Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

does the US iTunes store on a UK Apple TV loophole / trick still work on ATV 2..?

Strange,

I am in the UK and let ATV update today first off, there were no movie rentals available etc.
I changed the settings to log into my USA iTunes account and that seemed to work, the movies popped up and I could preview them etc but when I go to buy one, it say's "not available from the UK Store" !?!??!

Is there some setting I've missed somewhere.

Perhaps I need to delete the old library which was created on my macbook ages ago before the hard disk died??

I left this on there just in case because there are pictures etc that I no longer have other than on the ATV due to a macbook drive crash.
 
Can I just ask, is this legal?

I want to buy another Apple TV and just wondered if I could do this instead of waiting for rentals to officially come to the UK.

Thanks.
 
Depends really. I personally think of this as importing which is legal. As i say it really depends on what you think.
 
Gift cards with ATV

so, do you use your US gift card on your Mac or PC then transfer the downloaded Movie to your ATV after setting up an American iTunes account, if so what do you put in the field for the payment type as there is no iTunes card selection...
IF someone knows how to set this up for someone outside the US could you post an exact step by step for us all, that would be appreciated!:):apple:
 
Just click on Redeem Gift Card in US Store then enter a bunch of crap and miss out the CC Part and your done.

I posted a Guide for people a while ago but it got removed and i got a Temp. Ban so the above is all i can say
 
.........and you don't have to download media on the computer & transfer it etc, you just use the itunes store on the computers itunes to setup a new account to redeem the gift card. after that you just log the atv into the new account and it will connect to itunes directly.
So there's no guide needed really, its just standard functionality using a gift card instead of credit cards.
 
KettyKrueger said:
Never thought it that way. With that logic, it appears to be legal. Anyone else care to chip in?
Click to expand...
If by "legal" you mean "not in violation of any criminal laws," then yes I think it is legal. However, it clearly violates Apple's Terms of Service, which state:

10. Territory. The Service is available only in the United States. You agree not to use or attempt to use the Service from outside of the available territory, and that Apple may use technologies to verify your compliance.

The last bit concerns me. I've often wondered why Apple permit downloads and rentals from the US iTMS to IP addresses outside the USA. Right now, they don't seem to care as long as you have a valid US account, but the party could be over someday if Apple decide to crack down. Or to be more accurate--if the studios force Apple to crack down.
 
I assume this itunes trick would work for someone in Ireland too. I'd really like an ATV but due to the lack of content over here have so far resisted temptation.
 
Atv

thanks for the heads up, but what is the real reason that other countries do not have access to the US content on ATV , is there some agreement in place for the distribution of movies in each country? if so why do they allow it in the US? any way I'll be purchasing some US iTunes cards.. Thanks again.:apple:
 
HM9013 said:
... but what is the real reason that other countries do not have access to the US content on ATV , is there some agreement in place for the distribution of movies in each country? if so why do they allow it in the US?
Click to expand...
This is 100% driven by the same knuckleheads who brought us region-coding on DVDs and Blu-ray disks: the movie studios. They wish to exert a fine-grained control over distribution, primarily because movies and DVDs are often released overseas later than in the home market. I'd imagine they also worry about the potential for cannibalization of sales through other outlets (TV networks, cable/satellite operators, etc.). Still, it's a frustratingly ridiculous state of affairs when willing customers are lined up, cash in hand, ready to buy content, and the content owners refuse to sell because they want to "maximize profits!" :rolleyes:

At least we have a workaround for ATV. HD downloads are not possible from XBox Live, even when one has a US account, because apparently they look at the region code setting on the XBox's built-in DVD drive, and if it's not Region 1, it's a no-go. All the people around here moaning because the ATV isn't a DVD player probably haven't thought this aspect through! :D
 
Oh I agree, I think regionalisation is a dinosaur that should have left media services a long time ago.

Currently, if people are happy to pay for a rental or pay for an original title, its a ridiculous concept to deny them simply because of location, what are they likely to do with that enforced?
A). Just say ok and leave it at that
or
B). Go and download a torrent instead
 
Having just got back from the US and seen one of these Apple TV's working I really want one (even though the UK price is higher) but it's not worth the money if I cannot watch movies on it :-(

Unless I am reading this wrong, that is one of the big differences between the two boxes ?

I am stuck still creating my US Itunes account as it want's me to give a US based credit card or use a US funded PayPal account - There is no option to redeem gift cards that I can see or am I missing something ?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Set it up in iTunes not the :apple:TV.

On the front page of iTMS look to the right at Quick Links then 5th one down is the Redeem Gift Voucher/Card it is Named Redeem.
 
Northy - Thanks for the pointer - I can see it is a menu item in itself that looks like it point to the normal "register yourself" page but when you get to the payment you get an extra "No Card" option.

I just bought a gift code on fleabay and used it to create a US account.

Seems to work fine.

My Apple TV box should be here in the next week (very excited) - I went for a US box rather that a UK one in case they can track what box is being used !!!

Justin
 
northy124 said:
Set it up in iTunes not the :apple:TV.

On the front page of iTMS look to the right at Quick Links then 5th one down is the Redeem Gift Voucher/Card it is Named Redeem.
Click to expand...

justin1230smith said:
Northy - Thanks for the pointer - I can see it is a menu item in itself that looks like it point to the normal "register yourself" page but when you get to the payment you get an extra "No Card" option.

I just bought a gift code on fleabay and used it to create a US account.

Seems to work fine.

My Apple TV box should be here in the next week (very excited) - I went for a US box rather that a UK one in case they can track what box is being used !!!

Justin
Click to expand...

I just recieved a US iTunes gift card for my birthday ( from an Aunt ) and live in the UK. If I have understood the above correctly, it sounds like I can use the gift card by clicking redeem in the quicklinks section of the US iTunes store, and then selecting the "no card" option in the payment section. Will I need to give a US address? Really I want to buy music but we have a UK ATV so I might want to rent movies at some point too. Is there anything else I should know before I do this. I don't want to invalidate the code that I have.

Thanks in advance for your input.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back