Digital Copies & Apple TV?

[DaGrandMastah]

I'm trying to get some clarification on something. I have some digital copies that I received from buying blu-ray disks. I just downloaded one and it saves the file locally to my computer. I have several of these that I'd like to get loaded into iTunes but I don't want them to hog up space on my computer. Is that the only way that I can watch them on my Apple TV or can these files be stored on the cloud? I only have 5 GB of space though so would that basically mean that I can only store 2 or so (they run about 1.7 gb each).

I guess I'm just confused as to the relationship between files that you've downloaded elsewhere and have stored locally on your computer to stream to Apple TV and files that you've purchased from iTunes and wish to stream to your Apple TV.

Can someone explain?

 

[heisenberg123]

I'm trying to get some clarification on something. I have some digital copies that I received from buying blu-ray disks. I just downloaded one and it saves the file locally to my computer. I have several of these that I'd like to get loaded into iTunes but I don't want them to hog up space on my computer. Is that the only way that I can watch them on my Apple TV or can these files be stored on the cloud? I only have 5 GB of space though so would that basically mean that I can only store 2 or so (they run about 1.7 gb each).

I guess I'm just confused as to the relationship between files that you've downloaded elsewhere and have stored locally on your computer to stream to Apple TV and files that you've purchased from iTunes and wish to stream to your Apple TV.

Can someone explain?

no they have to be stored in your iTunes library...if space is an issue what about an external hard drive? you can get a 1TB for about $99

 

[DaGrandMastah]

True....I have several external drives that I could use to store movies on....maybe I'll do that.

I'm going to hold off on buying a new one though.....I'm hoping the prices of Thunderbolt drives come down as they start to (hopefully) become more and more common.

Thanks for answering my question!

 

[ftaok]

I guess I'm just confused as to the relationship between files that you've downloaded elsewhere and have stored locally on your computer to stream to Apple TV and files that you've purchased from iTunes and wish to stream to your Apple TV.

Can someone explain?

Digital copies from certain movie studios are available for streaming with the aTV2/3. There are some caveats, however.

1. The digital copy has to have been activated as an iTunes Digital Copy. I'm pretty sure the iTunes servers wouldn't have been "told" if you activated the digital copy as a WM file.

2. The Digital Copy must have been activated with the same iTunes Account ID as your aTV is logged into.

3. The digital copy will still be in SD. Note - I've not heard of any Digital Copy that were in anything other than SD.

I know that Disney is one of the studios that participate in iTunes in the Cloud. I think WB has holding out because of an agreement they had with HBO ... but I think that got cleared up by now.

ft

ADDED - these movies will show up in the Movies>Purchased section, not the Computers>Movies section of the aTV interface.

 

[spacepower7]

Digital copies from certain movie studios are available for streaming with the aTV2/3. There are some caveats, however.

1. The digital copy has to have been activated as an iTunes Digital Copy. I'm pretty sure the iTunes servers wouldn't have been "told" if you activated the digital copy as a WM file.

2. The Digital Copy must have been activated with the same iTunes Account ID as your aTV is logged into.

3. The digital copy will still be in SD. Note - I've not heard of any Digital Copy that were in anything other than SD.

I know that Disney is one of the studios that participate in iTunes in the Cloud. I think WB has holding out because of an agreement they had with HBO ... but I think that got cleared up by now.

ft

ADDED - these movies will show up in the Movies>Purchased section, not the Computers>Movies section of the aTV interface.

Thanks for the info...

No wonder people pirate when you buy the blu-Ray, you're free digital copy is only SD, what a crappy deal. People can pirate a free SD DVD copy from the library.

Just saying Hollywood hasn't put forward a good system discourage piracy, and their digital pricing in iTunes sucks.

 

[rworne]

3. The digital copy will still be in SD. Note - I've not heard of any Digital Copy that were in anything other than SD.

I dunno.

I have the BD/DVD/Digital copy set for last season of True Blood (cheaper than the iTunes-only version, go figure) and the digital copy gave me the option of doing HD or SD. It's not a regular "movie" but HD can be done. I can download it to the iMacs and iPads or stream it to the AppleTVs.

 

[ftaok]

I dunno.

I have the BD/DVD/Digital copy set for last season of True Blood (cheaper than the iTunes-only version, go figure) and the digital copy gave me the option of doing HD or SD. It's not a regular "movie" but HD can be done. I can download it to the iMacs and iPads or stream it to the AppleTVs.

That seems to be a newer development. I hope that more studios go with HD digital copies.

Can you confirm whether the True Blood episodes are available over iTunes in the Cloud for you? If so, do they stream in HD or SD?

Thanks.

 

[CylonGlitch]

I have the BD/DVD/Digital copy set for last season of True Blood (cheaper than the iTunes-only version, go figure) and the digital copy gave me the option of doing HD or SD. It's not a regular "movie" but HD can be done. I can download it to the iMacs and iPads or stream it to the AppleTVs.

