NZ iTunes Movie Store

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Movieman

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#272832 19-Jul-2020 00:11

I couldn't find a dedicated thread for the discussion of NZ iTunes Movies (video quality, audio quality, movie deals, etc.) so, hopefully I may get a few members to comment in this thread.

I have been slowly moving toward streaming movies on my Apple TV 4K. Reasons being: quality has improved (a lot) and many titles are in Dolby Vision/HDR10/Dolby Atmos. New titles are far cheaper than buying discs (I don't need the Blu-ray included in most 4K releases) and I can't wait to see which movies are on "special" every Friday, many at only $4.99 each. Also, its just so much easier to buy a movie on iTunes (you can watch it immediately after ordering). Rentals can be had for as little as 99 cents.

I bought and watched Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford a couple of weeks ago, and the video and audio quality was superb. Without doing a side by side comparison, it would be hard to tell any difference from disc.

There will always be the detractors, and the usual complaints like; "you never actually own the movie", "disc quality is always better than streaming" and many other reasons. But personally, I believe that streaming is the future of home entertainment, and disc media will become a niche market in the years ahead. I still buy discs, but very few and far between.

If you spot a bargain on iTunes, or something impresses you (video, audio), let us know about it.

So, what are your thoughts? are you a streamer or a physical media collector?

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#2525388 19-Jul-2020 00:22

One thing that irks me about NZ iTunes movies; is the fact that many titles that are blessed with Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos on the US iTunes website, do not have those codecs when released here. Also, all Disney titles are HD/Dolby Digital Plus on all iTunes sites worldwide. This is due to Apple and Disney disagreeing on the pricing of the Disney titles. Sort it out guys. I need Disney movies to be the best that they can be on my Apple TV 4K. 😕

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Dingbatt

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#2525414 19-Jul-2020 09:12

Movieman:

One thing that irks me about NZ iTunes movies; is the fact that many titles that are blessed with Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos on the US iTunes website, do not have those codecs when released here. Also, all Disney titles are HD/Dolby Digital Plus on all iTunes sites worldwide. This is due to Apple and Disney disagreeing on the pricing of the Disney titles. Sort it out guys. I need Disney movies to be the best that they can be on my Apple TV 4K. 😕

I think the Apple Disney thing has its roots in trying to drive customers towards Disney+ where their movies are DV/DA (having not been initially).

Now that they are DV/DA I am slowly working my way through the minor Marvel and Starwars titles that I don’t have Ultra disks for.

iTunes movies have been my go to ever since all our local video stores closed.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Movieman

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#2525470 19-Jul-2020 10:16

SOURCE: https://hd-report.com/2020/02/05/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-will-sell-in-digital-4k-everywhere-except-apple/

The early digital release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (released on March 14, originally scheduled for March 17, 2020) is available in 4k UHD from all major retailers except Apple iTunes.

This includes popular digital movie services like FandangoNow, Vudu, Microsoft Movies & TV, and even Amazon where it’s not always easy to find the latest blockbusters in Digital 4k.

But the fact ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is not available in Ultra HD on Apple TV is no surprise. Disney-produced movies are typically not sold in 4k from Apple. That means you have to go elsewhere to stream hits like Marvel’s Black Panther, Pixar’s Toy Story, and Star Wars: A New Hope in 4k.

In fact, none of the Marvel Studios, Disney, or Star Wars titles can be viewed in 4k on Apple TV, even though the movies are in Digital 4k on Disney Plus and other platforms. This isn’t breaking news though. Back in 2017, when Apple announced its big studio deals to distribute films in 4k, Disney was notably not among the list.

It’s worth noting, however, that titles from 20th Century Fox (purchased by Disney and now rebranded as 20th Century Studios) are available in 4k/HDR on Apple TV 4k such as Deadpool and the X-Men franchise movies.

How long will this rift between Disney and Apple last? Who knows. Maybe it isn’t even a rift. But you can be sure Apple would love to get Disney titles upgraded to 4k on their platform. It’s got to be a stick in the craw for Apple to boast support for high-quality video formats such Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos but not with some of the biggest grossing films in history.

