If you have Apple TV the SD/HD topic is dead. It's all HD

[Semp1]

As long as you have had an Apple TV since the original AppleTV3 was released all your old movies are streamed in their HD versions. I don't understand why people are still asking about SD or HD. Matter of fact this has been known and announced by apple basically since 2012. Some movies that were redeemed years ago will have the itunes extras blurred out but play in HD. Now downloading and streaming on any other device is different. It will be the format in which it was originally. HD or SD. If their is still doubt by any one just search the movie you own on Apple TV. You'll see the HD version appear. Select it and you'll see it's the version you currently can stream. Sorry if this is old news to some but I see a lot of confusion in regards to this.

[AZBrowncoat]

I have an Apple TV but I don't stream due to bandwidth issues...so the discussion is very relevant to me as I download all my iTunes to my laptop and then side load them to my HTPC to stream locally to my ATV.

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by Semp1

As long as you have had an Apple TV since the original AppleTV3 was released all your old movies are streamed in their HD versions.

If you purchased an SD film in the iTunes Store, Apple TV will only stream it in SD. It doesn't upgrade the stream to HD.

I have numerous SD titles. When I use the Search interface it shows that there is an HD version available, but that's not what is being streamed.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

If you purchased an SD film in the iTunes Store, Apple TV will only stream it in SD. It doesn't upgrade the stream to HD.

I have numerous SD titles. When I use the Search interface it shows that there is an HD version available, but that's not what is being streamed.

Last time I tried a SD version it didn't even look DVD quality imo.

[isu4me]

There may be a setting in itunes or the apple TV (I have not looked) however I can say that I did just test this. I have numerous redeemed movies in SD that I kept hidden because they were SD. After hearing this, I 'un hid' 2 of them (Star Trek and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) neither of which show HD in itunes. When I streamed them from the apple TV (3rd gen) they did stream in HD ... I even pulled up the TV info which showed it was displaying 1080P just to confirm (and picture was well above DVD). This was the case on both movies. While I have not gone out and tried every movie I 'un hid', this does appear to be the case with streaming ... at least for some.

[Greyman]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

If you purchased an SD film in the iTunes Store, Apple TV will only stream it in SD. It doesn't upgrade the stream to HD.

I have numerous SD titles. When I use the Search interface it shows that there is an HD version available, but that's not what is being streamed.

Are you saying SD purchases are different from SD code redemptions as far as streaming goes, or that you think they are both streaming in SD?

[Wasgo]

Is there any way to verify this? I presume the 1080p output is just the Apple TV scaling.

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by isu4me

I even pulled up the TV info which showed it was displaying 1080P just to confirm (and picture was well above DVD). This was the case on both movies. While I have not gone out and tried every movie I 'un hid', this does appear to be the case with streaming ... at least for some.

That's the Apple TV upscaling. It's still 480p.

To verify what my eyes told me, I started an SD movie and let it load. I just let it play and took note of how long the movie had been playing when the progress bar was finally filled (solid gray). The time taken and the maximum speed of my Internet connection made it impossible to approach the size of the HD encode size (per the iTunes Store).

The OP said this was true since Apple TV rev 3 and that isn't the case. I don't think it's the case even for some.

Originally Posted by Greyman

Are you saying SD purchases are different from SD code redemptions as far as streaming goes, or that you think they are both streaming in SD?

Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant owned, including code redemptions. If you only own an SD copy it's being streamed in SD. No magic quality upgrade.

[Semp1]

Originally Posted by Wasgo

Is there any way to verify this? I presume the 1080p output is just the Apple TV scaling.

Yes. Search a movie you own only in SD using the search feature on Apple TV the name of the movie with the HD icon next to it will show. Select it. That is the version apple streams on Apple TV. After you select it you'll see it's the version you play.

[Semp1]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

If you purchased an SD film in the iTunes Store, Apple TV will only stream it in SD. It doesn't upgrade the stream to HD.

I have numerous SD titles. When I use the Search interface it shows that there is an HD version available, but that's not what is being streamed.

Incorrect. Apple announced when they released the Apple tv3 all current digital copies that were owned would stream for free in 1080p to all as a free sort of upgrade. It's very obvious an upgrade. Watch a movie on an iPad for example you own. It streams in sd on the iPad and on Apple TV it's very clearly streaming in HD. Btw all ultra violet digital copies of the same movies are HDX. So yes they are all HD on Apple TV too. Like I said just search the movie. Lastly. Stuff I own in standard definition say it. Just like the movies I own in HD say it. The monies that were SD digital copies that get the free upgrade only on Apple TV say nothng. Neither HD or Standard definition.

