Apple deleted films from my AppleTV and now forces to watch them through Disney+ | Hacker News Reader

Apple deleted films from my AppleTV and now forces to watch them through Disney+

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32 pointsdecrypt14 comments

This is definitely bad if true, but the source for this is just a tweet with a hundred likes and no proof/screenshots or corroboration from anyone else. Not sure this is worth posting to HN until there's some actual indication this happened — frankly this seems like such an obvious PR disaster for Apple, I have a hard time believing it.

Yeah I would look for confirmation or sources before I start sharing this.

OP here: I have screenshots both of my purchase history and my current library. DM my twitter account and i'll send them to you.

Also as an update, the Disney+ thing seems to be incidental. When I open my account on a machine that doesn't have Disney+ installed it just asks me to re-buy them. Super strange.

There needs to serious discussion about legislating the use of the words "buy" and "purchase" with regard to digital media and anything else where byzantine terms of services, 40 pages deep and in fine print explain that you're not really buying the item, you're just buying a license to look at it which can be revoked at any time for whatever reason.

Why do we tolerate this simply because these are digital goods? Hypothetically would we accept Apple pulling this stunt with a macbook, or your ipad? Coming into your house at night and taking it away because their terms of service say they can?

It seems naive to think that clicking “buy” for any digital good which you have to stream from somewhere is akin to owning it. Is the owning platform expected to maintain a server for you to stream the item until you’re dead, until you pass it on to your children? You clearly don’t own it like you own a DVD, it seems like a mismatch of expectations.

No, if anything is naive, it is being allowed to "Sell" for "Purchase" that arrangement, but divest culpability for breach of contract in legalese.

Don't change the way of life represented by the word to make your business model assumptions fit. Thank you very much.

That is indeed naive thinking (hence personally I buy physical for anything I don't consider disposable).

Or rather, it would be naive if they didn't say "Buy" on the button.

If they promise an actual sale then, yes, they should be obliged to provide it forever. It's not our problem they promise what they cannot deliver. If they can't/won't then they shouldn't be claiming it is a sale as it's a rental.

In other words the issue isn't user naivety it's platform deceit.

I own the first 6 Star Wars films on Apple TV. They’re still there.

Same. My guess is that if you search in the TV app, you get the streaming version. If you go to your purchase/Library, you get the VOD version you paid for.

OP here: I have screenshots both of my purchase history and my current library. DM my twitter account and i'll send them to you.

It's the Disney produced star wars films that moved (Rogue One, etc.)

Are you using the Apple TV app? It tries to “take over”.

They work on my phone and TV.

I do not have Disney+. Maybe that is a problem for some people?

Well you are I'm their walled garden

Thoughts not much proof was provided

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