Renting films via iTunes

[GregWhelan]

Hi all.Just seen that you can rent films via iTunes, and got a quick question.

I wanted to put some films on my iPad for a 5 hour flight I've got coming up. But not exactly sure how the whole rental thing works.

If I rented a film via iTunes could I then play it on my ipad anywhere I am i.e. I would not need to be connected to the internet at all? Obviously there will be no internet in the air so dont want to rent a film if I cannot watch it on the plane!

It says that once you press play on a rented film you have 48 hours to watch that film. Nothing about if you are actually streaming it or if it's actually saved to your device?

[feather]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

According to Apple, you can watch your movie offline if you rented and downloaded it onto your computer, and move it to your iPad.


iTunes Store: Movie rental frequently asked questions (FAQ)

If you download a rented movie on your computer: You can transfer it to a device such as your Apple TV (1st generation), iPhone, iPad, or iPod if it’s a standard-definition film (movies in HD can only be watched on your computer, iPad, iPhone 4 or later, iPod touch (4th generation or later), or Apple TV). Once you move the movie from your computer to a device, the movie will disappear from your computer's iTunes library. You can move the movie between devices as many times as you wish during the rental period, but the movie can only exist on one device at a time.

If you download a rented movie on your iPhone 4 or later, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation or later), or Apple TV: It is not transferable to any other device or computer.

[GregWhelan]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

Cheers feather - looks like I could DL it straight from the iPad and play it from there. But think I'll do the computer>iPad route to be safe.

I get so bored on flights but this is the first one I'll be taking since I got an iPad so hoping it will greatly help pass the time

[Illuminate]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

I get so bored on flights but this is the first one I'll be taking since I got an iPad so hoping it will greatly help pass the time

Not a fan of the in flight entertainment?

Me and the better half took a pack of cards this time. Entertainment lasted for hours. However, if you are going solo, well that's a problem. Just the fact you can play Solitaire on the iPad helps so effing much on a flight.

[GregWhelan]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

Its not so much the entertainment it's more that I am a nervous flyer - never used to be but in the last 5 years i've got a lot worse. It doesnt help that I'm 6'5" and so can never get comfortable!

If I could somehow just get to play a PS3 while on the flight I'd be laughing - time seems to zoom by when I'm on it!

[feather]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

PS Vita?

[Illuminate]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

If that's the case Greg I'd order a black label, and make it a double, with no ice. Boom - up in snooze-land for the most of your trip.

[GregWhelan]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

PS Vita?

Looking to get one of these one day, but price is just too high at the moment. Lowest I saw was £180 before Xmas with one game and a 4G memory card.Now they are back up around the 200-230 price. Thats too high for me, esp as I wouldnt play it THAT much.

[floridaorange]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

I hear ya, I'm only 6'2 but flights at least 1/2 of flights my knees hit the wire magazine holder which is always extended out from being old and used. Anyway, I usually just play games and listen to music via my phone... used to have a few drinks and go to sleep (purposely not sleeping much the night before). Movies are a good call though.

[GregWhelan]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

LOL after all that it turns out I wont be renting anything from iTunes.

Completely forgot that you can transfer DVDs to your iPad using 'Handbrake'.So I've spent all day putting on some of my favourite DVD's - got about 14 hours of stuff that should keep me going on the flight tomorrow.

[ddr]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

kind of a related question..

so I am canceling my tivo/comcast tv and thinking of going the Apple TV route to stream shows/movies from my macbook and the netflix capability. are there any better alternatives out there in the 99-200$ range that do what it does? if you have an Apple TV, what do you like about it? criticisms?

thanks

[feather]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

There's at least the Slingbox and Roku that I'm aware of, and a quick look at their websites show competitive prices.

I'm using the latest Apple TV and I wouldn't use it if I didn't own a Macbook Air and an iPhone too.

I don't use Netflix so I can't comment, though I'm aware there's a Netflix app on it.

Out of the box, the ATV bugged me with its HDMI and optical audio connections. No analogue at all. I get the HDMI bit, but last I checked most speakers still use analogue connectors. I had to buy an optical-to-analogue converter just to connect to my Audioengine A5s.

Out of the box, the ATV remote will also strangely pair with your Mac notebook, so when I hit play or volume on the remote, it triggers iTunes in my notebook—wha? You have to go into Systems Preferences to disable pairing on the notebook.

While watching a movie in ATV, the remote DOES NOT LET YOU CHANGE VOLUME. Which makes no sense to me and defeats the purpose of the remote, which can only pause, play, forward, and rewind the movie.

ATV will only play files that your iTunes accept. Without a jailbreak in sight, all media files have to be put into your iTunes library and your ATV will only play what's in there. That means formats like MKV are a no-no. Right now it's a pain for me to convert downloaded movies into mp4 (thankfully the scene for TV rips have moved on to mp4) so iTunes will accept them. So file formats that use external subtitle files, probably can't be played on ATV. The subs will have to be hard encoded into whatever format iTunes accepts.

Airplay works flawlessly most of the time except when it doesn't: This happens when a device is streaming to ATV and you want to switch to a different device.

Sometimes ATV just doesn't connect to your notebook to browse files, and either a restart is required, or I'd play a movie from iTunes and stream to ATV.

From what I've been told, a jailbroken ATV (Gen 1 and 2) can play any file format and even browse folders on your notebook, freeing it from the iTunes library.

I've never used the Slingbox and Roku though, it seemed the obvious choice to get the ATV since I'm an Apple sucker.

The ATV is something I have to live with rather than the ideal.

[ddr]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

Thanks feather for the in-depth review.. really appreciate it.

Reason I ask is I just cancelled my tivo service and thinking about cancelling my cable since I now have 0 time to watch tv anymore with work taking over my life pretty much.

I do have a macbook and an iphone.. macfanboy as you are lol.

But I also have a denon receiver hooked up to my tv with some definitive speakers.. i would assume i wouldnt have to worry about much if i just run the hdtv cord into an open bay on the back of the receiver.

I do worry about the file formats though and having to run EVERYTHING through itunes prior to streaming.. i would assume AVI's would no longer work and, as you are doing, i would have to convert all avi's to mp4 in order to stream.. which is really really unfortunate.

I will look into the other two options and see how they work... might get a netflix account to supplement my no cable.

[feather]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

I use Handbrake or iFlicks to convert, iFlicks is pretty decent. It'll convert and auto-add the files to iTunes. I suppose once you get into the swing of it it isn't too bad. I'm sure I should be able to find an Applescript that'll automate the process.

And if your Denon receiver has optical-in you should be fine audio-wise.

[feather]

Re: Renting films via iTunes

I'm also experiencing static when the ATV wakes up, I thought it was normal but others are complaining about it: Awful static on apple tv startup: Apple Support Communities