I can not watch a rented movie with iTunes

Question

I found the movie in the store (The Emperor (1080p HD)) and rented it thhrough my mini's (a 2.3 Ghz i5 w/ 16Gb Ram running Mac OS 10.8.4) iTunes app (version 11.0.5). I waited for the movie to download completely. I selected the "Rented" tab from my "Movies" Library and clicked on the movie icon (it had a strange appearance which was a generic light grey box with a fim frame in the middle). iTunes responded with: "This movie requires Quicktime, which is not supported by this version of iTunes.). I admit I was dumbfounded for a moment since I associate Quicktime with Apple media more closely than iTunes. I went to the file via Finder, and looked at the extension: m4v and tried to open it with Quicktime. Quicktime responded: "This application cannot be used to play "Emperor (1080p HD).m4v" In order to play this content, please open it with iTunes."
OK, I mumbled, I've seen nonsense like this before and it could be permissions based. My iTunes Library is on an external network drive because of its size. I'll copy the file to the local volume and see what happens. A few minutes later, the copy was complete. I added the file to my Library in iTunes, and this time the movie's icon image was correct. I launched to film. It opened and audio can be heard, but the video is absent. In its place is a field of alternating grey and white squares. I can watch any other video file at 1080p. The mini is connected via HDMI to a Yamaha AV receiver which outputs video to an Epson 5010 projector. Screenshots of the iTunes window appear the same when opened in Preview. I've changed the screen resolution from 1080p to 720 and 1080i and get the same result.
This evening's experiment is over since the rental ends in 24 hours now that I've -listened- to the audio.
Can anyone tell me why I had this experience and (outside of not renting another movie from iTunes) how I might successfully view an movie in the future?
Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Mikey1220,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
If you have not been able to play the rented movie, I'd recommend starting with the troubleshooting steps in this article:
Can't connect to the iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1368
Troubleshoot issues on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
If you haven't been able to connect to the iTunes Store:
Make sure your date, time, and time zone are correct in Settings > General> Date & Time.
Note: Time Zone may list another city in your time zone.
Make sure that your iOS software is up to date by tapping Settings >General > Software Update (iOS 5 or later) or connecting your iOS device to iTunes and clicking Check for Update on your device's Summary page.
Check and verify that you're in range of a Wi-Fi router or base station. If you're on a device with cellular service, make sure that cellular data is turned on from Settings > General > Cellular.
Note: If connected to cellular data, larger items may not download. You may need to connect to Wi-Fi to download apps, videos, and podcasts.
Make sure that you have an active Internet connection. You can check theuser guide for your device for help with connecting to the Internet.
Make sure that other devices (portable computers, for example) are able to connect to the Wi-Fi network and access the Internet.
Try resetting (turning off and then on again) your Wi-Fi router.
If the issue persists, try troubleshooting your Wi-Fi networks and connections.
Next, try to download the movie again using the steps in this article:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
If your rental expired before you could view the movie, or if the behavior persists, you may want to report an issue with your purchase:
How to report an issue with your iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBookstore purchase
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1933
Best Regards,
Jeremy