Digital Copies SUCK (for now)

Ok, so the special edition "Harry Potter & the Order of the Pheonix" comes with a bonus digital copy for your 'portable media device'. I figured hell I've had this DVD for a while, let me throw it on the 'ole ipod. NO! Warner Bros. says I can't do that! See apparently all these Digital Copies are only for PCs and Window's media compatible gaypods. Hence, I decided to go online and figure out what was going on with all this nonsense and I came across this article on TVguide.com that sums up the status of these Digital copies pretty nicely. I suppose it isn't Warner Bros fault that they are incredibly behind the curve, I mean it was only recently that the company decided they would commit to Blu-Ray Discs over HD DVDs. They just don't know any better. But really it is that this whole Digital format is taking baby steps across the industry, hopefully with some experience they'll finally come across the foresight to actually make these Mac and IPod compatible, I mean it really is a no brainer. Fox and Lionsgate have already started putting out IPod ready versions, so cmon other guys. I want to watch HARRY POTTER!!!

APRIL 29TH 2008- A few months ago we took a hands-on look at Digital Copy with "Family Guy - Blue Harvest". The show's Star Wars parody came to DVD with an extra disc containing a digital file version of the feature which easily copied to a Video iPod, a PC, or a PC-file compatible device (like an Archos media player). It's a handy way to get a "portable" copy of the DVD you've bought, so you don't have to buy it all over again via download to the hard drive of your laptop or a portable video device. But what else is on the way for Digital Copy?

· Fox has the biggest support for on-disc Digital Copy so far. Last November's 2-DVD version of "Live Free or Die Hard" was first. The Blu-ray version didn't have it, though, and it didn't support iPod copies yet either (leaving iPod users AND Macintosh users out in the cold). But this would quickly and easily transfer a nice-looking copy of the film's unrated cut to a PC or compatible device.

· Fox then expanded to include iPod/Mac support with "Family Guy - Blue Harvest". With their next title, "Hitman", Fox not only included a Digital Copy on a DVD-ROM disc with the Special Edition (SE) DVD release, but with the Blu-ray release, too. And earlier this month, Fox continued with two more: "Juno" and "Alien vs. Predator: Requiem". Each had a Digital Copy version included with their SE DVDs and their Blu-ray releases. Fox's next Digital Copy is going to be on the "Jumper" SE DVD and Blu-ray, due June 10th.

· If any studio has been supporting the idea longer than Fox, it's Warner...
The first was "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", and a little over a month ago they bowed their second Digital Copy title with Will Smith's "I Am Legend". No word yet on what's next. Note that these were only made available with certain DVD versions; if you bought those films on Blu-ray Disc (like myself) you didn't get the Digital Copy. And Warner only has PC file support.

· Sony debuts their first titles today that support Digital Copy, with a pair of straight-to-DVD offerings: "Hero Wanted" with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ray Liotta, and Dolph Lundgren's "Diamond Dogs". Sony's Digital Copy doesn't support iPod/Mac, but it does support Sony's PSP videogame unit as well as PCs. Sony has big plans for more PC-&-PSP Digital Copies, with upcoming titles including May releases of the Andy Serkis thriller "The Cottage" and Samuel L. Jackson in "Cleaner", June's release of Jason Behr in "The Tattooist", and a ton of July titles: the 2-DVD SE version of Sony's recent hit "Vantage Point", the Brian Austin Green thriller "Impact Point", the Jesse Metcalf starrer "Insanitarium" and both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of "Starship Troopers 3: Marauder".

· Universal recently jumped into the party with this past February's release of "American Gangster". Their Digital Copy provided an unrated edit of the film, but in PC file only, and only if you purchased the 3-Disc Collector's Edition DVD. Last week Universal announced the next two titles will be the July releases of Brendan Fraser's "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns", both coming July 8th on 2-DVD SE's. Universal recently announced Blu-ray versions of "The Mummy", "The Mummy Returns" and spin-off film "The Scorpian King" for July 22nd; will the Digital Copies be included with the Blu-ray Disc format releases? I hope so, but the studio hasn't given any word on that just yet!

· The most recent studio to announce Digital Copy support is Lionsgate. Their first title will be the May 27th release of the fourth "Rambo" film: a Digital Copy will be included with the Blu-ray as well as the 2-DVD SE. The same is true for their June 3rd debut of The Eye, starring Jessica Alba and Goran Visnjic. Like Fox, Lionsgate is supporting Video iPod and Macintosh users, along with PCs and compatible devices.

By my count that's 22 titles which support Digital Copy so far... either already out or the way...

the best part? That you still get your own packaged media version of the film, on a disc back in your house. Hard drives crash, and portable devices get lost or stolen, and digital data can get corrupted or erased for various reasons. But with Digital Copy, you've always got your shiny optical disc waiting for you when you get home...just in case. What's not to love? — David Lambert

Fox and Lionsgate have already started putting out IPod ready versions, so cmon other guys. I wanna watch mini HARRY POTTER!!!