As rumored and speculated, Apple has pulled the trigger on iTunes movie rentals for Macs/PCs, iPods, iPhones, and Apple TV (see second paragraph). 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony are the larger studios in their stable. Typical digital rental terms: Begin watching within 30 days of download, 24 hours to complete once started. (I think most of us would prefer 30-36 hours to cover consecutive evenings.) Streaming playback begins within 30 seconds, meaning these won’t be high definition. New movies run $3.99 a pop, while “library” titles will be $2.99/ea.
Apple TV will now support direct ordering and movie rentals with TWO download options. DVD quality OR HD with 5.1 audio – for $1 more per rental. Additionally, Apple TV will sport a refreshed interface and has dropped in price to just $229.