Apparently Apple TV isn’t the only media box having issues keeping movies listed on a consistent basis, all though I don’t believe that Apple TV has ever suffered from a complete studio outage. According to CNET, Netflix had issues with getting a licensing deal done with Sony which resulted in movies being pulled from Xbox’s Netflix streaming service and other distribution partners. A Netflix spokesman did say that titles “come in and out of licensing all the time”. This is the first real confirmation of why we see movies disappear from Apple TV from time to time, something we had been speculating about on our ATVJ podcast over the last few weeks. Welcome to the digital party oh great and powerful Netflix.

Update – Here is the link to Apple’s support page about the 2.3 update listing all new features.

Apple tonight released software update 2.3 for the Apple TV. More details to follow, but you can read all about the update here at MacRumors or here at Appleinsider.

I noticed this advertisement in the iTunes Store earlier today and thought it was a welcome change for Apple to be advertising an aspect of the Apple TV which wasn’t TV or Movie based but centered on Music. Specifically, this advertisement is about letting Apple TV unlock the music in your home, and in light of tonight’s Apple TV 2.3 audio centric update, this really makes sense. It’s to Apple’s advantage to promote an aspect of the Apple TV where there is almost no question that Apple and the iTunes Music store are the dominating force, unlike TV Shows or Movies, so far. I hope that Apple continues to push this “complete package” angle even further, because other then the Xbox 360, viewing the Apple TV as a complete one stop media center for Movies, TV Shows, Music, Podcasts, and Photos, is Apple TV’s one big advantage that it has over it’s high profile competitors such as VUDU, Netflix’s Roku box and dare I say even the much vaunted Blu-ray player.

Below is the list of new HD Rentals that have been added to Apple TV.

We have 26, yes you read that right, 26 new HD rental additions today and surprisingly enough all seem to be quality titles.

**Due to the high volume of additions today, new titles may not show up on the HD Rentals page until later today**

Angels & Insects
August
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Fallen
Garfield: Tale of two Kitties
Heaven Knows, Mr.Allison
The Hindenburg
The Incredible Hulk
Life or Something Like It
Magnum Force
The Mark of Zorro
Meet Bill
Miss Conception
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
New Jack City
The Queen
Red Dragon
Shattered
Shenandoah
Species II
Spy Game
The Strangers
Sunset Park
Transporter 2
Walk the Line
War, Inc.

**Due to the high volume of additions today, new titles may not show up on the HD Rentals page until later today**

iTunes SD Rentals New Releases for 11-18-08.

13 New SD Rentals have been releases in the past couple of days. The most recognizable is Get Smart of course. But we also have a few other interesting titles like, Monty Python: Live At the Hollywood Bowl, Death of a President and many more.

SD Rentals New Releases 11-18-08

Get Smart
In Her Shoes
Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special
Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles, Pt. 1
Monty Python: Live At the Hollywood Bowl
Sexy Beast
The Clique
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

SD Rentals New Releases 11-17-08

Bicentennial Man
Crazy for Love
Death of a President
My Favorite Martian
Shopgirl

SD Rentals Removals 11-18-08

Frank
Her Minor Thing
Smiley Face
Subject Two
Wilderness

SD Rentals Removals 11-17-08

Caramel
City of Men
The Whole Nine Yards

If you’re curious about any of the New Releases, click on the movie title to view the trailer. Enjoy!

Important Note: To view the latest New Release for the week, please visit the SD Rentals page.

Waiting for me when I got home was a package from Amazon; inside was my Blu Ray of Wall E. Like every other movie I have with a digital copy I went to upload it to my iTunes, and what do I find? I have no activation code! So a call was made to Disney customer service and at the very start there is an option for the missing Wall E codes. I was informed by a nice recording that the fastest way to get my code was to E-mail Disney with my information so they could send me a proof of purchase form? Now I will admit that I bought the 3 disc edition because it was a gold box deal a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, what about the person who bought it for the digital copy? If Disney and other studios want us to use their overly DRM laden way then at least give us the information I need to use it, or a way to get my code in a manner or minutes, not hours, or days. How about just letting me rip over my DVDs that I pay for and own, like I do with my music(with a note that the MPAA hates it).

Sorr-E