Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Ouch! OK. So, how do I:

a) setup a US account on iTunes?

b) setup a Vudu and MA account?

c) once all setup, how do I download to my UK itunes library?
What exactly are you trying to achieve? Apparently you don't have any movies in US accounts (so you have nothing that could be transferred via MA), and a UK account currently cannot be linked to MA anyway.
 
a) http://help.playmo.tv/article/29-how-to-create-a-us-apple-id-without-a-credit-card

b) go to sites and select Sign Up

c) as already said you can’t download from US account to you UK library.
You can download to the US library but it will tell you your Mac is registered to another Apple ID which will lock you out for 90 days if you proceed.

A) interesting, this ability to setup an Apple ID by downloading a free app without a credit must be limited to certain territories.

I tried this method in Spain to set up a Spanish Apple ID, and could not bypass the credit card requirement. I just assumed Apple had plugged that loophole, but evidently not in every territory.
 
a) http://help.playmo.tv/article/29-how-to-create-a-us-apple-id-without-a-credit-card

b) go to sites and select Sign Up

c) as already said you can’t download from US account to you UK library.
You can download to the US library but it will tell you your Mac is registered to another Apple ID which will lock you out for 90 days if you proceed.
Thanks Gonzo or the instructions. I'll have a go at setting up all this tomorrow when I have a fresh head.

And in terms of not being able to download - my options then are to watch via ATV on my television or to stream to my mac, right? Or to just watch via MA.
[doublepost=1509224594][/doublepost]
What exactly are you trying to achieve? Apparently you don't have any movies in US accounts (so you have nothing that could be transferred via MA), and a UK account currently cannot be linked to MA anyway.

I'm new to all this. My plan was to combine all my films in one place. iTunes seems more expensive than other places so I can use those that are compatible to compare prices and go with the cheapest option.

Also, it seems the US iTunes store has more offers than the UK.
 
Thanks Gonzo or the instructions. I'll have a go at setting up all this tomorrow when I have a fresh head.

And in terms of not being able to download - my options then are to watch via ATV on my television or to stream to my mac, right? Or to just watch via MA.
[doublepost=1509224594][/doublepost]

I'm new to all this. My plan was to combine all my films in one place. iTunes seems more expensive than other places so I can use those that are compatible to compare prices and go with the cheapest option.

Also, it seems the US iTunes store has more offers than the UK.

ATV is the better option as there’s no restrictions when changing stores.
If your happy with being locked out of either account for 3 months every time you want to switch then stick with your Mac.
Once everything is linked then you can watch via Flixster or Movies Anywhere if you’d rather not use iTunes.
UK iTunes really isn’t that expensive, also bare in mind that when looking at the US store that all their prices are before any added sales tax.
Have you seen the Cheap Charts app as it show all price reductions on movies and tv shows that are not always obvious when you look in the store.
CheapCharts: Movie, TV and Music Deals by LollipApp GmbH
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cheapcharts-movie-tv-and-music-deals/id772046134?mt=8
 
  • Like
Reactions: scouser75
I'm new to all this. My plan was to combine all my films in one place. iTunes seems more expensive than other places so I can use those that are compatible to compare prices and go with the cheapest option.

Also, it seems the US iTunes store has more offers than the UK.
At least here in the US I don't believe iTunes is (on average) more expensive than other stores. They have frequent sales as low as $4.99. I don't know if it's the same in the UK, but you could try a price tracker such as this one (click the flag in the top right corner to change the country):

https://www.cheapcharts.de/

I guess cheap codes are more plentiful for the US stores though. But you'd have to exclusively switch to the US account, since MA cannot be linked to a UK account.
 
Thanks guys. I think I'll stick with the UK store and solely use ATV. Don't fancy being locked out of itunes for 3 months!
 
Accessing from overseas by any chance? Having the same issue. The app from the US iTunes Store tells me I’m in an unsupported region but the website doesn’t go as far as telling me it’s the region issue. Should be able to work around it when on my home network. Accessing from the U.K. btw

I have tried registering for a Movies Anywhere account on different devices with different browsers and get that "unable to register" message every time. I have contacted support via email and they keep sending the same copy/paste reply about not being in the US, try a different device and browser. I am in the US and have done what they said with no success. This is extremely frustrating! Have you had any success getting an account?
 
I have tried registering for a Movies Anywhere account on different devices with different browsers and get that "unable to register" message every time. I have contacted support via email and they keep sending the same copy/paste reply about not being in the US, try a different device and browser. I am in the US and have done what they said with no success. This is extremely frustrating! Have you had any success getting an account?
I was able to register successfully using expressvpn (free trial). But that probably wouldn’t help you anyway as you’re in the US. Don’t suppose you have adblockers installed in your browsers? Not saying this is a solution but might be worth ruling out. Otherwise maybe try the expressvpn trial even though you shouldn’t technically need it. Worked wonders for me
 
Figured this was the 'main' MA thread since it was the biggest when the service launched.

