OK, so I get that the AppleTV will not politely download a 4K movie in the background so you can be nice and ready to watch a glitch-free movie - but WHY? - what possible rationale for this?

AppleTV works fine - except for the obvious - movies can glitch on ya - at the most annoying times .... my workaround has always been to get a movie going (hopefully well ahead of wanting actually watch it) and then, as it starts, pressing pause and get the buffer loaded as much as I can bare to wait ....

Well, ok - but with a nice new 64GB model, the most obvious feature would be to allow an ahead download.

Don't tell me it doesn't do this - I'm well aware of that - my questions is WHY?

Because most people have fast enough service to stream 4K movies with out issue.
It sounds like you need better internet service.

I get your point, although as Roy said most people are using fast internet provides. The storage is more for apps and people downloading games. It's not a device I want to have to worry about managing storage on and going through and deleting movies etc.

Roy, I get ya - but internet can still be a bitch at times, and it would be so easy to provide a 'download and then watch' functionality.

hg-wells, deleting a movie would not be an issue - after you get to the end, the system could easily set it to delete.

My issue is that Apple totally has the technology to provide a glitch-free movie experience, regardless of internet power - but doesn't do that ... for people that can easily watch and stream 4k, fine, you don't even see the issue - but it's a totally valid gripe - I can, indeed, stream movies fine, and then, all of a sudden, peak-time Sunday night - oh, there we go, spinny wheel, and movie ruined!

My question is WHY?

Could it be a limitation imposed by the studios, considering that Apple forced them to provide 4K content at the same price (and all HD was upgraded for free)?
Those media licensing terms are not trivial, I understand.
That was also the reason why iTunes started out with DRM and AirTunes with encryption.
How many years were needed to get rid of DRM in iTunes music shop?

As mentioned, the studios e.g. Disney kept 4k off everywhere until they launched their service and only recently did they let 4k through the iTunes shop. But 4k needs a good pipe to the home, hard wire it as well where possible. Also capacity, 4k is hungry for space. HD was around 5 or 6mb/s if memory serves and 4k often north of 20.

I have been fortunate with my ISP connections and never hit a glitch and minimum has been 70mb/s available.
I suspect for the good experience somewhere north of 40mb/s would be a good starter (one UK ISP will not sell you its 4k service if it is below 44mb/s for good reason). Some of the bit rates Apple uses are a bit hefty but it is good.

There is (was?) a dedicated streaming service that will allow this (all legit), forget the name but think you need a dedicated box to download and not sure the library of licensed films but I think it downloaded the day before or something.

Download it on your mobile device and then Airplay it.

jtrenthacker said:

Download it on your mobile device and then Airplay it.

With my iPad Air 2020 Airplay results in a pillar boxed screen. Since 16x9 is already letter boxed on the iPad, that results in a pillar boxed and letter boxed image on the TV screen. Hardly a solution. Thankfully I have fast and stable internet and don't have the stuttering issues.

I've been asking for this for years. Once I saw the Netflix and Amazon apps on the iPhone/iPad start allowing you to download some content to them I really started hoping Apple would allow their AppleTV Apps to do the same, but still no luck.

I would be perfectly happy if we had the same caveats that we have on the iPad/iPhone. Limit it to 1080p, don't allow all content if some studios don't want to cooperate, enforce 48 hour viewing windows once started etc. I would just like to be able to download movies/shows directly to the storage on my AppleTV and take it with me to my hunting cabin where we have no internet/cellular service. For now I'm just stuck hauling a Blu-Ray/DVD player and discs with me each year like I have been doing for the last 20 years or so.

Beerstalker said:

I've been asking for this for years. Once I saw the Netflix and Amazon apps on the iPhone/iPad start allowing you to download some content to them I really started hoping Apple would allow their AppleTV Apps to do the same, but still no luck.

I would be perfectly happy if we had the same caveats that we have on the iPad/iPhone. Limit it to 1080p, don't allow all content if some studios don't want to cooperate, enforce 48 hour viewing windows once started etc. I would just like to be able to download movies/shows directly to the storage on my AppleTV and take it with me to my hunting cabin where we have no internet/cellular service. For now I'm just stuck hauling a Blu-Ray/DVD player and discs with me each year like I have been doing for the last 20 years or so.

