Movie Rentals / Purchased TV Shows no longer play on iTunes

Playing movie rentals and purchased TV shows have been working just fine on iTunes until a few days ago when I attempted to watch a movie rental, a pop-up warning came on and I pressed OK too quickly to fully read it. It said something about being incompatible. Unfortunately, since the error, I'm unable to watch the movie or any of the purchased TV shows on my MacBook Pro. All I get is a black screen with nothing happening after repeatedly pressing the Play button. I've tried to delete and re-download the TV shows, and iTunes Support has had me delete the movie and TV shows and re-download them. Still getting the black screen. Can anyone help??

The lack of a purchase date, although I am not quite sure why it happens, does not in itself prevent the track from being authorized and played. However, since the account name is correct and they have disappeared from your purchase history, something may have been corrupted.
Unless someone here has a better idea, you should take it up with iTunes Customer Service.

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ITunes HD movie rentals/purchases don't play in QuickTime player

I am trying to play HD movie rentals/purchases in QuickTime player. Although I can play them without problems in iTunes, opening the movie file in QuickTime player only gives me a grey screen and no sound. The "grey screen" issue occurs several times in the community, but for my case I haven't found any solution so far. I am using Windows 7 (64-bit), and I have all the latest versions of iTunes and QuickTime Player (free version) installed. I appreciate any suggestions for help.

SteveEli wrote:
i can open the files in VLC, and when i spress the space bar, the preview window plays the file. It also plays the file when i click on it once, then press the play button on the file itself.
that tells me, the needed codecs are already on the system.
m4v is a container format for iTunes and contains mostly two streams. One video H264, one sound mp4
Check handbrake for its sound settings.
Try to rename the movie into kids playing.mp4 and check if Quicktime will open it.
Quicktime is a crap.
By the way...
What OS X ?
What version of Quicktime?
Generally ... if VLC, iTunes, FrontRow is available and plays the movies, why want to play it in Quicktime?

Some of my older itunes tv shows no longer play sound?

I recently reformatted, installed my operating system and files and have noticed that some of my previously purchased itunes tv shows no longer play the sound, i tried redownloading one or two and those have no sound either which leads me to believe it's a problem with my machine somewhere.
Now, I did lose power today for about 5 mins and noticed this problem *AFTER* the power came back on, but every thing else about my mac seems fine, any thoughts?
Norm

Hi I have an apple tv 2. I don't recall the last time I updated, but I was always advised against it. I was turning on apple tv but had tv on wrong output and I guess I accidently hit update. It says not to unplug or turn off, so I went ahead and let it update. I have a collection of old movies that I owned before RedBox came out, so I downloaded them to my itunes library. Now a lot of my newer movies will not show up on my playlists. Movies that were there before. Anyone know what happened, but better yet, please tell me there is a way to undue this new update? PLEASE!
I know it's not the internet connection, because I can go to my computer and airplay it to the apple tv with no problem. But this will be such a pain.

Movies no longer play in iTunes or ATV

I installed the software update for iTunes 11.1.5.5 and now movies (m4v from Handbrake) stored on my PC no longer play in iTunes or Apple TV. These have been playing fine for years, so I'm guessing that 11.1.5.5 has something in it that suddenly doesn't like this format anymore. I can still see my whole library in ATV, covers and all, but when I hit play, I just get the spinning icon. In iTunes, it's just a black screen with the timer staying at zero. Music still plays fine on both devices. I'm frustrated at myself to no end for installing the update. As well, I cannot fine a single complaint of this same issue. I'm hoping that might be because there's a simple fix (long shot I know). Anyone else having issues? Any ideas? Please remember that this file format has been playing without issue for years, so please don't suggest that I change the format unless you know for sure that is a new concern with playback. Thank you.

Well, in case anyone is reading this and willing to offer ideas, I did uninstall iTunes 11.1.5.5 and re-installed the last full version I had saved 11.1.1.11 (not really sure of the last version I was on before everything stopped working). Nothing was lost during the re-install (all libraries, playlists and such are still as they were....I was expecting this not to be the case). However, this process didn't change the video playback problem. I'm at a loss of what this could be. I went through the audio issues mentioned on another thread and did the recommendations, with no change. I did manage to find a few videos that still do play. The only difference I could see is that they are listed as "low complexity" and in stereo. I suppose it probably is an audio thing, though I have no idea why it's an issue now, when it never has been in the past. Please help. Thank you.

HT1657 my movie rental downloaded but it will not play. I rented a movie yesterday so I know that my laptop is capable. I can see images of each chapter but the movie won't play. Any idea?

my movie rental downloaded but it will not play. I rented a movie yesterday so I know that my laptop is capable. I can see images of each chapter but the movie won't play. Any idea?