Movieman

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#2525518 19-Jul-2020 10:40

I allow $20 per week for my iTunes purchases (might go to $25 max.).

Here are my purchases for this week Friday July 17th.

Enemy at the Gates (2001) $4.99: HD/Dolby Digital Plus - One of my favourite WWII movies.

The Planet of the Apes Trilogy (2011 - 2017) $14.99: HDR10/Dolby Digital Plus for the first two movies. The third also has Dolby Atmos on board.

rugrat

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#2525587 19-Jul-2020 13:17

Movieman:

One thing that irks me about NZ iTunes movies; is the fact that many titles that are blessed with Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos on the US iTunes website, do not have those codecs when released here. Also, all Disney titles are HD/Dolby Digital Plus on all iTunes sites worldwide. This is due to Apple and Disney disagreeing on the pricing of the Disney titles. Sort it out guys. I need Disney movies to be the best that they can be on my Apple TV 4K. 😕

I noticed that, Disney Plus seems to have UHD versions, and one month would be cheaper then renting two or three movies off Apple.

Also I logged on to the US Apple store, don't wish to do again as was a struggle to get back to NZ one, and a movie that was UHD there, after running through exchange rate, was more expensive then HD version here.

rugrat

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#2525589 19-Jul-2020 13:29

I rent a lot of 99 cent movie of the week movies, last one was Paradise Hills, Last Blood before that.

Haven't looked at this weeks one, think it's around Fridays they change.

Also there is somewhere you can click, where a few hundred 99 cent older movies are. Also seems to give a day or two longer if missed previous weeks one.

For a bigger range rent the $2.99-$3.99 movies now and then as well. Very happy with quality.

Movieman

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#2525590 19-Jul-2020 13:31

rugrat:

Movieman:

One thing that irks me about NZ iTunes movies; is the fact that many titles that are blessed with Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos on the US iTunes website, do not have those codecs when released here. Also, all Disney titles are HD/Dolby Digital Plus on all iTunes sites worldwide. This is due to Apple and Disney disagreeing on the pricing of the Disney titles. Sort it out guys. I need Disney movies to be the best that they can be on my Apple TV 4K. 😕

I noticed that, Disney Plus seems to have UHD versions, and one month would be cheaper then renting two or three movies off Apple.

Also I logged on to the US Apple store, don't wish to do again as was a struggle to get back to NZ one, and a movie that was UHD there, after running through exchange rate, was more expensive then HD version here.

Yes, Disney Plus does have UHD versions where available, but most of the other streaming services in the US also have UHD streams of Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm movies. It seems that only Apple does not.

I refuse to subscribe to Disney+ until iTunes are allowed to stream Disney movies in UHD. And even then, I still won't 😂

old3eyes

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#2525595 19-Jul-2020 13:35

Movieman:

I couldn't find a dedicated thread for the discussion of NZ iTunes Movies (video quality, audio quality, movie deals, etc.) so, hopefully I may get a few members to comment in this thread.

I have been slowly moving toward streaming movies on my Apple TV 4K. Reasons being: quality has improved (a lot) and many titles are in Dolby Vision/HDR10/Dolby Atmos. New titles are far cheaper than buying discs (I don't need the Blu-ray included in most 4K releases) and I can't wait to see which movies are on "special" every Friday, many at only $4.99 each. Also, its just so much easier to buy a movie on iTunes (you can watch it immediately after ordering). Rentals can be had for as little as 99 cents.

I bought and watched Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford a couple of weeks ago, and the video and audio quality was superb. Without doing a side by side comparison, it would be hard to tell any difference from disc.

There will always be the detractors, and the usual complaints like; "you never actually own the movie", "disc quality is always better than streaming" and many other reasons. But personally, I believe that streaming is the future of home entertainment, and disc media will become a niche market in the years ahead. I still buy discs, but very few and far between.

If you spot a bargain on iTunes, or something impresses you (video, audio), let us know about it.

