This past release week Warner/Newline released a slew of Blu-rays (and I assume some DVDs) that include the "digital copy" ability. Little did I know the "digital copy" comes in the form of a WMV file...making it useless for iPods! Apparently they are more then willing to accomodate the less than 5% of the public with Zunes and other PMP players... but not me with my iPhone and iPod.

With the recent announcement they will be including an entire DVD Season for download (One Tree Hill Season 5 and Supernatural Season 3) I can only imagine they will continue this trend of ignoring the huge base of people with iPods. I was actually looking forward to dumping Harold and Kumars onto my iPhone to watch in bed...not now.

Word or warning for those that have not figured out this little tidbit of information.

I agree, I find it irritating as hell. Fox had this problem initial, but it didn't take them long to figure they could fit a couple of different formats on the same disc.

I also hate the one-year expiration date for the license key. Does this mean that all my digital copies become useless a couple of years down the line when I buy a new computer, or will the copies that I already have on my hard drive transfer to my new machine?

Warner isn't deliberately "ignoring the huge base of people with iPods". Apple charges licensing fees to allow iPod compatibility, and Warner hasn't negotiated an acceptable contract with them. Fox did. As Salty mentions, early Digital Copies from Fox didn't work with iPod either.

Be glad this isn't a Sony release. Their version of Digital Copy is only compatible with their own PSP and PS3, nothing else.

I initially liked the idea of digital copies, but what's the point if you limit the number of people who can actually use them to a small fraction? I think it smacks of consumer fraud.

I thought digital copies had finally come around. I have so many that are useless to me (American Gangster, Live Free or Die Hard) and only the new Lions Gate and Fox ones have any chance of being played.

I think it would mean that the code lasts a year from the release date. That means someone buying the movie a year from now (from the same pressing batch) wouldn't be able to redeem the code.

Personally, I don't care for digital copies at all. However, I'm glad to have a source for 2-disc cases, for custom special editions of titles that didn't carry over the DVD's extras.

Well does anyone have any Digital Copy codes they'd like to donate to me since you may not be using them? Maybe we should start up an official Digital Copy Donate and Trade thread?

Yea digital copies are not too useful to me, but no ipod compatibilites just sounds dumb.

I don't have an iPod so this problem doesn't affect me, but I just don't care at all about digital copies.

But that's a good idea, Drexl. When I buy a Blu-ray with digital copy, I will definitely use the case like that.

I have to admit as the proud owner of my first Apple device, an iPhone 3G it is pretty annoying to not be able to drop these on there. I still have a PSP but I don't carry it with me.

I'm not a big proponent of having them there at all, but if they're going to be there they should be compatible with the large number of Apple devices out there.

Without the disc, the code is useless to you. And if you have a disc with a digital copy on it you should already have the code.

Oh, I thought this was something you downloaded using the code. My mistake. I have a couple already but haven't done anything with them yet.

I don't have much use for digital copies either, although i copied the Dark City one to my laptop just for kicks to try it out. Luckily, I dislike Apple stuff so everything is fine for me and I have a Zune to try it on, but I can see why iPod users would be a little annoyed.

It would be nice if they could just use a universal format, but I imagine they wouldn't be able to secure them. Still, the wmv is only 1.3 GB, and the portable one is only about 300 MB, so it would be nice for a deal to be made and have them include versions for everyone.

blu-ray.com reports that the digital copy of the Matrix on the upcoming release will be iPod compatible. assuming that's true, it looks like Warner has worked out whatever was preventing them from doing so on this release.

Glad they fixed that for the people that really want to see the Matrix on a tiny screen. I prefer comedies that way...and I won't be able to watch them now.

From what I've read on other forums, this latest batch of digital copies do not work on the Zune, either.

It's not fraud, but it's deliberately disingenuous. These companies lobby as hard as they can to strip people of their fair use rights, then "innovate" crap like the "digital copy" concept to make it seem as though they're doing us a huge favor by "letting" people make a copy of something they legally purchased. It's disgusting.

Are the copies locked somehow so you can't convert to .mp4?

Yes, they're locked with DRM.

FDRM. F, I say!

Wait, what? Then what do they work on? Zen? Insignia?