Newbie Q: Why are some movies only available in SD for purchase but HD for rent?

[KittyKatta]

Edited. Reduced questions in hopes of getting clear answers.

I'm using Alvin and the Chipmunks:Chipwrecked as my example


1) Why are some movies available to RENT in HD but can only be PURCHASED in SD
2) If I buy an SD title, can I upgrade to HD or do I have to repurchase it at full price


thanks for your help. Im dying to go all digital but the way things work is kinda confusing.

Katt

 

[Undecided]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I'm new to iTunes movie purchasing and am confused.

1) Why are some titles only available to purchase in SD, but available to rent in HD. Is this a studio thing? (For example, I was going to buy Alvin Chipmunks: Chipwrecked for the nice but would prefer the HD version)
2) If I buy an SD title, can I upgrade to HD or do I have to repurchase it at full price
3) I set my iTunes to download 1080p for my new AppleTV 3. But what happens if I play that content on a 720p AppleTV2? Will I also have to download the 720p content?
4) How does everyone label their files? So far I'm writing (iTunes) to indicate it was a purchased rather than encoded track but I don't know if theres a better system.
5) Can those digital download files be upgraded or streamed? I have a bunch but haven't redeemed most yet.

thanks for your help. Im dying to go all digital but the way things work is kinda confusing.

Katt

On 1, I can't say why, but it's probably the Apple, to encourage you to buy an Apple TV or iPad. Things also appear and later disappear from the store, but that's probably because of the studios. The SD/HD thing really irritates me. I use a mini as a HTPC, and when I rent a movie it will often only be available in SD and "also available in HD on the iPad, Apple TV, or iPhone" (not sure about the iPhone). Very frustrating.

 

[KittyKatta]

Bump for easy question.

1) Why are some movies available for HD rental but only SD for purchase?

2) If I buy the SD version, is there an upgrade path for when the HD version is released?

Thanks!