Resolved: iTunes movie rentals should offer an extended-time option

I think a 'rental' period of anytime is a huge step backwards. and charging more for and extension is even worse. I would suggest something more of hybrid Netflix model. One possible example: Pay a monthly charge, lets say for 8 movie downloads. Have 4 'slots' on the Apple TV, This means you could D/L up to 4 movies at a time, and watch them whenever you wanted, no time limits. However to get your 5th movie, you would need to 'return' (erase) one of the 4 movies stored on the Apple TV. Different plans with different #'s of slots and rentals could be available, along with a no monthly plan that just allowed one movie at a time, erased when the next movie was rented. My .02. regardless of family type or available time the 1-day view limit is far to restricting on a device that is supposed to add convenience.

Amen, I need 30 to 48 hours to get through a movie reliably. I will never rent another title until they fix this strange restriction. I have not had someone watch the clock on my rentals so closely since the early days of VHS rental stores. This is a very strange goof by an otherwise nice rental system.

Apple should considering just charging a flat fee, say $20 a month for unlimited movie watching. I mean seriously how many movies any one watch. If the wanted to push it, they could do a separate $10 HD plan which you supplement the standard plan. If this was available, I'd cancel my Netflix right now and go buy an Apple TV.

I agree. Where's the petition?

-Addison James

Huh. The 30-day, 24-hour model works fine for me on my TV. Even with two people working erratic hours in this household.

Of course, it may be easier for me because I didn't make the colossal mistake of having children. Call me selfish, but at 37 years old I don't feel like we're missing anything by not having had rugrats when we got married. In fact, I think we're better off in every single way.

The time limits are there because the studios want them there. It's nothing to do with Apple, I'm sure. If given a choice between 24 hours to watch a movie once it's been started, and NOT having the option of renting movies online, I'll take the time limit.

And really, it's not Apple's or the studio's fault you have little kids (note that you made it plural... Not only did you make the mistake of having children, but you made the mistake of having several of them all within a few years of each other!) and it's certainly not up to other people to arrange their programs and lives around your hectic kid-based schedule. You made the choice-- and therefore the sacrifice-- of having kids.

I have time to myself, and I treasure it. If that means I "scarfice" the experience of having children, then I'm OK with that. Life is about choices. You chose kids, which means you also chose not to have a damn minute to yourself. You knew the options, and now you want to have the convenience of NOT having kids combined with the rewards of having them? Unh-uh, pal. If I have to put up with your geekspawn squealing and wiping their snot on everything in public, then you have to put up with not having as much free time as I do.

I think it's only fair.

Anyway, as I stated earlier-- This is not Apple's doing. Complain to the studios, who think the only choice for you and your gaggle of rugrats is to pony up the extra cash to BUY the movie, or spend a small fortune going to the theater with your brood, thus giving them more profits and me, as a fellow theater-goer, a fricking headache.

It's not that I dislike kids. I love my nephews and niece. I just believe that if you make the choice to have kids, you accept the sacrifices as well, and give up the right to complain about things like time management and not getting quiet days. You signed on for this outfit, bub. Now you've got to do your tour of duty until it's over.

I'm told it's all worth it. If that's the case, then savour your suffering and suck it up. You'll be happy about it in the long run, right?

Me? I'm going to the movies in the evening, and I *don't* need to find a babysitter. The trade-off? Nobody to take care of me when I'm 80 years old.

I think I can deal with that inconvenience.

I've gotta say I agree with this whole 24 hour thing not being the way to go. It's definitely not enough time to watch these movies. I rented one and was lucky enough to finish it the same night and I know most nights I probably won't have the time to watch the whole thing, thats basically why I have avoided renting more.

"Add a $0.50 surcharge for a 6-hour extension, or $1 for a 12-hour bump."

Whu? The market has already spoken in favor of the Netflix model. NO LATE FEES. This would represent a major step backwards in terms of market trends and, as is plain by the comments, usability. You can keep a physical disc from Netflix practically indefinitely, why would a digital file be laden with even tighter restrictions. This makes no sense.

I really would like to see any form of rentals in Germany by now. I'm getting fed up with promises that we get any content over here now!

As a student of film, Apple's 24 hour period is silly compared to Netflix streaming and mail service.

At the least Apple should match blockbuster and allow buyers to view movies within a 7 day period. Yes, all movies.

The whole 2-day rental for New Movies is a B&M concept. It was put in to ensure a quick turnaround time for popular titles, thus bringing in more business.

Keep it simple. I don't agree with a lot of these proposals. As another poster stated why go backwards? Who cares if back in the day we rented movies for 24 hours and paid $10 for it, or if we had pay-per-view.

Its about making things better. As some mentioned, I don't think its entirely Apple's fault as the movie industry has been dicking Jobs about business models.

Jobs wanted to sell movies for a flat $9.99. They didn't let him. Now his rental model isn't catering to the on demand mentality that consumers have now.

(I'm not the Marshall who wrote the quoted letter)

I am a bit confused about how parents think this is so much different than their regular lives. I have several friends with children (and am looking to join them), and it seems like they are interrupted in everything they do, whether it is watching a movie, eating, talking on the phone, reading, or making love. What happens in any of these situations? You attend to your kids and make a decision about whether you want to continue with what you were doing before you got interrupted.

Let's use eating as an example. You make dinner, sit down, and have finished half your plate when little Johnny comes out wanting a glass of water. You get up, give him some water, take him back to bed, retuck him, and come back to a plate of cold food. Your spouse either stopped eating, or finished while it was warm. Do you suffer through cold food, reheat it, decide that you are already pretty full, or lodge a complaint with the food manufacturers that their food should stay warm and appealing for longer, because you never know when you, as a parent, might be interrupted?

Do you always call back to finish chatting with friends? Is your spouse still full of vigor when you climb back into bed? Keep in mind that there are some sacrifices you make by becoming a parent. Perhaps in a few years you can sit down and comfortably watch a movie together again, but for now, the kids come first. Ultimately the rewards should be greater than the sacrifices (we hope).

If it takes you so long to attend to your kids that you can't continue your movie, you should be renting episodes of Supernanny. If you just don't care enough about the movie to keep watching or to stay awake, you should think about renting more gripping movies. You might also have to resign yourself to watching kid-friendly movies for a few years, and making it “family-time.”

I think it would be great to have more time to watch movies that I have downloaded, but I know what I am getting into when I choose to rent, and you do too. Furthermore, until you know exactly what happened in the negotiations with the movie studios, perhaps putting all the blame on Apple is a bit much.