Filed under: Macworld, iTS, iTunes, Apple
iTunes Digital Copy
iTunes Digital Copy sort of snuck into the Keynote, but it is a pretty big deal (that we already knew about). Starting today if you buy any 20th Century Fox DVD that is labeled 'iTunes Digital Copy' you'll not only get the physical DVD, but a digital copy. Simply insert the disk into your Mac or PC, enter a unique code into iTunes, and iTunes will import a digital version of the movie onto your Mac/PC. You can view the movie on your Mac, iPod, or iPhone as many times as you like (since you own the movie) but the digital copy can only be imported into one iTunes library.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Duscrom said 3:09PM on 1-15-2008
WTF? it's still tied only to iPods? F* apple and your f*ing Monopoly DRM shit!!!
I really am tired of this thing with being forced to get an iPod just to get this content. Apple should have to open iTunes to other players.
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Ryan said 3:46PM on 1-15-2008
Did you honestly expect the Digital Copy to work on another device? And what motivation would Apple or the studios have to allow it to be played on other devices?
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SalsaShark said 4:54PM on 1-15-2008
I can actually live with that part. I'm just wondering if I can import on a computer, then later remove it and import to another. Cause if it's a one-time deal, that would be very annoying.
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Galley said 4:55PM on 1-15-2008
AFAIK, it's only one device, and it works on PlaysForSure devices as well. Will this be available on Blu-ray Discs as well?
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dvydra said 4:59PM on 1-15-2008
My only concern with this: does the iTunes copy live on the disk, or does it download to your computer from the ITMS?
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Ryan said 5:12PM on 1-15-2008
There is an iTunes ready file on the disc that is imported to your computer
dvydra said 5:15PM on 1-15-2008
I really don't like that then. I mean... The file must take up at least a gig of the 8.5g on the disk. Surely that's going to impact the quality of the movie, or at least the number of extras on the disk?
brian said 5:43PM on 1-15-2008
dvydra - pop in any DVD you own and 'Get info'--you'll see that very few discs go much above 7.5 GB already. Many are 6-7.5; many are over 4.5 but less than 5 just to make DVD-to-DVD copying difficult. You are correct, the fill will probably be a gig or so--that's about what I get with high-quality settings and HandBrake.
dvydra said 5:46PM on 1-15-2008
That's somewhat disappointing in itself :) But fair enough.
Ryan said 5:54PM on 1-15-2008
Another factor that we don't know yet (at least I haven't seen it mentioned) is whether the Digital Version will be in the standard 720x480 of DVD's or optimized for iTouch/iPhone/iPod viewing. That will have a significant impact on the size
Peter said 8:36PM on 1-15-2008
I just bought the Family Guy Blue Harvest Movie and it comes with a second disk to put in your computer. no loss in quality (not that family guy is exactly hd) and no loss in playability.
The only problem however is that I can't get it to transfer. every time it comes up in iTunes, it gives me a 11556 error and tells me to check my internet connection. the iTMS works fine so I don't know what do to.
Gisch said 6:53PM on 1-15-2008
Is anyone else having issues with the iTunes Digital Copy of Blue Harvest? I keep getting an unknown error (11556) when I try to use it. Yes, I'm running 7.6, and connected to the internet. It just doesn't want to play.
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tcbritt said 8:00PM on 1-15-2008
"...but the digital copy can only be imported into one iTunes library."
Could someone clarify this? The content I buy from iTunes is accessible from up to 5 authorized machines. Does the same apply for this?
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BJ Nemeth said 8:54PM on 1-15-2008
Personally, I am more excited about this (DVD+iTunes) than I am about the 24-hour movie rentals. When I want to buy a movie, I am often torn between getting the iTunes version (very convenient to watch when I want -- always ready) or the DVD version (which includes commentaries and other DVD extras).
Yes, I know it's possible to rip my DVDs to iTunes, but that's not really my thing.
Now, I can happily buy the DVD, and still get an iTunes version that I can add to my iPhone at the drop of a hat. (I do a lot of traveling.) I'll be picking up the Family Guy Blue Harvest DVD this week to test it out.
I also have a NetFlix subscription, and will probably keep it for a while to catch up on DVDs of past television seasons. But for renting feature-length movies, I think the new iTunes model suits my lifestyle a little better, assuming they have the titles I want. Based on how many movies I rent a month, the cost will be pretty close.
I'll probably reassess my NetFlix subscription over the summer. I may just drop it to a lower-cost option (fewer DVDs at a time).
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SoloMalee said 5:53AM on 1-16-2008
So what if you want to use this special version of the film on AppleTV?
Anyone know what the sound encoding format is. Is it limited to stereo for iPod/iPhone, or does it also include a 5.1 track for AppleTV?
Yes I want my cake and I want to eat it in two ways if possible - iPod when I'm away from home, and Apple TV when at home (Sure I could use a DVD player at home, but why should I have to?)
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rumpster said 12:37AM on 1-17-2008
I want to have my cake and eat it two ways if possible. Haha.
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Jesse David Hollington said 4:02AM on 1-18-2008
I suspect this will likely apply to all digital copies in the near future, but the digital copy on Family Guy Blue Harvest, at least, is basically in the same format as any other movie that is downloaded from the iTunes Store.... In this case 640x480 H.264 at 1.5 mbps with standard audio (not 5.1).
Basically, only the transfer process differs slightly, where the digital copy is "downloaded" from your DVD rather than the iTunes Store. Once in your library, it works in the same way as any purchased movie would, including the standard DRM restrictions -- five authorized computers and unlimited iPod and iPhone devices.
Unlike the new iTunes Movie Rentals, it's highly likely this will even work with the older 5G iPod models as well, although I haven't had a chance to specifically test it yet.
See http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/instant-expert-secrets-features-of-itunes-76/ for some screenshots of how this all works.
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