- Losslessly bypass DRM from rented and purchased iTunes videos
- Support 1080p/720p HD and SD iTunes movies
- Convert iTunes DRM M4V to MP4, MOV for Roku
- Keep original AC3 5.1 audio, CC, subtitles, etc.
As a popular media player set-up box, Roku is commonly used to connect with TV sets or other video display devices for the purpose of streaming movies, TV shows and other media content from dozens of free and paid media channels and networks, such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Spotify, Amazon Instant Video, RedBox and so forth. Because of its great performance, Roku is always regarded as the biggest competitor to Apple TV, another big player in media streamer market that also plays digital content from a number of online channels. The last barrier makes Roku not a completely Apple TV killer is that it doesn't support streaming iTunes movies and TV shows which are only supported by Apple TV. But don't worry. By doing a few tricks, you can still play iTunes movies on your TV via Roku without Apple TV. The following is the guide to show you the complete steps of streaming your iTunes videos, including purchased and rented movies, TV shows to Roku for playback on TV.
The reason why Roku doesn't support iTunes videos is because Apple applies DRM technology to protect the media items sold in iTunes Store. Thus only Apple's iOS devices and Apple TV are allowed to play those DRM-protected files. So in order to make iTunes movies compatible with Roku media player, we only need to find out a solution to get rid of the DRM lock from iTunes movies and TV shows. Here we meet DRmare iTunes M4V Converter for Mac/Windows, an all-around iTunes DRM removal tool that can losslessly remove DRM protection from rented and purchased iTunes videos. As Roku only supports playing media files with H.264/AVC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV) formats, DRmare M4V Converter will also help you convert the protected iTunes videos from M4V to MP4, MOV, etc.
The following is a detailed tutorial about how to remove iTunes FairPlay DRM and convert the purchased or rented iTunes movies/TV series to Roku compatible MP4 format using DRmare M4V Converter for Mac. Please make sure you have downloaded and installed the free version of this smart iTunes video converter on your computer before getting started.
1. Stream iTunes Movies to Roku via iOS devices
If you are trying to play the iTunes movies on Roku via iOS devices, you need to download Roku player app from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roku/id482066631?mt=8 and install it on your iOS devices. Then connect your iOS device to the same network with your Roku player. Last, begin to stream the iTunes movies without DRM directly via Roku player app.
2. Play Converted iTunes Videos on Roku with Plex Media Server/XBMC
You can also stream iTunes movies to Roku via Plex or XBMC on your Mac. In this case, you have to install Plex Media Server on your computer. Once the Plex server is installed successfully, it will detect all of the movies, television shows on your Mac. Then you should install Plex Channel on your Roku account. Finally, configure the Plex server on the Roku and then you can better watch the iTunes movies on Roku as you want.
The Roku Streaming Player, or simply Roku, is a series of digital media player set-top boxes manufactured by Roku, Inc. A Roku streaming device gets data (the video stream) via a wired or Wi-Fi connection to an Internet router. Then it can be connected to any television set (or other video display device) with appropriate input connections in order to stream content from Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer, Google Play Movies & TV, HBO Go, Hulu, Netflix, and other online media streaming services.
Roku has 10 million active users between its streaming players and smart TVs, and they've already streamed 4 billion hours of video and music this year. The current offering of Roku streaming devices is split into 10 products, including the Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 1, 2, 3, 4, Roku Express/Express+, Roku Premiere/Premiere+, and Roku Ultra.
For more details and differences between those Roku products, you can refer to the following comparison list.
| Roku Streaming Stick | Roku 1 | Roku 2 | Roku 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Tiny stick. Big entertainment. | Works with virtually any TV. | Private listening headphone jack. | Fully loaded and lightning fast. |
| TV compatibility | HDTVs only | Virtually any TV | Virtually any TV | HDTVs only |
| Entertainment channels | 3000+ | 3000+ | 3000+ | 3000+ |
| Built-in wireless | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band wireless | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Channel shortcut buttons | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Remote with headphone jack | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cast to TV direct from apps | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Motion control for games | No | No | No | Yes |
| Ethernet, USB & micro SD slot | No | No | No | Yes |
| Price |
| Roku Express | Roku Express+ | Roku Premiere | Roku Premiere+ | Roku Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 | $39.99 | $79.99 | $99.99 | $129.99 |
| Video resolution | Up to 720p | Up to 1080p | Up to 4K | Up to 4K | Up to 4K |
| Digital surround sound | Dolby | Dolby | Dolby | Dolby | Dolby |
| Night listening mode | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote control | IR | IR | IR | RF | RF |
| Remote with headphone jack | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| micro SD slot | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| USB port | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Ethernet | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
The following is the complete video tutorial to show you the whole steps to stream and play iTunes M4V videos on Roku media player from a phone.
