Since, Eddie reposted my personal little narrative about a download problem, everyone seems to have chimed in with their disapproval over what I will call, the ‘vanishing’ of movies from AppleTV… At the time I saw the repost, his injected ‘editorial’ comment did catch my attention:

“…but this time he gets Apple Support to reveal some interesting information about why movies may be disappearing.”

Now, I must admit that I should have spoken up right then and there to clarify my position on the matter, but I was just too damn busy… And in hindsight, I kind of wish that I hadn’t even offered it, even though it was said… I mean, who knew that some of you would make such a fuss about it? But now I want to make it clear that the claim from the iTunes Store rep I regard as ersatz-speak. That is, useless disinformation that is spoken for lack of anything else (knowledgeable) to say.

My opinion (FWIW) is that some have lost their perspective on this issue… Yes, it’s true that some titles have been changed to purchase only, and some have gone altogether. But that number is low — it’s just that those that do change are ones we notice. I mean, who the heck would give a whip if any of the “Police Academy” movies were deep-sixed, or for that matter, any of the countless (insipid) sequels to “American Pie”? No, it’s the ones like “Transformers” that get our goat.

But, I should point out that the problem I’ve just been through is one with problem files and has nothing whatsoever to do with movies ‘vanishing’ from AppleTV (even though the idiot at the iTunes Store said it did…). The movies in question are still there — they never went anywhere. They just wouldn’t download… But it’s postings like the one I just read from gdawge that make it seem like our basic human rights are being violated by Apple. I mean, get a grip people. I know we want our movies, when we want them……but this is ridiculous.

So for the record, my point was about what seemed to be a widespread download problem. It was not about vanishing titles.

I think it would be best if we kept in mind the following:

Apple is a licensee of content, just like Vudu is (and all the other purveyors of downloaded or streamed movie content).

The licensors are:

20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lionsgate and New Line Cinema…

Just my two cents…

We’ll see how it goes from here. Hopefully the problem is finally resolved (knock on wood)… But the real test will be for me to summon the huevos rancheros and attempt to re-rent the movies in question…

Dear Greg,

I’m sorry that you’ve had difficulty downloading the movie you rented. I have removed the movie from your downloads and have reversed the charge for the rental.

You will see a credit of $2.99, plus any applicable taxes, in three to five business days. If store credit was used for this rental, you should see the credit after you sign out of the iTunes Store and sign back in.

The average file size of a movie on the iTunes Store is 1 GB to 1.5 GB. Because of the size, a broadband Internet connection is required.

I suggest that you contact AppleCare technical support for technical troubleshooting of your device. This will help you determine if there is an issue with it or not.

Sincerely,

Andrew

I see you are new to the site, welcome. The issue you are commenting about is not a new one. This site has been covering the case of the disappearing rentals since Apple TV 2.0 premiered. Instead of rehashing all of the who’s and why’s of this subject, I would suggest listening to the second half of Episode 1 of the Apple TV Junkie Podcast. I cover this particular subject in detail. Second, I would also refer to our movie list which keeps track of all current HD rentals. If you need me to get into more specifics please let me know and I will do my best to cover this subject with you.

FYI. Our header graphic represents what Apple TV was offering 2 months ago. If anyone feels it is confusing in any way please let us know and we will switch it out as Apple updates their graphics.

Eddie V.

This past weekend, I wanted to rent Transformers, but couldn’t find it. I swear it was there before. Well, you can see it in the Apple TV Junkie graphics at the top of the website. I checked on iTunes too, and it seems to have been removed. Why? I don’t buy the “not getting rented enough” line.

Now I can’t find Ocean’s 13, and Ratatouille is available for purchase only!

Different production companies, too.

Something bad is happening.

So, I would take what the iTunes Store rep said with a grain of salt… I have spent many years in technical and customer services, and quite a few of them running support centers. And I can tell you that when cornered, and unarmed with real answers, support reps under pressure are quite capable of becoming creative with the facts. This is what I think we’re witnessing here.