Technology Lesson: Renting on iTunes

In addition to purchasing music, movies, and TV shows, iTunes allows users to "rent" some (not all) television programs and films. The standard rental price for tv shows is $0.99, and $2.99–$3.99 for movies (add $1 for HD). You have 24 hours for movies to watch a program and 48 hours to watch a film after you start it, and 30 days after your initial download for each. Both "disappear" from your hard rive when they expire.

I couldn't drag my episodes of Bones to my iPod, but Apple says you can:

iTunes transfers the movies you rent from the iTunes Store to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, so you can watch on the go. The device remembers where you stopped watching on your computer and picks up where you left off. You can also visit the iTunes Store on your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, and buy and download movies over a Wi-Fi network.

Keep in mind that if you are using a shuffle or iPod without a display, you won't be able to watch your movies and programs.

When you have a rental, you'll access your media in the RENTALS section of your library:

The area will turn RED when media is ready to expire:

You won't find the material with MOVIES or TV SHOWS. The material will be listed with a description of the program or movie and how long you have to watch the media:

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The duration will change if you double-click it:

And will look like this as your near the expiration date:

When it's time to watch your show or movie, Apple will ask you to confirm your decision and provide a reminder that you have 24 (for movies) or 48 hours (for television) to watch your material:

When your media does expire, your notification will look like this:

I thought this was a great option for long bus rides. (You'll need Internet to download the media, but not to watch it, so plan accordingly.) Enjoy!

Additional Resources:
Renting Movies, Apple/iTunes
Renting TV, Apple/iTunes