[ericole]

I've searched all over the web, Google, Apple forums, etc w/o resolution to this perplexing situation. I periodically download free things off of iTunes (tv shows, etc). Those usually have the SD and HD versions. I always stop the HD versions b/c I have no need of them. Now, those shows, no matter how long ago it was, try to download themselves each time I open iTunes. I can "pause" them, but this is getting VERY tiresome. As the user I should be able to stop/delete/whatever that file and that should be the end of it.

Can I do this? Does anyone know how to end this nonsensical situation? I'll stop downloading any free things, and definitely won't download paid things if I have to deal with this craziness.

thanks!

[smax013]

For paid things, it should be a non-issue...if you don't want the HD version, then only buy the SD version (which is usually cheaper).

Beyond that, I don't have any idea how to permanently stop downloads.

[dsm1983]

I've got the same issue. The standard version and HD version are continuously restarting their download in iTunes.

So I just got off the phone with Apple tech support and the representative seemed very interested in this problem... He said there wasn't any solution that he (or his associates) knew of, but that he'd bring it to attention at a meeting this afternoon. I referenced a number of forums to stress that many users have this problem.
So I guess we'll have to wait and see if it becomes an update in a future version of iTunes.

Anyways, at this point I'm just going to let them download completely and then delete them. Sucks.

[enb14]

I'm having the same problem and I'm surprised that there aren't more complaints. I only want the HD version of The Office, but I must always download the non-HD version as well and then delete it, or it keeps trying to download every time I start iTunes. Tres annoying.

[bfwebster]

I've been googling hoping to find an answer to this problem and am a bit surprised to see there is none. I purchased a season pass for 'Fringe' (I had only seen the first 4 or so episodes) and found that iTunes wanted to download every episode twice: once in SD and once in HD. It's a pain in the wazoo to have to block the SD downloads (I only care about the HD ones) every time I bring up iTunes. This is such a profoundly obvious and annoying bug, particularly given the download times involved, that I'm dumbfounded that it exists in the first place and that Apple hasn't fixed it. </rant> ..bruce..

[iJoe79]

Fix what? This isn't a bug. iTunes is meant to download both High Def and Standard Def versions of television programs and movies. Why? Because I don't feel like buying two versions when I'm on the go. Having two versions allows me to choose where I watch my content. HD plays on my macs, apple TV and Acer notebook. SD can be ported over to my iPhone, iPods and (god forbid) my old HP still running a CRT monitor. This is where the magic of iTunes comes into play. It knows what you're playing your media on and automatically chooses the proper def. Hence the reason why the HD and SD are combined as one item in iTunes when it finishes downloading. Downside to this: more drive space needed. Apple had a choice and made it. Fortunately, there are a lit more people who complained about buying a HD program and not being to watch than people without drive space.

[dsm1983]

lJoe79,
I think you're misunderstanding our statement of the issue. The issue at hand pertains to the ability to permanently clear out unwanted downloads from your queue.

[iJoe79]

You can't... When the HD version is downloading so will a second copy in SD. Though they'll be recognized as one item in iTunes later, they are still separate files. The cue won't go away until both the HD and SD files are downloaded. There's no mistake. Just let the both files download.

ie: I download an HD copy of Lost (I hate that show) I will get two items in my cue. Lost S2E5 HD and Lost S2E5 SD.

Though it looks like it's redundant they're two separate files. Let them both download. Since you've purchased the HD version, you're entitled to both versions. So even if you try to get rid of one of the items, the iTunes store will just think you're missing one of the files and pull it from the store to complete your purchase. So, just live with both formats.

[dsm1983]

lJoe79,
With all due respect, you're missing the point completely. Ask some other users that replied and I think you'll find that they agree with me.
Maybe try reading all the posts on this page and then you'll more accurately comprehend the issue. Or maybe wait until you run into the issue yourself... You know what, I'll HELP you run into the issue:

-Go to the free downloads portion of the iTunes Store.
-Now start downloading an episode of some random show. Or three episodes even!
-Now before they finish downloading (ever so slowly) try getting rid of them.

You see what we're talking about?

[iJoe79]

I'm not trying to be a sod. Nor do I answer forums willy nilly. I'm trying to help solve, what seems to be a mixed problem in this string. According to the problems described by enb14 and bfwebster their complaint lies in the downloading of a standard/high definition version of their favorite television programs when they only want the other version. As for the the other problem described by yourself, dsm, it seems to me that it really isn't a problem at all. Why stop an iTunes purchase mid download? it seems superfluous. If you've paid for the download, let it finish. In the case of a free download, let it finish and if it's not what you expected (which I find the case to be with most free content on iTunes) delete the item when it's complete.

Don't mis-interpret this as irritation, just following the string as it reads. As one can see from the evolution of the string, it has changed from a completely ambiguous question into a multi issue problem. I'm simply giving insight to one of the issues at hand.

