You can rent or purchase movies in 4K from iTunes, but you cannot download them locally to your devices like with 1080p (HD) and standard definition (SD) content offered on the store.
BOTTOM LINE:new 4K purchases and previous HD purchases upgraded to 4K are always available to you for streaming in SD/HD/4K, but you’re able to download them locally only in SD/HD.
Accordingto Apple’s support document, you can download a local copy of an HD or SD movie from iTunes to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC just like you’ve always been able to (Apple TV caches a movie when you start watching, depending on available storage).
You cannot, however, download a 4K version of the movie onto your Apple ID-authorized devices. This puts a new definition on “renting” and “purchasing” so here’s a quick cheat sheet:
I doubt this new policy indicates a licensing issue.
More likely, Hollywood majors are afraid that someone might beat FairPlay encryption so they’ve probably imposed this limitation upon Apple (FairPlay technology limits playback to iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC devices authorized with the same Apple ID account you’ve used to purchase content from iTunes).
This isn’t such a big deal as it sounds because a) you’re getting 4K versions of iTunes movies at no additional charge if you already own them in HD; and b) the latest flicks on iTunes cost $20 a pop regardless of the resolution versus $30 or $40 that many other streaming services charge for 4K content.
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The very fact that Apple is upgrading our previously purchased HD movies to 4K, where available,completely free of charge, is unheard of in the streaming industry.
