There is good news for HD viewers-- HD rentals will be available, but they'll cost an extra buck (so $3.99 and $4.99 for library titles and new releases. There'll be 100 HD titles starting today, and more all the time. And of course, movie rentals will be sync-able with the iPhone and iPod, or have the ability to be downloaded straight on to the revamped Apple TV. Unfortunately, we haven't heard an official resolution on the HD (720p is one of the numbers being tossed around, and that's not great for serious HD viewers), but if we get to see one of these flicks, we'll let you know.
Get out the popcorn-- it's time to rent some movies from iTunes!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-15-2008 @ 2:34PM
Dawntreader said...
I've downloaded and installed itunes 7.6 but there are no movie rentals available. Anyone else have rentals available?
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1-15-2008 @ 3:19PM
James said...
Rentals unavailable for me, as well. Hmm.
1-15-2008 @ 7:14PM
TMP said...
I'm not seeing rental options neither.
Any one have any clues why not?
-fQ-
1-15-2008 @ 2:36PM
matt said...
The iTunes update is available through Software Update, and it says that the HD resolution is 720p. It also strongly implies that you will need an Apple TV to watch HD iTunes rentals -- is this true? Anybody know? I'd much prefer to skip the ATV and just plug my MBP in when I want to watch HD rentals...
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1-15-2008 @ 2:36PM
badtzmaru said...
Yes the software is out. But I have yet to come across a link/button to actually rent a movie! I guess it will be ready by the end of today?
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1-15-2008 @ 2:36PM
badtzmaru said...
Same issue here dawntreader, there are no "live" rental links yet.
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1-15-2008 @ 2:42PM
codeman38 said...
I'm curious whether these rentals are closed captioned using the captioning features built into iTunes. I have a bit of a hearing problem, and I really don't want to pay $3 to rent something and then find out I can't actually make out half of the dialogue.
Anyone downloaded a rental yet who could determine whether or not they're captioned?
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1-15-2008 @ 2:51PM
MattH said...
My wife is deaf and her and I had a similar conversation. I buy shows and movies from itunes, but for her I buy the dvd's and then rip them, burning with the captions on so she can play them on her iPod.
I can't complain too much about Apple, iPod, iTunes or apple TV with the exception they really need to support captioning/subtitles.
1-15-2008 @ 2:58PM
codeman38 said...
What saddens me the most is that iTunes and newer iPods already have the capability to handle closed captioning, but almost nobody's actually offering it in their videos! I can understand independent podcasters not bothering with it, but surely million-dollar Hollywood studios can afford it...
1-15-2008 @ 2:44PM
badweasel said...
From the apple tv tech specs page:
iTunes Store purchased video: 320 by 240 pixels, 640 by 480 pixels, 720 by 480 pixels (anamorphic), or high-definition 720p
Doesn't sound like an HD DVD/BluRay killer to me.
Oh, and don't forget to read the footnotes:
1. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is not available with all HD rentals.
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1-15-2008 @ 2:54PM
AJB said...
Apple's site says that the HD rentals come in 1280x720 resolution. This may not be BluRay resolution, but it should be good enough for most people with HDTVs. Besides, Americans are all about convenience; I'd wager that most people would rather download a 720p movie that may or may not have Dolby 5.1 sound, and play it on their TVs, than make a trip down to the local video rental shop, or watch something from Netflix on their computer monitors.
All in all, it seems like a great upgrade.
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1-15-2008 @ 3:18PM
christapher said...
finally, a legal use for my fios service!
my question is this, can i buy rentals from the frontrow screen on my mbp? that way i can set it up with my dvi-hdmi cable and control the whole process from the couch with my remote?
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1-15-2008 @ 3:37PM
Ian said...
My roommate was on the team that coded these updates... He just texted me that the HD rentals are 720p.
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1-29-2008 @ 3:33AM
Andrew Dick said...
$2.99 is a buck less than TW charges for a PPV.
Subscription models don't make sense for most consumers.
I like this movie store:
http://www.buymoviesonline.biz .
No rentals, you own what you download!
1-15-2008 @ 3:41PM
koz said...
If you read the iTunes help page, it recommends that if you plan to watch the rental on an appleTV, order it *from* the appleTV so the quality can be matched up.
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1-15-2008 @ 4:09PM
DarleenMB said...
Well I can "rent" a movie from DishTV for the same price and it's available for instant viewing PLUS I can record it to my dvr for later viewing. I don't see the plus for this.
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1-15-2008 @ 6:11PM
koz said...
Um, how about no need for a Dish and the $40/month (minimum) subscription?
1-15-2008 @ 5:09PM
NeilS said...
Any news on if/when this will be available at international iTunes stores? I notice the tagline is "iTunes Movie Rentals: Now Playing Everywhere", but I don't see the same ad on the UK and Ireland iTunes pages. So I'm somewhat sceptical on the "everywhere" ... ;-)
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1-15-2008 @ 5:18PM
mr. Obsession said...
Neil: If it makes you fell any better, read the comments above. It ain't even available in the US yet. ;-)
1-15-2008 @ 5:25PM
Blake Sobiloff said...
I don't get Mike's parenthetical comment that "720p is one of the numbers being tossed around, and that's not great for serious HD viewers." 720p has just as much visual information as 1080i, it's just in a different format. While it's true that it's not 1080p, it's pretty challenging to visually discriminate 720p/10180i from 1080p in a double-blind test.
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