Are people still using MA? I'm afraid to use it at this point. I disconnected my accounts testing things and everything seems to be a sloppy mess.My VUDU shows me as owning just over 1100 films while iTunes shows just over 900. I can no longer sort in either app by purchase date as everything is now randomize, so when wanting to watch newly redeemed films, it's just frustrating since I cannot just go to 'recently added' and find what I just added.

As far as 4K, I don't believe the whole "is it 4K or not" has been solved. I'm afraid to redeem my codes on the MA website, or should I just redeem UV to VUDU and iTunes codes to iTunes like I used to?
 
Figured this was the 'main' MA thread since it was the biggest when the service launched.

Are people still using MA? I'm afraid to use it at this point. I disconnected my accounts testing things and everything seems to be a sloppy mess.My VUDU shows me as owning just over 1100 films while iTunes shows just over 900. I can no longer sort in either app by purchase date as everything is now randomize, so when wanting to watch newly redeemed films, it's just frustrating since I cannot just go to 'recently added' and find what I just added.

As far as 4K, I don't believe the whole "is it 4K or not" has been solved. I'm afraid to redeem my codes on the MA website, or should I just redeem UV to VUDU and iTunes codes to iTunes like I used to?

I am registered with MA and have linked Vudu and ITunes. The movies that play nice have all gone between all 3.

I will NOT redeem in MA. I preferably purchase in ITunes since the Apple Tv 4k has the best PQ on my LG OLED B7A, then I will purchase in Vudu. Whatever goes between via MA does.

I play Neflix and standard Vudu in ITunes and only 4k Vudu outside of ITunes since it will not play there.

Any other questions I can specifically answer please ask.
 
You have the same TV as I do Zooie! I run a 7.1 setup with a new Denon X1400 receiver. I've done extensive testing and also found iTunes movies have always been of better quality, especially when it comes to AQ, particularly the LFE just has more oomph.

Now with MA, and since my digital library is so large, I can't make heads or tails of where to watch my movies, in the 'purchased section' on my ATV 4K or the VUDU app. I don't buy the films directly, I get the codes from the BDs that I purchase. If it's a fox title, I always choose iTunes over UV since I've noticed better quality in iTunes. Now with the 4k and licensing issues, I don't know which versions to pick when I have to make a decision with my BD redemption code. Plus, I often see movies in my iTunes library listed as 4k, though when playing they are not. I presume this is a licensing issue as well.
 
Plus, I often see movies in my iTunes library listed as 4k, though when playing they are not. I presume this is a licensing issue as well.
More than likely they’ll be HD UV redeems.
For UV redeems to playback as 4K in iTunes they need to be specific UV4K codes redeemed in Vudu.
 
You have the same TV as I do Zooie! I run a 7.1 setup with a new Denon X1400 receiver. I've done extensive testing and also found iTunes movies have always been of better quality, especially when it comes to AQ, particularly the LFE just has more oomph.

Now with MA, and since my digital library is so large, I can't make heads or tails of where to watch my movies, in the 'purchased section' on my ATV 4K or the VUDU app. I don't buy the films directly, I get the codes from the BDs that I purchase. If it's a fox title, I always choose iTunes over UV since I've noticed better quality in iTunes. Now with the 4k and licensing issues, I don't know which versions to pick when I have to make a decision with my BD redemption code. Plus, I often see movies in my iTunes library listed as 4k, though when playing they are not. I presume this is a licensing issue as well.

First off.....regarding any free 4K upgrades from iTunes. If you have a standard BR code and will redeem directly on iTunes, you should do that to get the free 4K upgrade. However, this means any Sony or WB codes won't redeem since they don't allow direct iTunes redeems. Not sure how many non UHD Blurays you buy.

As for codes from 4K UHD Blurays.....best place to check where to redeem is this Google doc:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsJkCX4DIv2oeCKQ7zp2ArkR1qKEXCUuCMBbUtHtmh4/edit#gid=0

This is maintained to try to help understand all this mess. MA is finally starting to verify 4K codes (you can test by entering a 4K code into MA while you are signed out like in an incognito window). Not all studios are verifying 4K on MA.

If it's a 4K code that doesn't redeem directly on MA or iTunes, and you have to redeem on Vudu, then Vudu needs to have it in 4K in order for the 4K rights to port everywhere. This doesn't always happen as Vudu is slacking on 4K adds.