Hi there kirk279,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
Troubleshooting iTunes for Windows Vista or Windows 7 video playback performance issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1718
-Griff W.

Tv shows show up and play in itunes but only one episode makes it to ipod?

My itunes purchased tv shows show up and play in itunes. As far as my ipod, only one episode will show up under tv shows. The other episodes don't show up under movies either. Can someone please help me? Strange that 1 of the episodes will show up on ipod but no others. They were all purchased on itunes.

Check your sync preferences.
There are now options to sync only watched / unwatched episodes, for example, which may be causing this.
Connect the iPod.
Wait for iTunes to recognize it.
Click on the name of the iPod.
You'll see your Summary page open up in front of you.
Click on the tab for TV shows and set it how you want.
Do this for all of the other tabs concerning file types you want on your iPod.
Then, click the Apply button (lower right-hand corner)
iTunes should now update your iPod preferences, and also the files on the iPod.
CG

I have a 5th gen ipod and recently all of my video podcasts stopped showing up in my ipod. They still show up and play in itunes, just not in my video podcast list on my ipod. All of the podcasts are Quicktime Large.

I have a 5th gen ipod and recently all of my video podcasts stopped showing up in my ipod. They still show up and play in itunes, just not in my video podcast list on my ipod. All of the podcasts are Quicktime Large. For some reason my ipod has stopped supporting Quicktime Large. Now I've had to redownload every video podcast as Quicktime Small.
Anyone have any ideas whether this is from the the software version 1.3 and if they'll fix it in the next update?

I'm having same problem, but QT Small videos are also not getting synced.

Transferring movie rentals/purchases to other devices

I just downloaded my first movie rental to my iMac. I think I can transfer it to my Macbook, iPod, iPhone, etc. And I believe it can only reside on one device at a time. I just can't figure out how to transfer it. Is it possible? Thanks, and would this apply to rentals as well as purchases? Thanks!

this has worked for some rentals:
connect your device to your computer.
In iTunes, select your device (below Devices):
Click the Movies or TV Shows tab, depending upon the item you rented.
Select the rented item.
Click Move.After you transfer a rental, it’s removed from your iTunes library.
Some movies and TV episodes in the iTunes Store are available for rental in HD-quality format. HD rentals can only be transferred from your computer to iOS devices capable of viewing HD content. If you rent an HD movie with an Apple TV, you can’t transfer it to another computer or device.
A rented item expires 30 days after you rent it or 24 hours after you begin playing it, whichever comes first. Expired rentals are deleted automatically.
Note: These terms apply to U.S. rentals. Rental terms vary among countries.

Cannot download movie rental on iPad shows MVAP controller error domain error 3

Rented movie (Pearl Jam Twenty) shows up in "my rentals" ....in the Video App on my iPad, but when I click play it displays this: MVAP Controller Domain Error Error 3 .....???
how do I fix this?

Hello Trevor,
Thank you for the details of the issue you are experiencing with your movie rental. You have taken some really great steps to troubleshoot the issue. I recommend following the steps in the following article to report this to the iTunes Store:
To report an issue with your iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBookstore purchase, follow these steps:
Find the email receipt for your purchase.
Click Report a Problem under the app that is having the issue.
When prompted, enter the Apple ID and password you used to purchase the item, then click Report a Problem.
Click Report a Problem next to the item you are having an issue with.
From the Choose Problem dropdown menu, choose the appropriate issue.
Follow the onscreen instructions and—if prompted—type a description of the problem into the text field.
Click Submit to have your issue reviewed.
You can find the full article here:
How to report an issue with your iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, or iBookstore purchase
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1933
Thank you for posting in the Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

Here is a crazy problem. My home movie will no longer play in iTunes.

I created a home movie using Final Cut Pro X. I shared it to ITunes. The video played ok. I then changed the name of the video under the "get info" tab in iTunes, and the thumbnail view of the video changed from the first frame of the movie to a picture of a film reel and the movie will no longer play. I tried changing the name back to the original, shutting down iTunes and the computer itself, copying the movie, all to no avail. I also tried accessing the movie from the finder, and it would not open using QuickTime or VLC. Any ideas?

The lack of a purchase date, although I am not quite sure why it happens, does not in itself prevent the track from being authorized and played. However, since the account name is correct and they have disappeared from your purchase history, something may have been corrupted.
Unless someone here has a better idea, you should take it up with iTunes Customer Service.

