Previously Purchased Items Not Available Due to Billing Issue

if this is the same as "we just want you to verify your billing details just because we have not <reason> to,, we either just want to anony the holy hell out of ya, or we just want to confirm its still up-to-date"

Both is still kind of a "control" in itself.

I'll update when i'm ready.. not when Apple *thinks* i should update...

 

What a ******** argument. Apple is not wasting anything. They are capitalizing. They store a movie one time on their servers and then resell that single copy a million times. Profits on this type or transaction is obscene. I wouldn't be feeling sorry for Apple on this score. They are acting like a bully here.

This will be true no matter whether this thread is 1 day old, or 10 years old.

This will be true whether someone backs up their data or not.

The idea that Apple has only one switch and they don't have the ability to only turn off portions of their system. Is total horse crap. This is a state of the art IT company. They have switches that control their other switches. They can do whatever they want and believe me this is no accident or just a haphazard poorly designed process. This is Apple acting like a bully. Plain and simple and it is very intentional.

Apple is making a ton of money here. If a client is short of funds they allow them to order a movie (so they can lock in a sale), then hold their customers entire previous libraries hostage until it's paid. At the very least if your card didn't go through. They could allow you to "unwind/undo the latest purchase" and not watch that last movie instead of locking down your entire library.

The big buttons in their interface says "BUY" it doesn't say "BUY A DRM LICENSE THAT ONLY WORKS IF YOU PAY EVERY SINGLE THING WE SAY YOU OWE UNTIL ETERNITY".

The average client believes they are buying something here that is theirs. That's the only reason to pay 14.99 rather than 4.99 for a movie.

I have always loved Apple products. But I sincerely hope that someone smacks a big fat class action lawsuit right against Tim Cooks desk for this ********.

 

I COMPLETELY AREE! I bouht one movie a week ao with no issue. Now i am told the card did not o throuh and I cannot watch the movies i have purchased YEARS PRIOR???!???!?!?! That's ********. I don't receive another pay check for two weeks. life is difficult and if i buy somethin I should be able to use it when i want reardless!!! I've bouht hundreds of apple thins on itunes and they will hold me up for one measly puchase? time to find another movie vendor.

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--- Post Merged, Sep 8, 2016 ---

THIS IS ********!

 

That is incorrect! Even trying to watch a movie which is downloaded to your own computer for storage is stopped from being played on an Apple TV in your own home over your own network. Every movie, TV show, and song purchased with Apple must be authorized on the device before it will play. Apple stops any past purchase from being played when you owe them money or a charge didn't go through. It is wrong! Apple should recognize a customer's right to continue to watch a previously purchased item despite when an ongoing or attempted purchase does not go through. This would be similar to me going into a clothing store wearing a previously purchased item from that store, attempting to purchase a new set of clothes, and because my credit card doesn't go through being made to take off the clothes I am wearing until I give them a new credit card. Apple is essentially violating a contract obligation. Another example. Let's say I decide to cease doing business with Apple and remove any CC on my account. Thus, Apple cannot continue to charge me for future purchases I do not want to make. Yet, because I do not have a current CC on file with Apple, ALL of my previous purchases made with Apple cannot be accessed or played. Apple is headed to a lawsuit they cannot win.

 

This is not true. I get the downloading of previously purchased items may be blocked but so are the ones downloaded already to my MacBook. I agree I think this is fraudulent to keep us from things we have previously purchase when we owe you in my case $3.98

 

Starting to look like everyone need to start removing the DRM from the content they download to protect themselves from this tom foolery.

 

Agreed.

 

I am not sure if this is allowed to ask here but it is for personal use but what is the best DRM removal tool for windows ? That keeps both the original audio and video for 1080p?

 

You may want to Google it but here is one example: http://www.tuneskit.com

 

I did my problem is I found several different ones and wondering if one is better than another? Thanks.

 

Apparently it is not. https://macrumors.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201265337-Forum-Rules
____________

"Do not post software serial numbers or keys or refer people to specific websites, software, or techniques whose purpose is to break or bypass software licensing methods, distribute cracks, or obtain or use commercial software or media in violation of its license and/or for copyright violation. Do not ask for or give such help."

 

I do not know which one is best. iTuneskit is $44.95 and works. Also, pretty easily to use. It does take some time to convert. Maybe 30 minutes per movie but not sure. But, last iTunes release broke the Mac version and they had to fix it (took maybe a couple of weeks). After initial conversion how many movies do you buy after that. Best to not install the latest iTunes until you make sure it still works. I personally do not see any difference between this and ripping a DVD for personal use and removing the DRM. After DRM is removed then you can play the Movies / TV Shows pretty much anywhere like via PLEX.

