Recently, anyone who bought a copy of the special edition DVD "Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest" (an almost shot-by-shot parody of the first "Star Wars" movie) may have noticed they received something extra: a digital copy. With the digital copy, a person can watch the DVD on an iPod with video, or an iPhone™.
"Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest" was the first DVD to come with a digital copy, but a deal between Twentieth Century Fox and Apple promises to deliver more DVDs with digital copy in the coming year. Announced in January, the two companies explained it makes sense for users to have the option of watching movies they buy on their portable media devices.
"One of the most requested features DVD buyers have been asking for is the ability to get the movies they bought into their iTunes library," said Jim Gianopulos, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment. "We're thrilled to offer such an incredibly simple way for our customers to get even more out of their DVD purchase, and we look forward to releasing many more DVDs this year with iTunes Digital Copy."
Included with DVDs like "Blue Harvest" are two discs. While one disc plays the movie on a DVD player, the other disc contains the digital copy. A person pops the digital copy into a computer, enters a unique serial number (printed on a DVD insert) and the movie is automatically copied to the person's iTunes library. The user then has the capability of watching the movie on an iPod or iPhone without having to pay for it all over again at the iTunes store.
Of course, an individual needs to have an iTunes account before they can get their digital copy of the movie. And a user can only copy a movie to one iTunes account. If a person tries to copy the movie to another account, iTunes will say the code has already been used and deny the request.
But letting DVD buyers have free reign over how they choose to watch a movie certainly seems like a step in the right direction. Regular DVDs are protected so users cannot make copies or rip them onto computers (at least not legally). This has created a controversy in recent years (much as it has with music) because people believe once they buy a movie, they should be able to do whatever they want with it - whether watch it on an iPod or make copies for friends.
Of course, the deal also has its benefits for Apple and Fox. For Apple, it brings people to iTunes and encourages them to watch movies on computers, portable media players or phones - which may then inspire them to return to the iTunes store to purchase more movies. For Fox, it gives people another reason to buy DVDs or Blu-Ray discs because they're getting something more at no additional cost.
And it seems as though other film studios will follow Fox's lead. In early March, Lionsgate announced they also inked a deal with Apple to equip DVDs with digital copy for iTunes. The first Lionsgate film to debut with digital copy will be Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo", which comes out May 27th. Lionsgate is the company behind recent films like "3:10 to Yuma", the dud "Good Luck Chuck", and classic films like "Reservoir Dogs".
Shad Connelly,
Executive Editor -
Invention & Technology News (http://news.inventhelp.com)
Bestel iTunes Gift Card.
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