenue - it's not clearly advertised which models it works with on the iTunes store or on Apple.com, you need to look at the support site to find out. They don't use it to sell iPods either, they don't make it look like a new feature on these models.

The logical conclusion is that they are using more hardware security, failing that they may release an update in the near future to add support for the 5G iPod.

It's not like other features really, it's one that BENEFITS Apple - which is rare. Very few updates that have added features to "older" models have given Apple a new revenue source.

The usual "People should be happy that their product does what it said it would when you bought it" just doesn't apply - effectively Apple is saying: "All the people that bought into Video iPods early aren't allowed to give us money". Early Adopters are willing to spend more and sooner than other customers.

Personally, I am not that bothered - I don't live in the US so I can't rent movies anyway. But I would be annoyed if my 5G iPod didn't support them.

I had the money ready to buy a new iPod at the end of 2007, but what they announced failed to impress me (in fact, it's really put me off the iPod after buying four).

 

[Wolfpup]

Well this is absurd!

So why did Apple make me download the latest crapfest they call iTunes if I can't even use the dumb rental function? I swear each version is more unstable than the last. Now every time I plug in my iPod it claims it is "unformatted" until I reboot the computer. WTF is that crap! Yeah, really makes me want to use a Mac with engineering like that. I love the iPod but if they are going to make it unusable because iTunes is so badly written maybe it's no longer the best on the market.

You might want to post about this on the help forums. That's not normal. Something's got to be corrupt or failing or something. I've never used a version of iTunes that's been unstable, or have it say my iPod isn't formated or anything like that.

 

[LizKat]

/snip-snip/
And this thread is a perfect example of why people hate Mac Users, it is full of fan-bois insulting people because they don't have the time to bother listening and deciphering every bit of half-truth spoken by Jobs.

Actually this thread had been a pretty reasonable discussion of how even fans of Apple do think that a particular piece of information about hardware compatibility with movie rentals should be posted more prominently in the iTunes Store.

I don't think many people hate Mac users. Envy them, maybe! I've generally found Mac users willing to help people who are having a problem, trying to get up to speed after switching or just upgrading from one Mac OS or hardware level to another.

 

[zainjetha]

Wouldnt rent a movie ever for such a small screen. However watching a movie on my iphone is amazing.

 

[11thIndian]

Movies on my 5G iPod saved my sanity on many a slow GO Train commute...

 

[notnek]

i'm cool with the HD restriction to tv. why would i want to watch a HD movie on my 24" iMac or my out-of-pocket iPhone when i can enjoy it on my 73" widescreen and home theater surround sound and reap the full benefits of HD?

 

[TheSpaz]

I think it's physically impossible for the 5G iPods to play the iTunes rental movies because the hardware isn't powerful enough to play DVD-Quality videos that Apple is using for the new rental movies. The 5G iPods can ONLY play up to 640x480. Anything bigger than that and it won't even copy to the iPod... I've tried. However, the iPhone and iPod touch and Nano 3G and Classic has the hardware to run video that is 853x366 (I know because I have successfully done that on my iPod touch).

 

[twoodcc]

well that does kinda stink for the ones with the 5th Gen iPod, like me, but since i have my iPhone, it's not so bad

 

[bry2k]

Simply put, people are stupid...It is stated in many places (and in the keynote) that rentals were only for current-generation iPods, yet they don't get it and complain.

I think all the people posting with this tone are being real jerks, and more importantly, your attitudes are the antithesis of what Apple is supposed to be all about. I've gotta have this version iPod with this version of iTunes and this version Mac to do something...? Since when? That sucks! Apple has always been about a uniform and consistent user experience across its product line and now they are doing things that are confusing. I'm a power user, I read up on all the latest greatest news from Apple, etc...and I had absolutely NO IDEA that my 5th gen 80GB video iPod wouldn't play movie rentals. When they said "current generation", as far as I understand the term, that included my 5th gen iPod. Perhaps the reason I didn't grasp that my iPod wasn't included is that it just made no sense to me at all that a video player iPod, which plays DRM'd files all day & night, for some reason wouldn't play rentals. I get it now about the clock thing...although even that seems like BS, because my iPod does have a clock and I have to use iTunes to get it on there so they could easily update the iPod firmware with some code that says "after 24 hours, don't play this movie rental file anymore and inform user its expired".

blah blah blah...is to protect themselves from the idiots who don't bother reading and simply complain because it doesn't work like they think it should.

Dude, you throw the word "idiot" around way too loosely. I'm no idiot, but you are definitely being a jerk. Reflect upon your tone a little.

 

[Sandfleaz]

I think it's physically impossible for the 5G iPods to play the iTunes rental movies because the hardware isn't powerful enough to play DVD-Quality videos that Apple is using for the new rental movies. The 5G iPods can ONLY play up to 640x480. Anything bigger than that and it won't even copy to the iPod... I've tried. However, the iPhone and iPod touch and Nano 3G and Classic has the hardware to run video that is 853x366 (I know because I have successfully done that on my iPod touch).

