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I foolishly forgot that renting a movie on an iPhone meant you had to watch it on that phone.

Is there anyway to just watch it on a Mac (which is authorised on the same Apple ID)? Not neccessarily to transfer it?

I have airserver app on my Mac, but when I try AirPlaying it to the Mac, it opens a window that looks like QuickTime (but isn't), and says Can't play Content not authorized.

Or is it possible to delete it from my phone and redownload it on my Mac without paying again?

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It sure would be nice if we could rent with impunity/equanimity and move things back and forth with a rental. – bmike♦ Mar 26 '12 at 22:07

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Do not delete the download or you will lose the rental.

The only method for transferring rentals is between two devices is when you start by renting it from a computer. This is detailed at the end of a quite large knowledge base article under the section worded Can I play my rental on more than one device?.

If you download a rented movie on your iPhone 4 or later, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation or later), or Apple TV: It is not transferable to any other device or computer.

You can get help from Apple to accomplish this move if you are not certain if your software is the correct version or are having difficulties with your account. They might issue a one time refund, but this isn't intended to be something you can regularly do. If you have a TV and an Apple TV, your best alternative might be to AirPlay the movie, but on Lion, you will need third party software like AirServer to get video and music from your iOS device (your phone in this case) to play on the mac. Please research this option well (especially the returns policy before buying), since it says it plays videos and it may not work with protected content like a movie rental.

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I say like AirServer since i'm not sure that's the software you have mentioned does not work. My guess is you are confirming my reading that this package does not work for that type of video. – bmike♦ Mar 26 '12 at 21:10
I contacted Apple support and they gave me two free rental credits to redownload the movies to my Mac. I love Apple... – Jonathan. Mar 30 '12 at 19:03
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No, AirServer, AirPlayer, or another of the dozens of applications that turn your mac into an airplay server won't work due to missing content protection. If you had an apple tv you'd probably be able to use airplay for that.

Since that doesn't work, then your next best bet is probably to use the HDMI AV adapter kit to watch on a tv or monitor. You won't be able to use the VGA adapter as it doesn't feature content protection, but the HDMI adaptor to a new TV or monitor should be fine.

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