Where can you buy boxsets for iPad?

[d000hg]

I'm going to be spending a week away from my unlimited ADSL and so Netflix either won't work, or will smash my mum's bandwidth limits.

So I thought I'd get a boxset or two and put it on the iPad. I don't have any DVD sets I want to watch that I could rip, but generally buying on DVD seems cheaper than buying a copy on iTunes Store.

Are there any reputable stores which sell downloadable video in a format iTunes will understand, the way Amazon sell music in MP3? Everyone other than iTunes seems to be streaming-only.

Buying a boxset on DVD to rip seems so silly, but sometimes it's the same with music - buy a CD with free postage for £3 or a digital copy for £6!

[SimonMac]

Torrent them, stick them in iTunes (if you have OSX use iFlicks2) and sync with iPad job done

[TheFaQQer]

Torrent them, stick them in iTunes (if you have OSX use iFlicks2) and sync with iPad job done

That wouldn't be legal. Nor would ripping a DVD, though.

[d000hg]

I don't agree with torrenting. Not if I haven't paid for it at the very least... I'd rather not rip DVDs but morally don't mind; but let's not go down that discussion route in the technical forum.

[Batcher]

Do you have a Sky subscription? You can download movies and box sets and have a month to watch them.

Even BBC & ITV now have downloads with their players although I think it's 7 days you have to watch them.

[d000hg]

Aaargh, our Sky subscription just ended this week (we had a free year). Very good point about iPlayer though... I actually thought you got 30 days but it may have changed since I last used it. It rather depends if they have anything I want to watch of course

[Batcher]

I use this program to download tv shows onto my macbook which in turn puts them into itunes. I usually copy the download onto my phone for watching on the train.

Get iPlayer Automator for Mac, Get iPlayer Automator is an application for downloading programmes from the BBC.

I'm sure it can do ITV and channel 4 programmes too.

ETA: They will stay in your itunes library so you can keep them for as long as you want.

[stek]

I use this program to download tv shows onto my macbook which in turn puts them into itunes. I usually copy the download onto my phone for watching on the train.

Get iPlayer Automator for Mac, Get iPlayer Automator is an application for downloading programmes from the BBC.

I'm sure it can do ITV and channel 4 programmes too.

ETA: They will stay in your itunes library so you can keep them for as long as you want.

But it also removes the DRM.......

[d000hg]

From a little Googling it seems the answer to my initial question is that iTunes is, barring a few indies who sell DRM-free, the only way to buy TV content for an iOS device. You can obviously rip content from any source - regardless if you own it - to a DRM-free format iTunes/iOS will work with, but that's a separate discussion.

Personally speaking this means I either buy on iTunes, or buy a DVD and muck about with HandBrake and MakeMKV. Which is a bit of a PITA and to save a few quid perhaps not worth it, for something I just want to watch once. For something I want to rewatch it's a harder choice, because I assume iTunes video files won't play on non-Apple devices.

[Batcher]

But it also removes the DRM.......

Fair enough but I pay the license fee so don't feel too bad.