That makes sense. If the 5th generation could play the rentals it would only be to Apples advantage.
.

 

[AJsAWiz]

Some users are beginning to realize that iTunes Store Movie Rentals may not be compatible with their iPods (via Wired).

While Apple does state in its movie rental FAQ that a "iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, or iPod nano (3rd generation)" is required for mobile movie rental access, other more prominent references only mention "iPhone or iPod." This distinction has left users of video-capable fifth generation iPods without the capability to play the files, though they can play purchased movies, TV shows, and compatible podcasts.

Similarly, it was noted early on by Engadget that Apple's HD movie rentals were only accessible to the forthcoming Apple TV Take 2, and would not be transferable to a computer or portable device.

Article Link

According to your partial quote my iPod video would not work with rentals. You left out the term video enabled iPod. I copied and pasted this from Apple's site.

"You can rent movies from iTunes and watch them with your Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, or video-enabled iPod (iPod touch, iPod nano (3rd generation), or iPod classic), or on your TV using your Apple TV.

 

[matticus008]

According to your partial quote my iPod video would not work with rentals.

Your iPod Video will NOT work with rentals.

Only the iPod classic will work, not the iPod Video (4G) or 5G iPod. The models in parentheses identify which iPod models will work.

 

[TheSpaz]

Movie Rentals do not work with the 5G iPods because the video specs for the 5G iPods are too low for the new-wave video files Apple is offering for rental. They increased the quality to DVD-sized picture, which is a very good thing for people who own AppleTVs and large screens because the image will be better looking. I'm sorry but, Apple needed to move forward on their video content, not try to cater to those who have older devices and leave out the benefits from their new devices. I think Apple is doing the right thing. Stop complaining about it... its time for you to get a new iPod or AppleTV.

 

[s.hoz]

I'm upset by this. I have a g5 iPod and i was all excited that rentals were coming to itunes. I guess i can still just watch on my computer...awh well.
And I don't plan on buying a new iPod until mine dies. happily. A long time from now. Like around 1 year.

 

[TheSpaz]

I'm upset by this. I have a g5 iPod and i was all excited that rentals were coming to itunes. I guess i can still just watch on my computer...awh well.
And I don't plan on buying a new iPod until mine dies. happily. A long time from now. Like around 1 year.

I still have my 5G and I now have a much better iPod touch. I recommend not waiting and just upgrading... it's worth it. I love my iPod touch... it's almost the best thing that ever happened to me.

 

[s.hoz]

Yeah, I have a friend who has one and they're pretty amazing.
It's just... I have a share of music and the 16gb touch is just a tad too small

 

[TheSpaz]

Yeah, I have a friend who has one and they're pretty amazing.
It's just... I have a share of music and the 16gb touch is just a tad too small

What I do is just put on it what I think I'll listen to. All of my all time favorite music. Then I know that no matter when I listen to my iPod touch, I'm gonna hear something I really love. No sense in putting songs that I rarely listen to on it (but, sometimes I do just so that I'll listen to those songs a little bit) but, I like to have a solid mix of great music on it. And I can say... not ALL of my music is great.

 

[s.hoz]

What I do is just put on it what I think I'll listen to. All of my all time favorite music. Then I know that no matter when I listen to my iPod touch, I'm gonna hear something I really love. No sense in putting songs that I rarely listen to on it (but, sometimes I do just so that I'll listen to those songs a little bit) but, I like to have a solid mix of great music on it. And I can say... not ALL of my music is great.

Same here. I guess you are right. There is A LOT of my music that I don't really listen too..

I do the same on my iPod with making mixes of all my favs. I hate shuffle mode because it goes from some musical number, to rock, to piano, to something completely different.

 

[milo]

According to your partial quote my iPod video would not work with rentals. You left out the term video enabled iPod. I copied and pasted this from Apple's site.

"You can rent movies from iTunes and watch them with your Mac or Windows computer, iPhone, or video-enabled iPod (iPod touch, iPod nano (3rd generation), or iPod classic), or on your TV using your Apple TV.

Looks like apple finally got around to putting this up, they probably finally got enough complaints that the website didn't have the complete info.

Hopefully they'll put that info into iTunes as well.

 

[Wolfpup]

I still have my 5G and I now have a much better iPod touch. I recommend not waiting and just upgrading... it's worth it. I love my iPod touch... it's almost the best thing that ever happened to me.

I got to see an iPod Touch in person, and was REALLY impressed (and I hope it and the iPhone will develop into full blown PDAs soon), but... as a media player for my purposes I don't think the touch would compare with the 5G iPod. I'm constantly adjusting the volume on mine, and fairly frequently pausing it and sometimes need to skip through commercials on radio programs. All of that would require looking at the screen on the Touch, but not on the 5G.

I'm really disappointed they didn't have more hardware controls on the touch. At least the iPhone has hardware volume controls (and presumably can play media through the speaker, which is another thing I'd like).