iTunes extras finally on Apple TV

[Dunk the Lunk]

Originally Posted by Zu Nim

I'll tell you the reason: accounting. It's the same reason gift cards (used to) expire. Each code is technically a liability, and you have to keep track of that liability until you don't. So firms put expiration dates so that they can eventually stop keeping track of that liability. And really, if a person hasn't redeemed a code a decade after purchase, what's the likelihood they will? Why should that continue to be an ongoing liability on their books?

Originally Posted by Rik1138

Nah, that's just bad data management. It costs nothing to keep a list of codes on a server (especially on an existing server that will _always_ have codes on it for some title or another... I know the server itself costs money to run). As with the Movie Cash example someone else used, gift cards are an actual expense. When I use a gift card, they have to pay out the money, so they have to keep track of it.

I've already _paid_ for the digital copy, there's no liability there, they just have to NOT remove the code from their server. (Hell, it probably costs them more to pay someone to manage the codes than if they just left them alone until they got used...) And not being able to give you straight answer of when (or even IF) the codes will expire just doesn't make sense... Either you have an end date, or you don't...

Although I don't think its ever been publicised I think we can safely guarantee that Apple will be taking a 30% cut of any digital copy code redeemed on iTunes (like they do with everything else). Otherwise Apple might as well be giving the movie away. This is why there is an accounting issue and a time limit.