Buying videos from iTunes. What to expect?

[Mbagni]

Hi all,

This is really an "off topic" question and I count on your benevolence.

I am a real fan of Fringe (a video series from FOX similar to Lost) and I have seen that in iTunes there are the whole three seasons in HighRes for a suitable (but not negligible) amount of money.

Before yielding to the temptation to buy the whole three seasons I would like to know if, once downloaded, the episodes shall be available to be reproduced without any Apple-related device/software.

I have the wonderful (very personal opinion not subject for this thread) Western Digital WD TV Live media center connected to my full HD 42" TV (I know that most of you consider this size only an entry level TV but for me it is more than sufficient) and I would like to be able to store the episodes on a normal USB external HD and enjoy them on my TV.

The WD TV Live supports many video formats, obviously not those encrypted or somehow proprietary (neither Flash).

Is there anybody who wants to share it's experience?

Thanks in advance!

 

[GlenL]

I doubt it. Will the WD hard drive connect Amazon video? If it does, then maybe you can buy it from Amazon and play it on your WD?

 

[Mbagni]

So far I have only played my collection of DVD transformed for sake of space into a collection of xvid files. I have no experience on Amazon. For instance in the App Store you can download for free a movie on a strange fact occurred to the NY Stock Exchange Market in 2010. The "application" (which is a QuickTime movie with interesting multimedia inserts) is named "Money & Speed".

Only after having it backed up on my PC with iTunes I found (browsing the iTunes storage directory) that it was a QuickTime movie and only after that discovery I was able to convert it into an XVID file in order to play it back on my TV.

Well, that is the sort of "troubles" that I do not to encounter. If the movies from iTunes come in a "normal" format then I am more than happy to pay for them. Otherwise if they are packaged in order to be reproduced only on the iPad (and on the TV with the specific dangle available at the Apple store) then I think that I am not interested in them.

This is the reason why I started this thread. To ask to those of you that have already bought some video from iTunes to share your experience.

You may say: what the heck! Invest $2.99 and see by yourself!

But if there is such a nice thing as this Forum is exactly to share the available knowledge.

If you think this thread is useless and pointless let it die. This thread was only a request of info and nothing more.

Thanks!

 

[iPad 2 is cool]

Given the way Apple restrict everything I suspect they will only be compatible with Apple devices, this is not to much of a problem for me as I watch 90% of everything on the iPad. I hope someone with more knowledge can help as opposed to my mere speculation. Come on you iPFers let's help this chap.

Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

 

[wytey]

The tv shows/films are locked to the account that bought them, so you can play them on any apple device provided you use the same account, unfortunately that doesn't help you

I suppose you could play them on an apple device with a tv output and record them to a hdd dvr or something like that and then transfer them, bit of a long winded solution though

Found this link, no idea how legal it is though http://www.wmatomp3-converter.com/guide/How-to-Remove-DRM-from-iTunes-AAC-M4V-M4P.html#123

just another lurker....