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Is MacRumors a US Only site? Some countries do not consider removing DRM for personal use illegal. But since this is a grey area I will not comment further.

 

No, but they do seem US centric. That said the sites TOS doesn't need to line up with legal rights. In fact there are plenty of things that you can legally do in the US that are also against the TOS.

 

--- Post Merged, Sep 16, 2017 ---

I am pretty sure OP is wondering why content that was paid for is not accessible due to a billing issue for an unrelated product. This would be a place to get answers for something like that, wouldn't it?

 

This is where the talk of being a "post-PC product" begins to fall apart. I previously lost access to movies that I had purchased, and Apple told me that it was my responsibility to download backup copies of all 328 movies that I own. Streaming to the iPad and Apple TV is a nice option, but in the end, you'd better have a computer to download files to so that you'll be ready for the day that Apple takes away your access to the content that you paid for.

 

BOOOOO!!!! I guess 2017 WILL be like 1984 Shame on you Apple SHAME!!!

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Do you own stock in apple? Some people only own an Apple TV.. no way to back up. Its sheeple like you that empower corporations to get away with these fascist policies.

 

Here's the thing if you don't like it vote with your wallet. Wow what a novel idea? This thread is many years old. You knew the rules as they have been explained many times by Apple through the years. If you didn't like them no one forced you to stay in the Apple ecosystem. There was a time when you purchased a movie in iTunes you had to back it up because Apple didn't do it, and it would be lost forever just like all the other services at the time. Please stop being an idiot and look up what fascism really is, and stop using buzzwords you just learned this year.

The simple thing to understand is don't owe any debt to a company, and they won't turn off complimentary services.

 

That's fine and dandy but please do explain to me how one backs up 4K movies? Apple clearly said it's "streaming" only.. Not to mention people whom don't have computers obviously can't backup either since they can't run iTunes.

 

Did you notice that post was 4.5 years ago? Things have changed a little bit because of other services have changed their practices for streaming.

 

Nothing regarding this post has changed. You still can’t download or stream content already paid for if you have any issues with your card or billing and the just launched 4K movies cannot be downloaded.

 

Totally agree with you buddy. It's a real mess, speaking from my experience last week and Apple simply does not care about it. Their response is, 'it's been updated, buy it again' and 'no we can't refund you or give you an iTunes voucher as we don't carry anything of money value here'.
When you watch the Apple events, everywhere is marketed around the iCloud. The Apple TV is iCloud based. IF Apple won't you to back up your films, they'd of include a 256G upwards SSD option to download in the ATV.
What about the older people that I know who have Apple TV but don't own computers? What about my TV series box sets - Friends for instance or One Tree Hill with 200 episodes - not really feasible backing those up.
If it's the case that you need to download and bak up, there should be a simply advice warming under the download button stating 'Apple recommends that you download this film for future reference should the iCloud not be accessible'.
Right now, it's a risky situation but explains why 4K films ARE NOT any more expensive - it's clear that the 4K versions are simply on loan to us, with us owning and paying for the HD version. Not even sure what it'll be like in a few years time with 8K or 16K. Can't imagine what the buffering would be like with those over WiFi though :'(

 

Just had word from Apple in a Email that you 'lose' from your iCloud library the film when the film changes distributor' as is what happened to me!
So there you go guys, DOWNLOAD AND BACK-UP IN 2017. Sadly, that means your 4K films are basically 'on loan' to you!

 

This is not specific to Apple, but also VUDU, Amazon, Google Play, and Microsoft Store etc..

It depends on distribution rights, and the contract. I don’t honk it’s right at all. Some movies the contract is written that the movie can still be on the users account just no new purchases for other users. Some contracts they remove the movie/ tv show till an agreement is reached.

Paramount/Disney did this with the original Marvels Movies before Disney finalized the purchase they were removed from Vudu, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google Play before they were put back out later that year under Disney.

It’s why I only purchase blurays and make back ups on my Plex Server.

Until someone fixes Hollywood’s old mentality it will be this way. The Movies Anywhere that evolved from Disney Movies Anywhere is a step in the correct direction.

 

Being honest Dobbs2, I am going to buy favourites on BluRay and then stream only rentals. I've never been much of a fan of Apple Home Sharing for streaming iTunes films from my MacBook to the ATV. Usually they freeze once or twice to buffer half way or 30 minutes into a film and who that happens, it completely ruins the film for me. I would hate to use Home Sharing on a 4K file - I can imagine that it's truly unreliable!

 

I have 4K movies on my Plex server. The server has 80TB storage and each movie is around 50-100GB. I have no issues streaming locally with Infuse my 4K movies.