Apple Beefs Up iTunes With HD Movies

Renting high-def titles such as "Quantum Of Solace" and "Twilight," a service formerly available only to Apple TV users, is now being offered for Macs and other PCs, while standard versions of those movies will be available to rent within 30 days after release on iPhones and iPods.

Apple's iTunes Movie Rentals in HD run $4.99 per rental as compared to $3.99 for standard-definition movies. The company knocks a dollar off its rental charge for older releases in both formats.

Customers also can purchase and download HD feature films via the iTunes Store for $19.99, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Customers of the iTunes Store already have purchased more than 250 million TV episodes and more than 33 million feature films through the online portal, according to Apple. That includes "over 50 percent of TV programming being purchased in HD when available," according to Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet services.

Other HD titles in the iTunes stable include "Transporter 3" and "Punisher: War Zone."