Funny, I purchased this for my wife for her birthday. Last weekend I had time to actually get it all setup for her. I started iTunes downloading and went to rip the Blu-Ray when I noticed it was downloading the HD version from iTunes. I was thrilled because I was thinking I was going to have to do all the ripping myself; saved myself a ton of time.

I haven't checked to see if they are stream worthy or streaming in HD. I'd buy it again because of this.

I hope this is a trend. Buy DVD's get SD digital version. Buy Blu-Ray get HD digital versions. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[DaGrandMastah]

Digital copies from certain movie studios are available for streaming with the aTV2/3. There are some caveats, however.

1. The digital copy has to have been activated as an iTunes Digital Copy. I'm pretty sure the iTunes servers wouldn't have been "told" if you activated the digital copy as a WM file.

2. The Digital Copy must have been activated with the same iTunes Account ID as your aTV is logged into.

3. The digital copy will still be in SD. Note - I've not heard of any Digital Copy that were in anything other than SD.

I know that Disney is one of the studios that participate in iTunes in the Cloud. I think WB has holding out because of an agreement they had with HBO ... but I think that got cleared up by now.

ft

ADDED - these movies will show up in the Movies>Purchased section, not the Computers>Movies section of the aTV interface.

So, if I download a digital copy of the movie and delete it from my computer, can I still access it on Apple TV? Also, if it's stored on the cloud, does that mean it takes away whatever space the file takes up from my 5 gb of free cloud space or are purchased items like movies set up differently (I don't mind just being able to stream it from my Apple TV?

----------

Funny, I purchased this for my wife for her birthday. Last weekend I had time to actually get it all setup for her. I started iTunes downloading and went to rip the Blu-Ray when I noticed it was downloading the HD version from iTunes. I was thrilled because I was thinking I was going to have to do all the ripping myself; saved myself a ton of time.

I haven't checked to see if they are stream worthy or streaming in HD. I'd buy it again because of this.

I hope this is a trend. Buy DVD's get SD digital version. Buy Blu-Ray get HD digital versions. Makes perfect sense to me.

Thank would make a big different. All the Pixar movies are SD copies.

 

[Consultant]

True....I have several external drives that I could use to store movies on....maybe I'll do that.

I'm going to hold off on buying a new one though.....I'm hoping the prices of Thunderbolt drives come down as they start to (hopefully) become more and more common.

Thanks for answering my question!

No. You don't need Thunderbolt for playing movies on Apple TV, and Thunderbolt price won't fall that quickly because professionals who need it can buy it at the current price.

 

[JTStarkiller]

So, if I download a digital copy of the movie and delete it from my computer, can I still access it on Apple TV? Also, if it's stored on the cloud, does that mean it takes away whatever space the file takes up from my 5 gb of free cloud space or are purchased items like movies set up differently (I don't mind just being able to stream it from my Apple TV?

Yes, provided it's a film that is available via the cloud. There are some movies I have free digital copies of (like 500 Days of Summer, for instance) that says "This movie will not be available on the cloud", or something to that degree. It tells you on the product page while in the iTunes store (on a computer at least). It also doesn't count towards your 5 GB.

 

[DaGrandMastah]

Yes, provided it's a film that is available via the cloud. There are some movies I have free digital copies of (like 500 Days of Summer, for instance) that says "This movie will not be available on the cloud", or something to that degree. It tells you on the product page while in the iTunes store (on a computer at least). It also doesn't count towards your 5 GB.

That's awesome. Even though I'd watch them in HD on blu ray still nice to have that option.

I agree with the poster that said people who buy in blu ray should be allowed to download the HD version.

 

[jlrathke]

Thanks for the info...

No wonder people pirate when you buy the blu-Ray, you're free digital copy is only SD, what a crappy deal. People can pirate a free SD DVD copy from the library.

Just saying Hollywood hasn't put forward a good system discourage piracy, and their digital pricing in iTunes sucks.

Is it really pirating if you have already purchased a legit copy of the product? Seems to me if you have paid the price for the movie, you're good. Of course, if you don't want to download a pirate SD copy of a movie you have purchased, you can easily make your own from your disc using free apps such as Handbrake or MakeMKV...

Jerry

 

[NoStopN]

Just saying Hollywood hasn't put forward a good system discourage piracy, and their digital pricing in iTunes sucks.

I believe the movie studios are still to blame. They want to make as much money on the discs as they made from ticket sales. BR discs are way to expensive when they are new. Twenty bucks (or more) for a physical copy of a movie is a gross amount of profit for physical media. And for digital downloads of the same movie to cost as much as a disc is an even bigger insult.

 

[CylonGlitch]

Can you confirm whether the True Blood episodes are available over iTunes in the Cloud for you? If so, do they stream in HD or SD?

I just verified that yes, you can stream the HD versions via the Cloud. And no they don't take up space in your cloud storage. They act just like you had purchased the HD versions from iTunes. I love it, I think I'm going to move ALL of my purchases to iTunes from now on, just so much easier.

 

[ftaok]

I just verified that yes, you can stream the HD versions via the Cloud. And no they don't take up space in your cloud storage. They act just like you had purchased the HD versions from iTunes. I love it, I think I'm going to move ALL of my purchases to iTunes from now on, just so much easier.

