Apple's ability to remove iTunes purchases
I bought the 2nd gen. Apple TV years ago and have updated with almost every iteration, including now the Apple TV 4K. (Incidentally, I was going to post about the functionality of the Apple TV in the UK where we still only have BBC iPlayer for catch up. Having upgraded my TV to 4K, in part for the new Apple TV, I'm surprised at the ease and functionality of the TV's own apps - all UK catch up services, NOW TV and Netflix all from the same screen as my terrestrial signal - it makes the Apple TV homepage only really worth using for iTunes).
My first iTunes movie purchase was the film 'I Am Love' by the same director as soon to be released 'Call Me By Your Name.' For years it has been available on my iTunes account but today I discovered it was no longer there. For whatever reason, the studio or producer has pulled it and it is no longer available. Now, originally I always downloaded every iTunes purchase to my iMac. However, as I made more purchases this took up vast amounts of space. Also, it seemed to me, that Apple has been pushing the idea that we do not need local versions of music, books etc. because they're all available in the cloud. We do not need a vast iPhone storage size as all our iBooks and Apple Music is synced across devices, linked to the large repository of titles in the store.
Clearly I was wrong. Producers can pull any title and Apple is then no longer able to make these available, even if a user has purchased them, nor issue a refund. In terms of usability, I would then need to have a large external hard drive just for the purpose of backing up and storing all iTunes purchases. In the event that a title was pulled I would then need to point my Apple TV to the hard drive, presumably by way of a computer system, switched on and logged in to access this film or other title. By this point the ease and convenience of a streaming system seems moot. I realise it may work for the vast majority of titles - as long as they remain available. But as soon as they are not, for me, it may make much better sense to have a hard DVD copy - without the additional expense of an external hard drive, presumably a back up for that and the hassle of pointing an Apple TV to whichever computer system at home could access it.
I will admit I'd been naive. As Apple have pushed the notion that we can rely on the cloud I'd wondered what might happen were an item pulled and assumed they could maybe continue to provide a link to those who'd already bought it. I didn't check on interrogate this. I now wonder what other items I may have purchased in the past that have secretly vanished from my purchased items list. Even if I did hold a back up of all these it would no longer list under 'Purchased' on the Apple TV.
I am trying to find an easy, convenient way to ensure I keep and can easily access and stream all my purchases. But I now wonder whether I wouldn't rather just buy a hard copy and keep it in one of the large cupboards in my living room as we used to do.
My first iTunes movie purchase was the film 'I Am Love' by the same director as soon to be released 'Call Me By Your Name.' For years it has been available on my iTunes account but today I discovered it was no longer there. For whatever reason, the studio or producer has pulled it and it is no longer available. Now, originally I always downloaded every iTunes purchase to my iMac. However, as I made more purchases this took up vast amounts of space. Also, it seemed to me, that Apple has been pushing the idea that we do not need local versions of music, books etc. because they're all available in the cloud. We do not need a vast iPhone storage size as all our iBooks and Apple Music is synced across devices, linked to the large repository of titles in the store.
Clearly I was wrong. Producers can pull any title and Apple is then no longer able to make these available, even if a user has purchased them, nor issue a refund. In terms of usability, I would then need to have a large external hard drive just for the purpose of backing up and storing all iTunes purchases. In the event that a title was pulled I would then need to point my Apple TV to the hard drive, presumably by way of a computer system, switched on and logged in to access this film or other title. By this point the ease and convenience of a streaming system seems moot. I realise it may work for the vast majority of titles - as long as they remain available. But as soon as they are not, for me, it may make much better sense to have a hard DVD copy - without the additional expense of an external hard drive, presumably a back up for that and the hassle of pointing an Apple TV to whichever computer system at home could access it.
I will admit I'd been naive. As Apple have pushed the notion that we can rely on the cloud I'd wondered what might happen were an item pulled and assumed they could maybe continue to provide a link to those who'd already bought it. I didn't check on interrogate this. I now wonder what other items I may have purchased in the past that have secretly vanished from my purchased items list. Even if I did hold a back up of all these it would no longer list under 'Purchased' on the Apple TV.
I am trying to find an easy, convenient way to ensure I keep and can easily access and stream all my purchases. But I now wonder whether I wouldn't rather just buy a hard copy and keep it in one of the large cupboards in my living room as we used to do.
Comments
- can I move my iTunes library to my Time Capsule?
- can I set up my iMac to automatically download all purchases to the iTunes library folder on the external disk?
- will the library then be accessible by my iMac and Macbook (and maybe Apple TV too)?
2) Yes and no. You can download purchases -- but not 4K versions of them. I'm not aware of any automatic downloading feature. Related to #1, if you've got an iTunes library pointed at a local drive, then you can download it to that.
In relation to (1) - I don't need to access the library regularly - my iTunes library is really just a back up for my phone and of content I stream on the Apple TV. I'm trying to work out a reasonable workaround to back up my whole library should content be deleted or changed in future. In that event, I'd like my Apple TV to be able to easily access the local version of, in this instance 'I Am Love'. Could it do this from an external HD? And can I use the external HD for Time Capsule as the repository of my whole library?
At the very least I think the whole system is counterintuitive. If Apple really mean us to back up every purchase to ensure this doesn't happen then really it would make more sense, particularly in relation to monthly internet usage etc, for users to stream from their local version of iTunes purchases, rather than streaming from Apple's servers every time.
Also, it seems to me, a big deal that 4K versions cannot be downloaded. Essentially that makes every 4K purchase an indefinite, longterm rental as at any time a distributor could remove it from the iTunes Store and then you or I lose that content without no recourse nor refund. We cannot download it as Apple/the distributor will not allow it. So every 4K purchase is essentially a rental at the whim of Apple and the studios.
As an Apple user since my first Performa 630 this feels a big deal for me. Apple TV and iTunes have been a joy and since the 2nd gen I've slowly made all my film and TV purchases through the iTunes Store. I'm genuinely thinking of returning my 4K Apple TV as my TV provides better UK catch up apps and in light of this I'd rather truly own all future video purchases.