The Special Edition DVD of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and other DVDs from Warner Bros. include something they call “Digital Copy” which is a Windows Media-compatible copy of a movie which can be quickly and legally transferred from a purchased DVD to a Windows PC or “PlaysForSure” portable media device.
MacDailyNews Take: If you are a Mac and/or iPod user, it seems highly likely that you are paying Warner Bros. for this useless feature.
Warner Bros. Websites states that to use Digital Copy, you will need a PC running Windows XP or Windows Vista, Windows Media Player 10 or above, a DVD-ROM drive, Internet Explorer, version 6 or higher, and an Internet connection. No downloading is required but you’ll need to connect to the Internet the first time you run the disc to enter a special code to get your copy of the movie.
Warner Bros. is interested in hearing feedback regarding “Digital Copy.” You can rate your Digital Copy experience, let Warner know if you’d like this feature on other DVDs, and share any additional comments you might have here.
Well said mAc-warrior
I sent similar feedback.
If they would simply use H264 it would work for everyone…I imagine there is more to this then we will ever know. It makes no sense for WB to support WMV unless there is some kind of motivation coming from somewhere.
I’m curious whether Flip4Mac would allow you to play that file.
Otherwise, just don’t buy the Special Edition DVD. Or wait till it shows up used and cheap at Movie Stop. Hollywood must hate that store. I buy virtually all my movies there for $10 or less.
doesn’t work on my macbook or ipod, i sometimes watch videos on the subway and i watch movies on my macbook. my girlfriend has a pc with vista and its compitable with that?! thats dumb. nobody likes vista, ive used windows since i was 11. and i hate vista, its why i went to mac. now u want to hold back technology to one system?! i bought the movie for this very feature. now im returning it for its flaws, even if i only get store credit.
i posted that to wb.
ill be honest. only maybe 1% that is true.
ive used windows since 11, true.
i hate vista, true.
nobody likes vista…opinion.
@MikeK
You are right on. There’s not a chance Apple would allow a free coupon or include a fairplay file with the purchase of a physical DVD.
Why would Apple want to strengthen the value of physical media sales when Apple’s future plans are clearly dependent on digital media.
Most of you are directing your anger towards the wrong source. Apple’s philosophy with the iTunes store is a replacement to physical media not “in addition to.”
Who wants to buy Harry Potter anyways? You’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a thousand times. Plus, a new one will be out every 6 months for the next 6 years…I found this list of failed Harry Potter movie titles…pretty funny
http://listbums.com/view_profile.php?uid=44&list_id=944
I’m kinda bored with this whole Harry Potter thing. Even the kids are getting tired of it. They need to step up the action a notch for these series. How Harry Potter VS Mecha Godzilla. Or Harry Potter meets Pee Wee Herman And All Hells Breaks Loose. Better yet, make it rated R, Harry Potter in 9 1/2 Weeks with Boy George erotic thriller…. on second thought, I feel dirty and need a shower. ahaha
Shared my feelings.
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Me too – thanks for the heads up.
I like mAc-warrior’s comment best but one edit would help. “I have a Mac and an iPod” should read– like ~100 million other people, I use an iPod with iTunes.
I don’t get why we need to get a “legal” digital version. If I buy the DVD (aka license), I should be able to watch it ANYWHERE and on ANY DEVICE.
It is AMAZING to me how this only works in one direction. How many times have I purchased Star Wars. I bought the VHS version, the VHS Collectors edition set, the upgraded version on VHS, and the DVD set. Same thing with the Indiana Jones movies. And after all this, they tell me it’s illegal to rip it to a digital device! HA!
I’m getting the boxed set in Blu-ray, so I can’t encode it either with a Mac or PC. Still, you’d think with Apple rising so high in the financial markets, the suits at Warner would look up from the feeding trough long enough to notice.
Are most of the posters here not in the U.S.?
Can you say Class Action or in this case because we are Mac users Classy Action???
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Where does everybody keep getting this idea that Apple’s future depends on digital media. It doesn’t. The iTunes music store started as a way to make sure that there was content for mac and iPod users. They barely make enough money to cover the costs on iTunes and if any, it is paltry compared to the millions they make off of the hardware sales. No, Apple doesn’t need to sell the media, there is no real money in that for them, but they need the content to be available one way or another. My preference: Handbrake. I bought it, I own it, I’ll copy it to whatever I damn well please.
@Mwalk
True, there is more money in hardware sales. However, Apple has said they make approximately 10 cents per track.. To date, they’ve sold approximately 3 billion songs.. Do the math.. The iTunes store makes a hell of a lot of money..
Also remember, digital sales still only account for approximately 15% of all music sold.. The iTunes store will become a cash cow once online sales reach the 70-80% range..
If this is a WMV, then hello iSquint. No?
It’s not just the Harry Potter movie. the latest Die Hard movie is the same deal too. Stupid.
Left the feedback. Told them it is a waste of their time and my money, so I’ll just keep my money.
Seems like they weren’t getting good enough reviews. So, they changed the URL.
Here’s the new one: http://digitalcopy.warnerbros.com/support/feedback-form.aspx
MW: cases, as in “they’re a bunch of nut cases for not supporting Apple”
What the fuck is it with these studios that seem to think its their duty to try to dismantle a growing iTunes empire and cater to Windows users that are nothing but lemmings? There are zillions of iPods out there, and not everyone knows how to use DVD rippers like Handbrake, so why ignore them?
Sooner or later it will piss off consumers on a grand scale.
@Ferf
“There are zillions of iPods out there, and not everyone knows how to use DVD rippers like Handbrake, so why ignore them?”
Because more than likely, Apple would not allow fairplay files to be bundled with DVD’s.
http://digitalcopy.warnerbros.com/support/index.html
Then choose the feedback link. they are trying to keep people from hotlinking to the feedback page.
I told them to eat their humble pie, and head on back to iTunes, and get some money again, while *gasp* making people happy.
Well, give them a change but guide their way. I left this feedback:
“I would be highly interested in your Digital Copy but it is useless as long as it doesn’t run on iTunes (Windows or Mac) or is Mac compatible as well. The easiest for you would really be to make it available as an AAC protected file (in agreement with Apple, I guess). You could still have it distributed on your DVD but the consumer would have to have his copy unlocked on iTunes. This would really be a simple way.”
As a codec, WMV blows (even though much of it was stolen from Quicktime). Whenever I try to play a file using Windows Media Player that I got with Mac Office 2004, it pretty much never works. Streaming blows. Perhaps it’s Microsoft’s sabotage but it certainly doesn’t endear me to their little scheme one bit. Quicktime’s been multiplatform for years now, they could have used .mov or they could do H.264 (my preference) or other superior codecs that are open. That means it’s either all about money, they feel that locking out potential customers is a wise financial move, just selling to Windows users, majority though they be, is a formula for instant success, they’re on the take from Microsoft to keep pushing it’s DRM scheme, or well I could probably come up with more but most aren’t too nice. At any rate, they certainly screwed up. That much is a given.
Here’s my response:
“You left out iPod compatibility? The largest installed base of media players in the history of the world? And have you heard that Microsoft totally screwed the last batch of “Plays For Sure” partners with Zune? Seriously, are you new? How are you going to hide this little adventure from your stockholders?”