Also remember Paramount and Lionsgate still aren't MA. So those you will want to redeem directly in iTunes for the 4K (although sometimes they will have dual redeems).
 
More than likely they’ll be HD UV redeems.
For UV redeems to playback as 4K in iTunes they need to be specific UV4K codes redeemed in Vudu.

Agreed on that. Must be 4k redeems. I always do those in ITunes and if lucky will go to MA and then Vudu, but not always. Always redeem HD codes in ITunes if you can and they will automatically upgrade to 4k if such a version exists but If an HD version has ported over from MA or Vudu to ITunes then it will always play in HD in ITunes regardless if it state's 4k in ITunes, when playing movie pull down on top of remote and it will show you the actual version that is playing such as HD or 4K
 
Thank you everyone. Is there a way to verify what I own in 4K on Apple TV? On VUDU, there’s a checkmark next to the versions I own. On iTunes, even if a movie says 4K, that still doesn’t mean I own that version. It’s very frustrating.

As far as what I buy, I’ve redeemed many codes that came from BDs. Now some movies I have double dipped and bought the 4K BD as well. Here’s another area I’m lost on... do I need to go back to VUDU and redeem my new codes, basically burning two just to get the 4K master?

The way I’ve always done it:

If it’s universal, they usually redeem to both UV and iTunes.
Fox makes you choose, I always picked iTunes over UV.
The rest are generally UV only such as WB or Sony. Paramount has been a mix, though if given a choice I picked iTunes.
 
Thank you everyone. Is there a way to verify what I own in 4K on Apple TV? On VUDU, there’s a checkmark next to the versions I own. On iTunes, even if a movie says 4K, that still doesn’t mean I own that version. It’s very frustrating.

As far as what I buy, I’ve redeemed many codes that came from BDs. Now some movies I have double dipped and bought the 4K BD as well. Here’s another area I’m lost on... do I need to go back to VUDU and redeem my new codes, basically burning two just to get the 4K master?

The way I’ve always done it:

If it’s universal, they usually redeem to both UV and iTunes.
Fox makes you choose, I always picked iTunes over UV.
The rest are generally UV only such as WB or Sony. Paramount has been a mix, though if given a choice I picked iTunes.

Only way to see a list is to have the Apple TV set to 4K hdr and go into the TV app. In the TV app go to Library and there should be a 4K & HDR section. This was recently updated to only show movies you own in 4K.

And if you redeem a code in either Vudu or iTunes and both have 4K and it’s an MA title then you don’t have to double redeem. Only reason to redeem again on Vudu would be for UV rights if you wanted them.
 
Only way to see a list is to have the Apple TV set to 4K hdr and go into the TV app. In the TV app go to Library and there should be a 4K & HDR section. This was recently updated to only show movies you own in 4K.

And if you redeem a code in either Vudu or iTunes and both have 4K and it’s an MA title then you don’t have to double redeem. Only reason to redeem again on Vudu would be for UV rights if you wanted them.


Thank you for the heads up. I haven’t touched the TV app since I don’t use cable. Never knew you can use it the way you mentioned.

Edit: Tested it out, I like the idea behind it though it shows "4k & HDR", which only helps minimally. If I don't see a movie listed there, it's still possible I own the 4k rights under VUDU.
[doublepost=1514467280][/doublepost]Here's a conundrum I'm trying to figure out. I merged my iTunes and UV with movies anywhere when it launched. Ever since both accounts are a sloppy mess. I broke the connection and logged out, though that didn't delete the sync and still shows movies in both iTunes and VUDU.

Why I'm frustrated is I can't figure out which app to use to get the best version of a film on my LG OLED. I now know iTunes 4k goes to VUDU as 4k, though not the other way around. So if I'm browsing my iTunes movies library, and a movie shows as 4k, I may not own it. So then I have to manually check each movie and go back and forth between apps to find which carries the better version. Am I understanding this right or just driving myself nuts?

