How to upgrade a movie from SD to HD or 4K?

Question

How to upgrade a movie from SD to HD or 4K?

I have several movies I purchased through the iTunes Store way back when they were SD. There are some of those that have been re-released as HD films, and I'd love to get them. I don't mind paying full price again (we're not talking about that many), but I've run into a wrinkle:

If I search for the movie in the TV app ("Avatar", for example), it finds it and offers to let me download it again. The TV app clearly shows the movie as HD, but when I re-download it, the movie is, again, the SD version. If I delete the movie from the TV app database, the storefront in the TV app still recognizes that I already own the movie and won't let me purchase the better format, only re-download the version I own.

There has to be a way to delete a movie completely from the iTunes Store so that I can then purchase the better format.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Jun 26, 2021 5:36 PM

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Answer 1

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emilio-lizardo Author

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119 points

Jun 26, 2021 7:53 PM in response to Ijustwanttolookattheforums

Yes, I believe I stated clearly that I don't expect to be able to upgrade the content, that my actual question concerned being able to purchase the higher quality version. An no, these movies don't have a link for "Also available in Higher Quality".

So my question remains: how can I convince the iTunes Store that I don't own an SD copy of a movie so that I can purchase the HD version?

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Answer 2

Jun 26, 2021 7:12 PM in response to emilio-lizardo

You can not upgrade SD content to HD, you will have to buy the purchase again. HD purchases do also come with the SD version at no extra cost.

Purchasing and viewing HD videos in iTunes - Apple Support

Have you tried scrolling down on iTunes and clicking "Also available in Higher Quality", this should allow you to purchase the other version.

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How to upgrade a movie from SD to HD or 4K?

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