[smax013]

iJoe79 said:

I'm not trying to be a sod. Nor do I answer forums willy nilly. I'm trying to help solve, what seems to be a mixed problem in this string. According to the problems described by enb14 and bfwebster their complaint lies in the downloading of a standard/high definition version of their favorite television programs when they only want the other version. As for the the other problem described by yourself, dsm, it seems to me that it really isn't a problem at all. Why stop an iTunes purchase mid download? it seems superfluous. If you've paid for the download, let it finish. In the case of a free download, let it finish and if it's not what you expected (which I find the case to be with most free content on iTunes) delete the item when it's complete.

Don't mis-interpret this as irritation, just following the string as it reads. As one can see from the evolution of the string, it has changed from a completely ambiguous question into a multi issue problem. I'm simply giving insight to one of the issues at hand.

The problem is that from YOUR perspective letting "...it finish and if it's not what you expected delete the item when it's complete" is a viable, reasonable option. To others, it is not (note: personally, this issue is not a problem for me...but I can see where others might have a problem).

For one thing, when downloading a large file like that, it eats up bandwidth...which means that bandwidth is not there for other things. Thus, if someone starts to download free TV show (even just SD...but HD would be worse as it downloads both) and starts to watch it while it is downloading and decides it is a waste and cannot kill, they have lost that bandwidth until it completes the download. This means that if I want to download something else, it will take longer than if I could kill that iTunes download.

Then there is the issue of bandwidth caps. With more and more companies starting to serious consider bandwidth caps (and some even implimenting them), if someone has a cap of 50 GB and decides to try a free 1 hour long HD show, iTunes will download both...which will typically mean about 500 MB for the SD show and about 1 GB for the HD version. If that person starts to watch it while downloading and decides that it is not worth it, they cannot stop it...and they will still take the 1.5 GB hit toward their cap. Say you try about a half dozen shows in a month like that, you have no wasted almost 10 GB of your cap for shows that you ended up not really wanting instead of maybe 1 to 2 GB if you could have killed them prior to completing.

And then there is the issue of both versions. If I do not have an iPod and my computer is able to do HD, then why should I have to also download the SD version when I won't use it now. Yes, it is a feature but not everyone needs it or wants it. The point is that such a person should have the ability to say..."I do not even want to download the SD version". Of course, if they choose that option, then they should not come back crying at some point in the future if they now need/want it and don't have it.

[iJoe79]

Oh ho! There within lies the rub. Such a solution would imply that Apple cares. Unashamed as an Apple zealot, I still recognize that Apple, like any other corporation, is heartless and only cares about their highend users. This means the user running iTunes on an expensive computer on a credit card driven subscription buying hundreds of dollars of items on iTunes a month with an expensive broadband connection that has a high or no cap. The problem with Apple in this case? Unlike other corporations out there, they have more of these users than not. Simply because they offer a service that can't be found much anywhere else. Direct download entertainment. Sure, there are alternatives, but not many. Is this smug of me to say? Maybe, but not likely. Is it smug of Apple to do? Most definitely. The issue at hand, however, is that the complaints come from a minority of paying customers. As for the HD/SD issue; when HD becomes a primary technology, we'll probably see the SD download slowly disappear. The short answer to the original question; however, is no. There is no way to stop an iTunes download once it starts. It's like a freight train coming to hit you.

Just a side note: I've been using Canadian broadband since moving back six years ago. My provider, Cogeco offers a four tiered broadband package. I know what it's like to deal with caps.

tier 1: known as the lite package this entry level subscription (entry level is marketing code for cheap) runs for roughly $24.95. This offers broadband at a limited speed of about 640 Kbs. Along with data transfers of up to 10GB.

tier 2: Lite Plus which massively multiplies the speed cap to 3 Mbps with a double cap of 20GB at $34.95

tier 3: Standard will shock and amaze you with a 10Mbps speed cap (Autobahn Canadian internet is not) with an impressive test-tube like capacity for 60GB for the ever so low price of $44.95 (That can educate a small child up to the college years in Botswana)

tier 4: uses the complete broadband bandwidth available on the Cogeco residential networks up to 16 Mbs (I think real world speeds knocks you down to about 10Mbs anyhow). Giving you full use of 100GB. For the price of a brand new 4th Gen. 4GB iPod Shuffle every month.

[ninereeds]

dsm1983: I heartily concur.

I once downloaded a semi interesting app for my iphone which when I saw the next update was 550mb I decided I didn't want. I deleted the app from itunes.

Now whenever I "Check for purchases", or try to "download all application updates" the 550mb update starts to download.

I wish there was some way of stopping it.

I live in a sem-rural area and my internet connection is about 1.2 Mb/s / 256kbps, with a download limit of 20 Gb.

I DO NOT want to download it, but I cannot seem to stop it.

[EPonj]

asking Apple to give us a bit of freedom is like asking MS to release a bugless OS...