This is a really cool development. I'm wondering how long is it going to take the other studios to start including HD Digital Copies with their Blu-Rays?

OK, so other than the TrueBlood box sets, does anyone know of any other HD Digital Copies?

 

[donrsd]

i have about 100 digital copies that i have.

1st off, i do NOT stream from my computer to my apple tv.
im talking about streaming from icloud to my apple tv (gen 2 - 720p)

ALL of my movies are in HD.
toy stories
karate kids
back to the futures

doesnt matter, all are in HD.

only movie that isnt HD is Bambi 2. i know its not HD because it says in orange letters STANDARD DEFINITION on my purchased movies section of my apple tv.

99% of my movies are from bluray digital copy codes. (besides Bambi 2 & some princess movie my daughter wanted, both which i personally BOUGHT the SD versions of)
even for wizard of oz. i have the bluray & digital copy.
the digital copy downloaded in sd, but i dont care.
on itunes it streams from icloud in HD......even if i search wizard of oz on itunes or my applle tv, the HD part is greyed out/purchased.

icloud streaming in HD to my apple tv is a big reason why i dont buy many bluays anymore.
i just buy the digital copy code from someone who has the bluray for $2-$3 and use the code to have the movie.

 

[JTStarkiller]

Weird. All of my digital copies from codes found in Blu-rays are SD. That's a pretty strange difference, considering all of yours are in HD. I have Toy Story 3 and it's most definitely in SD.

 

[donrsd]

Weird. All of my digital copies from codes found in Blu-rays are SD. That's a pretty strange difference, considering all of yours are in HD. I have Toy Story 3 and it's most definitely in SD.

sd on your apple tv via icloud?

 

[CylonGlitch]

Weird. All of my digital copies from codes found in Blu-rays are SD. That's a pretty strange difference, considering all of yours are in HD. I have Toy Story 3 and it's most definitely in SD.

I've had a ton of these codes and the ONLY one that was not SD was the latest season of TrueBlood. I sure hope that other publishers follow HBO's lead and offer HD for BluRay copies; and allows them to be streamed in HD from iCloud.

 

[theSeb]

Is it really pirating if you have already purchased a legit copy of the product? Seems to me if you have paid the price for the movie, you're good. Of course, if you don't want to download a pirate SD copy of a movie you have purchased, you can easily make your own from your disc using free apps such as Handbrake or MakeMKV...

Jerry

It depends on the country. In the UK this is illegal. But... I buy all of my music and movies/series, so I don't actually care.

 

[donrsd]

if anyone wants to sell their itunes digital copy codes, please PM me.
im always interested

 

[ftaok]

I've had a ton of these codes and the ONLY one that was not SD was the latest season of TrueBlood. I sure hope that other publishers follow HBO's lead and offer HD for BluRay copies; and allows them to be streamed in HD from iCloud.

I don't have a ton (just one) and both the iTunes copy and the one available on iTunes in the Cloud via aTV2 are in SD. The iTunes copy is obviously SD as iTunes reports it as 853x480. I deleted off of my iTunes library and redownloaded it through iTunes ... same deal, SD.

On aTV, it's a bit murkier. The streaming file of the movie doesn't say HD, but it doesn't say "Standard Definition" either. However, when I play it, I'm pretty certain that it's SD quality. Either that, or iTunes HD videos are crappy. NOTE - I do have iTunesHD (720p) stuff to compare it with ...

Also, the small print on the back of the BD/Combo box for this movie says that the Digital Copy is in Standard Definition. Maybe that's part of it.

NOTE - the movie in question is Disney's Princess and the Frog BD/DVD/Digital Copy Combo pack.

ft

 

[mattopotamus]

ok, so I am just making sure I understand this right. If you buy a movie Via itunes or on your apple tv, it saves it to the cloud (not taking up any cloud storage) and also does not need to be saved on itunes on your computer? If you convert a bluray though it must stay stored on your computer?

 

[ftaok]

ok, so I am just making sure I understand this right. If you buy a movie Via itunes or on your apple tv, it saves it to the cloud (not taking up any cloud storage) and also does not need to be saved on itunes on your computer? If you convert a bluray though it must stay stored on your computer?

OK, here's my answer to your question. Note that this is for the USA only. I've no idea how it's done elsewhere.

1. Movies that you rip from DVDs or BluRays will not be available for iTunes in the Cloud streaming on the aTV or Mac/PC. To watch these movies on an aTV2/3, you would have to have them loaded onto a Mac/PC with HomeShare enabled.

2. Movies that you purchase from iTunes will typically be loaded onto your iTunes library on your Mac/PC. Streaming from the Mac/PC to the aTV2/3 will work. Also, some movies are available for streaming via iTunes in the Cloud. I don't know the ratio, but there are many movies on iTunes that are not available via the Cloud.

3. If a movie is available for streaming over the Cloud, I think it's also available for streaming the Digital Copy (obtained through the purchase of a BD or DVD combo pack). Of course the Digital Copy is available to stream via Mac/PC as well.