[Semp1]

Just to clarify. The only upgrade applies solely to Apple TV. It does not stream on any other device in HD.

[Wasgo]

Originally Posted by Semp1

Incorrect. Apple announced when they released the Apple tv3 all current digital copies that were owned would stream for free in 1080p to all as a free sort of upgrade. It's very obvious an upgrade. Watch a movie on an iPad for example you own. It streams in sd on the iPad and on Apple TV it's very clearly streaming in HD. Btw all ultra violet digital copies of the same movies are HDX. So yes they are all HD on Apple TV too. Like I said just search the movie. Lastly. Stuff I own in standard definition say it. Just like the movies I own in HD say it. The monies that were SD digital copies that get the free upgrade only on Apple TV say nothng. Neither HD or Standard definition.

Apple announced that all 720p copies would stream in 1080p. No free upgrades for the SD stuff.

[youngtiffani]

Hey Semp, I'll give this a try on my iPad tonight with the Rise of the Planet of the Apes digital copy. Most certainly it was redeemed SD - we'll see if my ATV3 streams it in HD now. Never paid too much attention before.

[Semp1]

When Apple switched over to cloud based movie storage they streamed only HD copies of digital copies. It was a way to promote the "new" 1080p feature the Apple tv 3 had.

[Semp1]

Originally Posted by youngtiffani

Hey Semp, I'll give this a try on my iPad tonight with the Rise of the Planet of the Apes digital copy. Most certainly it was redeemed SD - we'll see if my ATV3 streams it in HD now. Never paid too much attention before.

Pay close attention to the fuzziness of the opening credits on the iPad. And the clarity on your I assume much bigger TV. The best movie to notice this on is Babylon AD.

[Zu Nim]

Originally Posted by Semp1

Incorrect. Apple announced when they released the Apple tv3 all current digital copies that were owned would stream for free in 1080p to all as a free sort of upgrade. It's very obvious an upgrade. Watch a movie on an iPad for example you own. It streams in sd on the iPad and on Apple TV it's very clearly streaming in HD. Btw all ultra violet digital copies of the same movies are HDX. So yes they are all HD on Apple TV too. Like I said just search the movie. Lastly. Stuff I own in standard definition say it. Just like the movies I own in HD say it. The monies that were SD digital copies that get the free upgrade only on Apple TV say nothng. Neither HD or Standard definition.

It would be great if you found a quote - anywhere - that says that everyone with an Apple TV 3 would get free 1080p upgrades. I don't recall anything like that during the announcement, and nobody else has come forward either.

"It's very obvious" is not really a useful analysis. Even a rough approximation of the data used on one of your SD movies and how it lines up with the file sizes listed in the iTunes Store could be useful. How many people spent years watching 480p movies on their 1080p screens and thought there was a huge improvement in quality?

The fact that there are HDX transfers available has no bearing on the iTunes Store. It does not mean you will get an HD stream when you own an HD copy.

The little 'HD' symbol next to search results indicates the best quality available in the iTunes Store, not the stream quality you'll get (which depends on what you own).

The SD quality movies on my Apple TV 3 say "1080p" or "Widescreen" or "Standard def." when looking at the movie description. That is the quality you'll be streaming.

[Semp1]

It's any one with Apple TV2 and above. It was a way to push their 3 when it was released in 2012. Which is also when they started pushing cloud streaming. Listen just do what I siggested. You'll see with your own eyes. Also the digital copies in which you own that were SD do not indicate anything on Apple TV but do on other devices like the computer. If you buy it in sd it indicates that it is sd on the Apple tv. Written in Orange usually. Where as the digital copies that are HD say it on the Apple tv. I'm assuming the reason for this is because your original purchase was sd and not the HD version although the Apple TV allows the HD stream.

[Semp1]

Last example is the movie the blind side. This was given before they gave iTunes plus with HD. Also was originally an sd digital copy. Now if you have that digital copy on Apple TV it brings you to your movie menu with the iTunes plus menu greyed out. Because they give you the HD copy for free only on Apple tv. Now you know if you buy an sd copy of a movie it doesn't show anything for iTunes plus.

[Wanderer808]

I liked ritmomundo's April Fools joke better

[Wasgo]

And it's directly in contrast to what Apple claims here, which is that they still stream SD:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203422