Apple TV HD Rental Streaming Problem

***????? I'm a little tired of renting movies for $6 and NOT being able to watch them on AppleTV . How do I get a refund?? Says it takes 4 hours and never finishes. I've tried updates, resets and every other "fix" and none work. Netflix and all other streaming services work just fine. How does Apple (the highest valued company in the world) not have this fixed?!? And how do I get my refunds?!?

I am having the same issue. This is new. I've never waited for a movie. What's the point of that?! I want a refund too. I'm starting to lose faith in apple and am considering returning the MacBook Pro I haven't started using yet. I've been an apple person for over a decade. I've always paid high for it because I believed in it, but now... It really doesn't seem worth it anymore.

Try changing your Apple TV DNS server to one from your ISP instead of one that your router automatically assigns it. Restart your router & Apple TV and it should work. This is what worked for me.

To find a DNS server number, google "[Your ISP's name] DNS server numbers, [Your city]"

Try changing your Apple TV DNS server to one from your ISP instead of one that your router automatically assigns it. Restart your router & Apple TV and it should work. This is what worked for me.

To find a DNS server number, google "[Your ISP's name] DNS server numbers, [Your city]"

Telling folks to change their DNS server is like saying install more memory in your box. Ony 5% can/will/should have to do it. iTunes movie rental is HORRIBLE and has been for YEARS. That is a fact for most of the people I talk to about it. There is no excuse for how slow and unintuitive it is. Apple could make so much money from folks like me who gave up on iTunes rentals by looking at Netflix--where streaming is fast and effortless. Considering the money Apple charges for a 24-hour movie rental they should be ashamed of themselves. I urge you all to seek alternatives, and spank Apple for this terrible service.

Apple doesn't read these, unfortunately. But you know they are aware of the problems. It is just one of the areas they don't care about, for some odd reason (seems like there is money in it). I urge everyone to boycott the iTunes movie rental "service". There is no good reason Netflix can do it easily and Apple is all thumbs, after, as you say, years.

I was ****** too. Then I changed my DNS servers and everything is fine. Not great, but fine. I'm comitted to AppleTVs and Airport Expresses. I don't have a lot of money to change to something else.

P i s s e d

People should be using their ISPs DNS, that is a fact. Netflix uses adaptive streaming, iTunes content is fixed and higher quality. It does work well for most users, and adequate troubleshooting needs to be done if experiencing an issue. That applies to any device.

Yes when you change your DNS it works, but for most people changing a DNS is not something they know how to do. For me it should just work, like Netflix. The fact that people on both sides of the Atlantic are having the same problem and have been for a number of years, you would think that Apple would take it seriously and do something about it. 2 years ago when I was having this problem I was being charged for films I couldn't access and Apples answer was tell us when it happens and we will provide a refund. They did, but a strange response in my view.

In order to change the DNS from using the ISPs one would have to know how to do so in the first place. There is nothing involved if you set it up automatically.

Netflix uses adaptive streaming and can go as low as 0.2mbps. iTunes does work for most but because it's higher quality and requires it to load a portion it will be more dependent on the network. In the bigger picture it isn't the majority and can typically be pinned to the network (DNS, speed, interference being common).

Settings, General, "Send Data to Apple", Turn this function off. Worked for me.

Reporting a problem with failed video rentals via the iTunes 'Report a Problem' feature garners only an automated 'We'll be in touch.' email (specifically stating that an iTunes rep will send a personal response within 24 hours...which never happens).

Eventually a nice, fat class action lawsuit will emerge for this. It's obviously a cashcow racket for Apple.One of many.

Worked like a charm, thanks!

Add me to your list of problem with my iTV4 ... similarly, all worked well until yesterday when I wanted to watch a rented movie ... the spinning wheel just kept on and on ... even had comment that it would take 9 hours and minutes to access my newly purchased movie. Also noted that with my attempts to make it work, a few of those times when I hit the movie to play, after some wheel-of-misfortune time, the movie would start ... but it played only for a few seconds before it froze and never would continue to play - Wheels kept on turning ... also, noted same problem when I attempted to test things out by way of accessing a new movie and hit the Preview button.. I did same thing, played for a few seconds before freezing ... I Reset and unplugged for some time ... after some wasted time reentering my Apple ID, etc, nothing different ... in fact, as noted by others, it really got to the point that where there should have been movie posters, etc ... it was blank, blank, blank ... just the tittles. Anyway, ended my frustration by reverting to using an older iTV and all is fine now ... Apple Movies, Netflix, etc ... it works. I am tempted to go ahead and do a RESTORE .... in fact, I did try it, but screen said it would take approximately 3 hours, plus doing so ...frustrating ... and certainly don’t want to waste more time given that apparently others here have even tried a Restore operation with no success to fixing it ... so, I may give Apple a quick jingle ... meanwhile, I am hoping they read this support page’s many complaints and fix the issue, if indeed it is a problem from their end ...or whatever... It’s not server issue in that the switch to older iTV3 works fine. So, let me join others who tend to think it is an iTV4 issue from Apple’s end.