Apple has not officially announced the availability of iTunes movie rentals in Canada.
iTunes Movie Rentals in Canada Information
No, the announcement has not been officially made, but word is that information leaked at the end of May in 2008 that Apple will soon be making iTunes movie rentals available in Canada and the UK. At the time of this writing, nothing has yet been confirmed by Apple.
Who Apple Is Talking With
In order for iTunes movie rentals in Canada to become a reality, Apple has been talking with the following movie house giants in hopes for a deal to make their films available for rental via iTunes:
- 20th Century Fox
- Disney
- Lion's Gate
- MGM
How iTunes Movie Rentals Work
Here are the ins and outs of how iTunes movie rentals work. This information will come in handy once iTunes movie rentals are made available in Canada (insiders are expecting this to happen very soon).
- You must have iTunes downloaded to your computer before you can begin downloading movies from the website - Downloading iTunes is free, fast and painless.
- Movie rental prices - Rentals start at around $3.00 for older movies and $4.00 for new releases. Movies in high definition cost $4.00 for older movies and $5.00 for new releases. Compared to places like Netflix, these prices are pretty steep.
- Once the movie is selected - The film starts downloading to iTunes and once it's finished you can begin watching the movie if you have a relatively new computer. If your computer is a bit older (in technology terms, that's what…two years?), you don't have to watch the movie right away; you have up to 30 days to begin watching it without being charged additional fees.
- Once you begin watching the movie, you must finish watching it within 24 hours.
Buying Movies on iTunes
You can also purchase movies to download to your computer and burn on disc from the iTunes store. New releases will run you about $15.00 and older titles cost around $10.00.
Current iTunes Movie Offerings
One would have to presume that the movies houses currently offering their films on iTunes in the United States would do the same for films offered in Canada. Although there is a rumor around that Disney does not plan to offer films from its Pixar Studios subsidiary in Canada, it has not been confirmed. Other offerings may include:
- 20th Century Fox
- Disney
- Paramount Studios
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Lionsgate
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Image Entertainment
- First Look Studios
iTunes Movie Download in Canada News Soon
The official announcement confirming the rumors of iTunes being offered in Canada should be coming soon. Expect the systems to be up and running for Canadian iTunes users shortly after the official announcement. Finally, like other countries (aside from the United States) where iTunes movies have been made available for download, expect a limited amount of available titles in the beginning and a few glitches in the system along the way.
