Movie Rental Not Playing

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Level 1

11 points

Movie Rental Not Playing

Since December (2022) I cannot play any movies that I RENT from iTunes. I rented five movies to watch over the holidays and none of them would play. I just get a blank screen with the controls at the bottom, and when I press the Play button, nothing happens. I have rented dozens of movies in previous years and never had this problem before. Also, very interestingly, if I BUY the movie from iTunes, it plays just fine. So the problem is only with the playback of rentals.

I have tried everything I can think of to resolve the problem including updating, then uninstalling-reinstalling iTunes. I am on a high-end PC laptop with lots of RAM and fast graphics card, and all the drivers/software are up to date. Also, I always download the movies to watch offline because I am on a slow rural internet connection, so this is not a streaming issue.

Has anyone else had this problem? Anyone discovered a fix? I have not been able to find any useful tech support from iTunes, so any suggestions from the community would be much appreciated!

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on Jan 17, 2023 05:08 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

kas-media Author

Level 1

11 points

Mar 1, 2023 02:30 PM in response to earljr1

Thanks earljr1,

I'm sorry to hear you are having the same problem, but glad to know I'm not the only one. Like you, I tried every possible workaround and I spent HOURS on the phone with Apple tech support trying various things. But nothing worked and I got so frustrated that I finally gave up.

I keep hoping that enough people will have the same problem and report it to Apple that their software gurus will finally get it resolved. Meanwhile I am not buying or trying to rent any more movies from them. I'm just one small person voting with my feet, but if enough of us do it, perhaps they will pay attention. I do have to give them credit, though, because they did refund all my rental money. But of course there's nothing I can do to get back all that wasted time!

Good luck and fingers crossed!

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Answer 2

kas-media Author

Level 1

11 points

Jan 18, 2023 01:38 PM in response to Mike_P1

Thanks for your reply, but it does not address or solve my problem.

As I explained in my original post, I am trying to play rented movies using the iTunes app on my PC laptop. I always use the same device (my laptop) and don't have any other devices. Rented movies played just fine on this device until about a month ago.

I have already tried RE-STARTING MY DEVICE (many times!) and even UNINSTALLED-REINSTALLED iTUNES to see if that would fix the problem. It does not.

Also, I ALWAYS FULLY DOWNLOAD movies on my device before playing them so this is NOT A STREAMING PROBLEM.

Also, the problem ONLY HAPPENS with RENTED movies. I have no problem playing a movie if I BUY it. So the problem is NOT with my method of playing movies. The problem is some weird quirk with RENTALS, and I cannot find any 'setting' or information that resolves it.

I DO NOT HAVE APPLE TV and I do not want to pay for this streaming service. I simply want to rent, download and watch individual movies using iTunes.

As you can probably tell, I am become extremely frustrated. Can anyone help me?

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Answer 3

earljr1

Level 1

8 points

Mar 1, 2023 02:48 PM in response to kas-media

I am to the point now where I am giving up. Too much time for no result. It's just not worth the pain when I can get the same rentals at Amazon for the same cost. I have just one more rental that I haven't gotten refunded but should hear about it tomorrow. I had this happen about a year ago on a couple of movies. I didn't rent for months and when I tried again it worked. All the best.

Who knows what goes on at Apple?

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Answer 4

Brian_P7

Community Specialist

Jan 18, 2023 02:19 PM in response to kas-media

Hey kas-media,

Have you reached out to Apple directly for help as of yet? Based on what you mentioned and what you've already tried, that'd likely be the best path forward from here. You can Contact Apple Support here.

Be well.

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Answer 5

Mike_P1

Community Specialist

Jan 18, 2023 12:49 PM in response to kas-media

Howdy kas-media,

It sounds like you are having issues with rented movies. We know how important this is for you, and you’re in the right place for answers. Does this occur on all devices?

Watch your rental on another device

You can watch your rental on any device that has the Apple TV app and is signed in with your Apple ID. After you download your rental on one device, you can stream the rental on another device simultaneously.

If you can't play your rental, see if the rental is downloaded or streaming on another device. To download your rental on a different device, remove the rental from your device, then download the rental on the device where you want to watch it.

Still need help?

• If you can't stream or watch video content from the Apple TV app, restart your device. If your rental still won't play, learn about streaming issues or report a problem.

• For downloads, you can start watching your movie as soon as enough of it has downloaded to play without interruption.

• You might be asked for a verification code when you rent a movie. Learn how to get a verification code for two-factor authentication.

This info is located in this support article: Rent movies from the Apple TV app - Apple Support

Take Care!

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Answer 6

earljr1

Level 1

8 points

Mar 1, 2023 01:39 PM in response to Brian_P7

Hello kas-media,

I just started having the same exact problem (my last rental was a couple of weeks ago and it worked just fine then) and tried every work around that I could think of. I used another laptop, I signed out of and back into several times, I uninstalled and reinstalled a couple of different versions of iTunes, I downloaded the HD and SD versions of the movies. I tried copying the movies and reinstalling them using the add file option in iTunes and a couple of other things. And like you, when I buy a movie it works just fine. I just can't get it to work. Apple Support couldn't help me either and in the end I just got my money refunded. Please let me know if you figure out a fix and I will do the same. Thanks.

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Movie Rental Not Playing

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