Some questions please about Google TV built in Sony Bravia

by JASelzer

Hi all, I have a couple of questions regarding the Google tv built in to my new Sony Bravia TV. I have noticed that apps downloaded such as Apple TV and Amazon no longer let me buy or rent movies directly from those apps. I either have to go to the relevant website or rent/buy from Google directly. My questions are please:

1.) Is this a fairly recent change on Google TV built in?

2.) When I do rent/buy a, lets say a movie from Amazon, from my Google Watchlist on the tv, is Google buying or renting it from Apple for instance?

3.) When I would rent or buy a movie directly from the relevant app such as Apple TV I had the option to rent/buy UHD quality. Renting or Buying on Google only shows SD or HD. So, does that mean I cannot get UHD quality streaming from Google?

I am sure that I will have more questions once I understand a bit more.

Thank you, John

CuvisTheConqueror

When make any in-app purchase on an Android platform (Android, Android TV, Google TV), the payment is processed by the Play Store, and Google takes a cut. The cut varies depending on the amount the vendor processes, but for companies the size of Apple or Amazon, it could get as high as 30%. Some companies opt not to process payments through their Android apps for this reason.

This is standard for the market, of course. Apple, Amazon, and Roku all have similar policies for in-app purchases on their devices.

zerozed

On a side note from what OP has asked, be aware that when you purchase certain movies from Google Play, you can also watch them in other apps including (but not limited to) Movies Anywhere and Prime Video. This cross-app availability comes from the Movies Anywhere service (which is free). Movies Anywhere is owned by Disney, but films from Warner Bros, Sony, Universal, and Disney are covered. I have to assume the same would be true if you purchased (eligible) films from Amazon or Disney+ (and probably others)--but I don't know because all of my movies were purchased from Google Play.

As an example, I purchased 30 movies directly from Google Play and 22 of them show up in my Prime Video library and my Movies Anywhere account. I don't have a Disney+ account, but I'm guessing they'd be available on that platform as well.