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Video I purchased years ago in iTunes will not play on my Mac using the TV app

I bought a collection of music videos by John Lennon a long while ago in iTunes. But Apple will not play these videos and will not upload them into the TV app on my Mac. Yet I can open and play them using Quicktime. It makes no sense to me. The videos are in .m4v. Can I simply change the extension? Apple's excuse is these videos are no longer available as part of this collection in iTunes. But that shouldn't matter, should it? FWIW, I think all of these videos ARE still in iTunes but sold individually. What I bought was simply a collection at a special price but they're still individual music videos. If someone needs more info, let me know. TIA!

Posted on Oct 15, 2023 6:47 AM

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2 replies

Oct 15, 2023 9:14 AM in response to sfosteve

I bought a collection of music videos by John Lennon a long while ago in iTunes. But Apple will not play these videos and will not upload them into the TV app on my Mac.

Why not? What error are you encountering? Do you have the files on your Mac? Have you drag/dropped into the library? I have had no issues adding files to the library.


Yet I can open and play them using Quicktime. It makes no sense to me. The videos are in .m4v. Can I simply change the extension?

Those are likely protected files, so no.


Apple's excuse is these videos are no longer available as part of this collection in iTunes. But that shouldn't matter, should it?

Very much so, yes. If an item is no longer available in the iTunes Store for purchase, you will not be able to download it again. Bundled purchases are the same, even if individual files are available, as the original item is no longer sold. You don't actually own your files, you have a license to use the content.


Still, you should be able to add your previously downloaded files into the app.

Open TV.

Go to File > Import


Or, drag the items into the Library view.


Know that the files, when added, may be of a different type. For example, some files I've added default to Home Video. You can change that property by using the get info command on the file.


Oct 15, 2023 9:34 AM in response to muguy

Thanks but it won't import. In fact, I can only get the videos to play using QuickTime. If I go into the individual video files and select QuickTime from the "open with" dropdown, the videos play. So they have to be there. In doing research I've downloaded VLC and Handbrake and neither of these applications will play them. If I try to download to the Apple TV app on my Mac, it will look like it attempts to DL them but nothing is there. I've searched for them under Home Video and every other catagory. I'm really stumped. The good news is I can play them on QuickTime, i guess. But it seems like I should be able to convert them or somehow play them using the TV app.

Video I purchased years ago in iTunes will not play on my Mac using the TV app

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