HT204370 Existing movie will no longer play on iTunes

I have on my iMac a movie (protected MPEG-4 video file, purchased from the iTunes Store in 2008) which was a present to me. The email address (hence Apple ID) of its original buyer is no longer active, and its companion password is unknown.
When I try to play this movie, I get the message that my computer is not authorized to play this movie, asking me to authorize it. It provides the Apple ID at the time this movie was purchased (“xxxxxxx”@hotmail.com) and asks for a password. Attempts to authorize by entering a likely password has no success. Attempts by entering my own current Apple ID and password bring up the message “this computer is already authorized” along with a black window. Clicking on this window brings up the usual play/stop/volume control bar at its bottom, indicating 0:00 status of play, with the double bar option (for stopping the play) offered, but the movie is not playing. Clicking on the double right triangle has no effect. Clicking on the single right triangle brings up the next movie in my collection.
I was able to play this movie a couple of OS upgrades back, but no longer with my OS 10.9.1. How can I access my movie now?

You will need to authorise the account that it's linked to. Was the film gifted to you (in which case you should be able to get your password for the account reset : http://iforgot.apple.com), or did somebody else use their account to buy and download it ?

My movie rental doesn't show available, how can I retrieve it?

I was watching a movie rental on my Apple TV and there was a power outage. When the electricity returned my rental was no longer showing available. When I tried going to "Check for Rentals" in the iTunes settings on my Apple TV, it never actually brings it back.
How do I get access to the movie? I'm probably not going to find out prior to the 24 hours expiring, so, how do I go about getting a refund?

Welcome to the Apple community.
A number of people have reported similar issues recently, many appear to have found a discrepancy of some kind in their account settings and making changes to these settings or simply resetting them has resolved the matter.
Check your account details are correct, check that you are using the correct details for Location, Region and Time Zone. You may want to change these settings and then change them back to see if that helps.
You might also try logging out of and then back into your iTunes account (Settings > iTunes Store > Apple ID’s > Sign Out) and restarting your router. (Some have reported that after doing this, they need to check for rentals even though it may report that there aren’t any, after which rentals once again appear in the ‘movies’ feature)
Rentals should appear under their own heading in the ‘Movies’ feature, you might also check at Settings > iTunes Store > Check For Rentals.

Itunes purchased tv show will not play on atv

I recently purchased my ATV and have synced my itunes. I downloaded season 5 of "The Shield" from the itunes store. The shows play on my computer and show up under "My TV Shows" but no picture. There is a bar at the bottom of the black screen showing run time and a gear turning. Sometimes it shows the run time count going forward but, other times it stays at zero. I also intermittently get a message that says "There are no tv shows on your apple tv" or if the show is there it will say something like "cannot play..format not recognized". I am very frustrated and ready to send this thing back.
Any help would be welcome - while I still have hair

(1) Like you I can stream video content acquired outside of iTunes to my Apple TV, but I can't appear to play any video purchased on iTunes. On the other hand, music I've purchased plays fine and since my music collection no longer includes protected files I'm of the opinion that this is most likely a DRM issue.
I don't know whether this issue appeared after iTunes 10.5 or the Apple TV 4.4.2 update.
It is of some importance to me that Apple resolves this quickly.
(2) I am not experiencing any issues with the bottom right hand output selection. Have you tried disconnecting from your network, starting something and then reconnecting to see if that resolves the issue?

NONE of my purchased TV Shows and Videos play anymore!

All of my purchased TV Shows and Videos that used to be fine no longer play... They come up as gray with no sound. Any ideas?

HI, I have the same problem, so you said you will need to update your quicktime...I have the most recent versions of iTunes and Quicktime, and have tried everything. Here is another post I made about this:
"Hi, this exact same thing has happened to me. However, I have updated EVERYTHING, i have the most recent version of iTunes and Quicktime. When i try to play a purchased video, even one i just bought last night, it says I am not authorized to play this, so then it tries to contact iTunes to let me authorize it, but it doesnt, a window pops up and says..."could not contact iTunes, you must download at least iTunes version 4.0 to authorize and play this video." this happens with any purchased video i try to play. The gray screen with no sound or video. Please help! I have tried deauthorizing and reauthorizing. Same problem still. An Apple Consultant friend of mine told me to delete the two iTunes plist files in my library and restart, and I did that but it still has the same problem! Please help! here or my email is:
[email protected]
thanks."
Please help!

All my downloaded(digital copy) movies will no longer play in itunes, i get a black screen, and no sound, but the time keeps going. how can i fix this?

All my downloaded (digital copies from dvds) won't play in itunes. I get a black screen and no sound, but the time keeps moving. How do i fix this?

Hi 22chill,
I recommend that we delete and re-download the movie from your purchase history:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
Thanks,
Matt M.

Movie Rentals / Purchased TV Shows no longer play on iTunes

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