Warner Bros. DVD’s ‘Digital Copy’ excludes Mac, iPod users (but, you still get to pay for it)

78 Comments

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.

78 Comments

  1. @ predrag:

    “I’m sure whoever is reviewing the incoming mailbox (or database) at Warner, is deleting all the bitchy, nasty comments before compiling the rest for the bosses…What we need to do is write comments that make sense…They would not ignore that.

    Agreed.

    What the Mac community forgets is that you don’t have to wear your Macintosh on your sleeve. Simply stick to the key issues and neglect to mention that you’re also a Mac user. For example, if it works on the iPod, your Mac is covered ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Thus, my comment was KISS:

    “Incompatible with iPod
    Incompatible with Fair Use”

    This sends the message that they screwed up on their audience (iPod) and sends a clear message about my consumer values (Fair Use).

    -hh

    Reply

  2. It’s quite simple really & the Entertainment industry are playing everyone. They already know sales will be high, but they’ll project sales at a hugh amount & the lower % of the market they get, they can then claim that ‘Piracy’ is the real reason that sales for a blockbuster movie have been so bad.

    Reply

  5. Well it’s hard to resist the pressure tactics of the borg. They are encouraging potential “partners” to view iTS as the enemy and the borg as a friend. It only works for clueless executives, but the borg are prepared to sweeten a deal with their only asset: monopoly money…lots of it. My question is: is it all above the table?

    Reply

  6. http://digitalcopy.warnerbros.com/feedback/

    This address now returns a 404 Not Found Error. They’re no longer interested in your opinion. What assholes.

    But you gotta love the MS flavored message on so many default 404 pages:

    The page cannot be found

    The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
    Please try the following:

    Make sure that the Web site address displayed in the address bar of your browser is spelled and formatted correctly.
    If you reached this page by clicking a link, contact the Web site administrator to alert them that the link is incorrectly formatted.
    Click the Back button to try another link.
    HTTP Error 404 – File or directory not found.
    Internet Information Services (IIS)

    Technical Information (for support personnel)

    Go to Microsoft Product Support Services and perform a title search for the words HTTP and 404.
    Open IIS Help, which is accessible in IIS Manager (inetmgr), and search for topics titled Web Site Setup, Common Administrative Tasks, and About Custom Error Messages.

    Reply

  8. “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,”

    Wow, just wow. Those specs transport me back to 2001. Can anyone say archaic?

    Reply

  9. That’s brilliant, supply a DRM infested file to people using a virus prone OS, and malware vulnerable browser, but don’t make it available on ipods, or Microsoft’s new large screen Zune players.
    Absolute Genius !!!!! (not)

    Reply

  12. “Digital Copy” is a funny name, given that the main copy of the movie on every DVD is already digital.

    This is really just a copy (probably at lower resolution) with Windows-based DRM instead of DVD player DRM (CSS). Yawn.

    Reply

  15. Here’s what I left them:

    Incompatible with iPod.
    Incompatible with the world.
    Please do not exclude the world’s largest installed base of digital media players with your next release.
    I don’t mind that you want to include DRM in your products, I mind that you have given me no option to include these films in my digital collection. As a parent with small children, it is important to me that I be able to have digital copies of my content as it is then impossible for little fingerprints to have an adventure with content on physical media that is increasingly more expensive. Want to charge more (like you are already doing for the privilege)? Fine, but make sure that the world can use it. H.264 is a standard, WMV IS NOT.

    Reply

  17. Before we dump all over Warner we should ask, Who’s fault is this? If I am Warner, how DO I make it iTunes/iPod compatible. Yes, I know, we all hate DRM. But in this case did Warner really want to ignore ipods or were they just unwilling to remove DRM to get there?

    Really suspect this one is Apple’s fault–they need to make enabling technology available to the studios.

    And they better, if they give Windows Media an opening in video, they’ll be serious blowback to music and players.

    Correct me if I misunderstand this.

    Reply

  18. If this uproar continues, then Warner will eventually have to support Mac, iTunes, and the iPod in its Digital Copy program. I’m pretty sure the same thing happened to Fox after it released “Live Free or Die Hard” with a Windows-only Digital Copy version, so it announced a collaboration with iTunes for future Digital Copy releases.

    Reply

  21. I would not mind so much because I live in Australia where we are allowed to make a digital copy of a DVD we OWN.

    What bugs me is that it says “not compatible with iTunes” on the outside which to me does not mean “will not work on a Mac or iPod all together”

    I have been a convert for 7 months now and this is the first thing that I can’t get around and it is frustrating me just to know that my precious computer can’t do something 🙁

    So now I will have to rip and compress it to watch it on my phone.

    Reply

  24. I downloaded two movies with this so called digital copy. Then transfered the files to my Mac and played it with VLC and tried to transfer to Itunes the piece of junk files dont play.. Im in the process of converting them but it might be easier to just handbrake the actual movies.

    Reply

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