For months, iCloud users have been able to re-download their purchased apps, music, and videos—in other words, everything but movies—from iTunes. With the launch of the newly 1080p-capable Apple TV, though, movies are finally getting the iCloud treatment they deserve.
Starting now, you can find the movies you’ve previously purchased from iTunes—well, most of them, anyway—sitting on the Purchased page in the iTunes Store.
You can stream your movies over the new-and-improved Apple TV, too.
Just launch iTunes, sign in with your Apple ID, then click the “Purchased” link in the left column of the main iTunes Store page.
Next, click the Movies button at the top of the page, and presto—you’ll see most of the movies you’ve purchased from iTunes in the past.
To start downloading, click the appropriate iCloud icon.
You can also re-download your purchased movies from your iPhone or iPad. Just launch the iTunes app, tap the Purchased tab at the bottom of the screen, then browse to Movies.
Last but not least, you’ll also be able to stream your purchased movies from the new and improved Apple TV—which, by the way, is getting a revamped, more iPhone-like interface, plus the ability to stream 1080p-quality video (versus 720p for the previous-generation Apple TV).
Now, what’s all this about only “some” of your purchased iTunes movies being available to re-download?
Well, turns out that not all of the big movie studios have agreed to Apple’s terms for re-downloading their films, with All Things Digital reporting that 20th Century Fox and Universal have yet to sign on due to prior pay-TV deals. When and if the two hold-outs join the iCloud party remains to be seen.