So, what are your thoughts? are you a streamer or a physical media collector?

At least if you own the disk the studio police aren't going to knock on your door in say 10 years time and want it back. With steaming ownership it can be revoked any time by the studios.

Regards,

Old3eyes

rb99

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#2525597 19-Jul-2020 13:35

I'm a physical media collector. Believe the items you mention as complaints are just true observations (though I could well be completely out of date with that). I buy a disc and 'move' it to hdd's with backups and watch using Emby. Have a fair few, though not many 4K discs. I do worry that Apple or someone will loose the licence to Planet of the Apes, etc and hey presto the thing you 'own' is just gone. Admittedly I'm not going to be thrilled if the house burns down as all backing up is on site, but can't have everything.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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Dingbatt

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#2525598 19-Jul-2020 13:37

You need to clarify when you say “Apple TV” whether you are talking about the physical box (Apple TV 4K) or the streaming service (Apple TV+ incl iTunes movies) because 4K UHD Disney titles are certainly watchable on my Apple TV 4K via the Disney+ App (I just tried it on the ATV4K attached to my LG OLED to make sure).

If it burns that bad I suggest you get a Disney+ subscription.

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lookout

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#2525625 19-Jul-2020 15:02

I’m a fan of the iTunes deals. This week I purchased Dunkirk in 4K / DV for $4.99. I also enjoy the extras you get.

It is a shame about the Disney properties not being in 4K but Disney+ is pretty great.

Movieman

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#2525779 19-Jul-2020 18:13

Dingbatt:

You need to clarify when you say “Apple TV” whether you are talking about the physical box (Apple TV 4K) or the streaming service (Apple TV+ incl iTunes movies) because 4K UHD Disney titles are certainly watchable on my Apple TV 4K via the Disney+ App (I just tried it on the ATV4K attached to my LG OLED to make sure).

If it burns that bad I suggest you get a Disney+ subscription.

It would be a waste of time for me to subscribe to Disney Plus. I have all the Marvel movies on disc, all the Star Wars movies on disc and all of the Pixar movies on disc, plus many other Disney animated movies on disc, but I now prefer to stream. I doubt that I will lose many, if any of my iTunes collection, but I guess time will tell. I will however, save myself a lot of money 😂

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#2525787 19-Jul-2020 18:43

Unfortunately I think other producers may follow suit if they have their own streaming service they are trying to promote.

Personally, until I have a 4K projector there are a lot of movies where iTunes will do just fine.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Movieman

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#2525851 19-Jul-2020 23:06

rb99:

I'm a physical media collector. Believe the items you mention as complaints are just true observations (though I could well be completely out of date with that). I buy a disc and 'move' it to hdd's with backups and watch using Emby. Have a fair few, though not many 4K discs. I do worry that Apple or someone will loose the licence to Planet of the Apes, etc and hey presto the thing you 'own' is just gone. Admittedly I'm not going to be thrilled if the house burns down as all backing up is on site, but can't have everything.

I really do not worry about the highlighted part of your post. After all I have also lost a few Blu-rays which suddenly developed skipping or freezing, and/or got scratched and became unplayable. Admittedly that was when my Kids were little, and didn't care about handling my discs correctly. I have also lost a few early DVD's from disc rot. I do not own any DVD's anymore. I sold what I could on Trade Me, and gave away the rest to friends and family when I started collecting Blu-ray 14 years ago.

I have 94 4K discs, but only buy occasionally, as I much prefer the convenience of buying and renting iTunes movies.

Davoid

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#2526031 20-Jul-2020 14:43

I to have been collecting itunes movies for a while as I got sick of the price difference between bluray and the 4K version of movies (often nearly $10 more for 4K), where I can get the 4k version on itunes often cheaper then the bluray disk copy. I just wish itunes NZ would also sell the TV shows, as if you go to the Australian itunes store you can purchase TV shows (I don't have an account so can't, was just looking).

Also you can download the 1080p version as a backup to your hard drive.

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