Plus I have still yet to find out if it's possible to fix the "recently added/purchased date" sorting options. Since the MA merger, that option in both iTunes and VUDU shows movies in a random order, not by redemption date.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the heads up. I haven’t touched the TV app since I don’t use cable. Never knew you can use it the way you mentioned.
If you have an iOS device, you can now also use that to check if you have the 4K version of a movie in your library. Open the iOS TV app, go to Library/Movies, and tap the movie in question. If you see a 4K logo, you can play it in 4K on the ATV (it also shows HDR/Dolby Vision if available, which is also possible if you only have the 1080p version). They fixed this sometime recently.
Here's a conundrum I'm trying to figure out. I merged my iTunes and UV with movies anywhere when it launched. Ever since both accounts are a sloppy mess.
What do you mean by that?
Why I'm frustrated is I can't figure out which app to use to get the best version of a film on my LG OLED. I now know iTunes 4k goes to VUDU as 4k, though not the other way around.
Itunes actually has many movies in 4K that Vudu only has in HD. In those cases it's obviously better to use iTunes.
So if I'm browsing my iTunes movies library, and a movie shows as 4k, I may not own it.
If you have a movie in 4K in Vudu, it will in most cases transfer to iTunes in 4K as well. There are some rare exceptions where Vudu has movies in 4K that iTunes doesn't (I think it's currently only a small number of Disney movies such as "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2").
 
If you have an iOS device, you can now also use that to check if you have the 4K version of a movie in your library. Open the iOS TV app, go to Library/Movies, and tap the movie in question. If you see a 4K logo, you can play it in 4K on the ATV (it also shows HDR/Dolby Vision if available, which is also possible if you only have the 1080p version). They fixed this sometime recently.
What do you mean by that?
Itunes actually has many movies in 4K that Vudu only has in HD. In those cases it's obviously better to use iTunes.
If you have a movie in 4K in Vudu, it will in most cases transfer to iTunes in 4K as well. There are some rare exceptions where Vudu has movies in 4K that iTunes doesn't (I think it's currently only a small number of Disney movies such as "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2").


Thank you Rigby.

Regarding merging, I synced MA with iTunes and VUDU. Since then, sorting by recently added or purchase date doesn’t actually work. The order is entirely random.

Ultimately I have a feeling I’m going to have to do testing to see whose 4K is better. In the past I’ve demo’d the same digital movie in my home theater, through VUDU on my PS4 and through movies on my Apple TV 3. In my tests the PQ and AQ we’re better on my ATV hands down. Now that I can run VUDU on my ATV4K, I’m wondering whose version is better now. Bitrate, DD+ 5.1 or 7.1, and so on.
 
A bit of a different slant to this topic - has anyone heard about when we could expect Paramount and Lionsgate to join MA?
 
If you have an iOS device, you can now also use that to check if you have the 4K version of a movie in your library. Open the iOS TV app, go to Library/Movies, and tap the movie in question. If you see a 4K logo, you can play it in 4K on the ATV (it also shows HDR/Dolby Vision if available, which is also possible if you only have the 1080p version). They fixed this sometime recently.
Im not so sure about this to be honest.
Transformers Dark of the Moon shows as 4K in my library on TV App on my phone but still only SD via my ATV.
a27c0848de7b77fd3fb7ada87a6a7aca.jpg

ef0017fcc47d9edbdddb1f09caa0db50.jpg
 
Last edited:
Im not so sure about this to be honest.
Transformers Dark of the Moon shows as 4K in my library on TV App on my phone but still only SD via my ATV.

Same for me. I don't think they've rolled that out to all users yet for accurate viewing of quality on an iOS device. I get what Apple was trying to do with the "free" upgrades. I don't think they thought it through. They didn't take into account Movies Anywhere at all or codes from other studios that don't direct redeem in iTunes.

EDIT: Ok looks like this is actually working for me. Only in the TV app on my iPhone though. Also, I notice this morning that they added a new Watch in HDR section on the Library page on the phone. These are the titles that are HD and HDR on the phone.
 
Last edited:
Im not so sure about this to be honest.
Transformers Dark of the Moon shows as 4K in my library on TV App on my phone but still only SD via my ATV.
a27c0848de7b77fd3fb7ada87a6a7aca.jpg

ef0017fcc47d9edbdddb1f09caa0db50.jpg

Yeah, the person you quoted is incorrect. For example, I have the Edge of Tomorrow, redeemed in 1080P via VUDU. The IOS app says it is 4K DV, but it does not play in 4K on the ATV. My understanding is that movies redeemed through other services not in UHD will not get the free bump to 4K like itunes movies will.
 
Yeah, the person you quoted is incorrect. For example, I have the Edge of Tomorrow, redeemed in 1080P via VUDU. The IOS app says it is 4K DV, but it does not play in 4K on the ATV. My understanding is that movies redeemed through other services not in UHD will not get the free bump to 4K like itunes movies will.

This has been my experience as well, across all services, including Amazon and Google Play. Apple will show you the maximum resolution available, not what you actually own. However, when you start streaming it, it should show the actual resolution being streamed. It's frustrating how rudimentary Apple's information menu is as well. I get they want it to be uncluttered, but it would be nice if the drop down menu gave all the stats someone might want to know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mattopotamus
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.