Renting a movie in iTunes

Five years ago, my wife and I often rented movies. "I think I'll get a movie on the way home from work," I'd think. It was spontaneous and simple. Then it happened.

We had children.

To say that parenthood is life-changing is like saying the sun is hot. While we were busily trying to keep a brand new human being alive (incidentally, there's no manual -- not even a supplement from Pogue -- the UI stinks and unexpected core dumps are frequent), anything as trivial as bringing home a copy of Dumb & Dumber fell off the radar completely.

I miss the simplicity of watching a movie minutes after realizing I'd like to, and being rid of it when I'm through. Since we abandoned the brick-and-mortar video store, that scenario has eluded us.

So, we bought TiVos and discovered that time-shifted TV is a gift from The Greater Powers Of The Universe themselves (obviously, they're also too busy to watch TV). Now we can spend 30 scream-free minutes a day watching Super Nanny and feel better about our own performance as parents.

Then Amazon introduced Unboxed, which lets you select a move from Amazon's website and 15 minutes later it's sent to your TiVo. You've got it for 30 days or 24 hours after you initially click "Play."

Unboxed requires a broadband connection and a Series 2 or Series 3 TiVo. Rented movies cannot be transfered to a portable device or a Mac, which is fine, because we aren't going to huddle around the iPhone for a viewing of The Sixth Sense. While Unboxed is convenient and inexpensive (most rentals are around $3US), it requires careful planning.

Series 3 TiVo boxes support Progressive Download, which means you can begin to watch a movie 10 minutes into the upload. We've got Series 2 boxes, so we must wait until the download is complete ... which typically takes an hour. We've got to ensure the movie is ready when we are (you parents know how well "toddlers" and "planning" co-exist).

We tried Netflix but that didn't work out either. I felt we were throwing money away when we'd go a month or two without renting anything. There was also lots of management involved. I downloaded Netflix Freak and spent much time re-arranging my queue. I had a stack of CDs and envelopes; some of which had to go to the post office (a 25 minute drive for me), some of which had already been viewed.

Plus, if I think, "I'd like to see [Movie X] right now," I've got to add it to my queue and wait a couple of days. The digital equivalent of a spur-of-the-moment run to Hollywood Video is gone. Can't anyone make this work for me?

Apple might have the answer. Renting a movie from iTunes is simple; just click the "Rent Movie" button and your download begins. iTunes adds a "Rented Movie" item to the source list in iTunes and that's where your movie lives.

You can start playing it just a few minutes after the download has begun (which generally takes less than an hour); once you start, a dialog box pops up warning you that your 24 hour countdown is about to begin.

Moving a movie to a portable device is easy. With your iPod (or iPhone) connected, click the Movies tab and you'll find two columns. The left column lists your rented movies and a clicking a Move button transfers your movie to your iPod.

What's interesting is that it doesn't copy the movie, but transfers it. When the synchronization is complete, you'll notice that it has disappeared from iTunes. So, you can't have a copy on your iPod and a copy on your Mac at the same time. Finally, you need to have an active internet connection to make the transfer.

I wanted to see if I could move a movie from one Mac authorized to use my iTunes account to another. I dragged it into my iPod in disk mode then uploaded it to my iMac's iTunes library, which created the Rented Movies icon in the source list right away.

However, it would not play. Even the Quick Look preview was a grey square. It looks like movies rented from iTunes are married to the specific machine used to download them.

The transfer from Mac to iPod (and iPhone) was super simple. Each device picks up where the other left off, and skipping from chapter to chapter is great.

Apple has the convenience bit down. I can begin watching a movie in less time that it would take me to travel to and from the video store. No more hour-long waits with the TiVo. When I'm done, there's no return trip and no envelope to take to the post office. It just disappears.

There's less planning, too. Sure, I've started the countdown once I hit the play button, but I've got 30 days to find 90 consecutive minutes to watch my movie (give or take).

The only drawback then, for me, is the act of watching. We don't have an Apple TV, and sitting in front of the MacBook Pro or the iMac doesn't have the same "restful-evening-away-from-the-kids" effect as the combination of TV, couch, and a pile of junk food. That's what I'm after. All of this iPod and iPhone transfer is just a bonus.

I think Apple has finally found the right formula here. Using the Apple TV to quickly rent a movie, present it to me on the TV in my living room, and then essentially return it for me is exactly what I want. I was shocked to hear Steve essentially admit failure during this week's keynote regarding Apple TV 1.0. I'm certain time will demonstrate that Apple has now got it right.