Click to expand...

Beerstalker - thank you - you have proved I'm not just going crazy!!

I guess I can understand it's something to do with the Studios (although wouldn't they also like everyone to have a glitch-free movie experience?) - my only other (conspiracy) theory was that Apple was somehow in league with Comcast or something to keep pushing high-end internet service - anyway, whatever - I guess I'll just have to stick with my "switch on the movie and then pause at 2pm for anticipated 7pm viewing" technique - I'm sure Steve Jobs would be proud of me!

Because the studios won’t allow 4K downloads, only HD & SD.
Which is why if you disable Quick Start the ATV will buffer for that glitch free experience, but you’ll only get HD.

Roy Hobbs said:

Because most people have fast enough service to stream 4K movies with out issue.
It sounds like you need better internet service.

You ought to come over to the UK……..

page3 said:

You ought to come over to the UK……..

I’m in the UK and have no issue where I am, used to when I had to put up with a BT line but now with Virgin.

bass_sequencer said:

OK, so I get that the AppleTV will not politely download a 4K movie in the background so you can be nice and ready to watch a glitch-free movie - but WHY? - what possible rationale for this?

AppleTV works fine - except for the obvious - movies can glitch on ya - at the most annoying times .... my workaround has always been to get a movie going (hopefully well ahead of wanting actually watch it) and then, as it starts, pressing pause and get the buffer loaded as much as I can bare to wait ....

Well, ok - but with a nice new 64GB model, the most obvious feature would be to allow an ahead download.

Don't tell me it doesn't do this - I'm well aware of that - my questions is WHY?

Click to expand...

I really haven't had issues with movies playing on 4K, even when I had slower service, I have the 1GB now. Even the iphone/ipad doesnt download in 4K as far as I am aware, it does 1080p.

page3 said:

You ought to come over to the UK……..

I appreciate its a lottery in the UK but really we should have no problems considering the size compared to the US.

It has not been joined up enough to get the fast lines in (capability has been here for at least a decade). Government should have set high goals a decade or more ago and told the telcos and ISP to play nice or else.

I think the only reason we are getting BT fibre to the home in my area is cos Virgin stuffed some glass down the streets. But Openreach (well, BT or whoever) I think their network will be used by any provider not solely BT. Meaning I should see some good deals very soon as they all play catch the customer.

I hope.

Juts wish the not spots would get fibred up. Any farmer that got "get orff moi larrnd" remains on dial up.

bass_sequencer said:

OK, so I get that the AppleTV will not politely download a 4K movie in the background so you can be nice and ready to watch a glitch-free movie - but WHY? - what possible rationale for this?

AppleTV works fine - except for the obvious - movies can glitch on ya - at the most annoying times .... my workaround has always been to get a movie going (hopefully well ahead of wanting actually watch it) and then, as it starts, pressing pause and get the buffer loaded as much as I can bare to wait ....

Well, ok - but with a nice new 64GB model, the most obvious feature would be to allow an ahead download.

Don't tell me it doesn't do this - I'm well aware of that - my questions is WHY?

Click to expand...

While it probably has to do with licensing, the benefits would be tremendous. Imagine if it downloaded an uncompressed movie enabling a perfect match to a Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray? Maybe they can work something out where the device only downloads one movie at a time. Kind of defeats the whole streaming idea, but it could be a toggle button for a given film to download the uncompressed version. Someone would probably hack the damn thing though and find a way to transfer it off the device and ruin it for the rest of us.

256 GB of storage would probably be required. 128 could do it, but wouldn’t leave room for much else.

My internet is usually trouble free, but sometimes Comcast gets funky and the speeds drop. Downloading a movie, especially purchased content and storing it locally on the Apple TV seems like a no brainer, especially since purchased content can be saved on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.

Thought it was to combat piracy - if it can be downloaded, it can be ripped.

McScooby said:

Thought it was to combat piracy - if it can be downloaded, it can be ripped.

I believe that indeed is one of the reasons, not entirely convinced that actually prevents anything mind.
Just look at HBO Max, within a few hours their cinema releases are already available online for download via those sites where you get such things.
The latest Matrix movie is one example, within the first day of release I was being handed a USB stick with the movie in 4KDV with Atmos.