Lionsgate begins offering digital copies with DVDs

The large film producer Lionsgate Entertainment has announced that they are working with Apple in an effort to allow customers who purchase select DVDs and Blu-ray titles to download a free digital copy through iTunes as well.

The first movies to include free digital copies are the DVDs and Blu-ray discs of "Rambo" and "The Eye". Rambo will be available later this month while The Eye is slated for a June or July release. More releases are to come, said the company, but there was no word yet on what they might be.

"Our consumers are always looking for new viewing options in terms of the motion pictures they buy, and we are always searching for new ways to deliver content in formats that reflect consumer preference across the entire home entertainment spectrum, from packaged media to digital storage to VOD," Lionsgate president and COO Steve Beeks said.

To receive the digital download, consumers must simply insert the DVD or BD into their computers and enter a provided code into iTunes where it will copy to the users library. You can only copy the movie to one library, but it can be re-copied over and over in case you accidentally delete it.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Mar 2008 17:39

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17 comments

lxfactor

they are learning!! =]

10.3.2008 17:50 #1

juankerr

Actually Fox has already released the BluRay version of Hitman which includes a digital copy that you can play in your portable player or iPod/iPhone.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1338/hitman.html

Quote:Digital Copy - Given the rather formulaic extra package, the real news here is that 'Hitman' is the first Blu-ray title to include a Digital Copy of the film. Contained on a second, standard DVD included in the set, the download is easy. Just pop the disc in your PC or Mac, and follow the instructions. Although the copy is only standard-def, it worked great, and I was able to download it to my iPhone in just a couple of minutes. Being a man on the go, I welcome Fox's support of digital copies (it certainly is easier than ripping a standard encrypted DVD), so I hope the studio keeps 'em coming.

10.3.2008 18:08 #2

lawndog

Ah finally.
All praises to the genius' who finally figured this out. Now maybe after 5 years of NOT buying DVDs I may consider it just to promote their thoughts. I guess they finally learned. Oh BTW hows MPAA feel about this.
HA MF'N HA you money hungry %$@#%
LD

10.3.2008 18:23 #3

six60six

are these digital copies drmed? if so, too little, too late.

10.3.2008 18:44 #4

drach

Too bad the free copy is from iTunes. Not only is it going to be in Apple's proprietary format, it will probably have DRM, as you can only keep it in one library. I might consider it, if it is in a DRM free format that works with more than an ipod, otherwise, no thanks.

10.3.2008 19:22 #5

sgriesch

Originally posted by drach: Too bad the free copy is from iTunes. Not only is it going to be in Apple's proprietary format, it will probably have DRM, as you can only keep it in one library. I might consider it, if it is in a DRM free format that works with more than an ipod, otherwise, no thanks.Yeah, its just a hassle to mess with. Why not just make the movie cheaper, and quit trying to give me extra junk that I'm not going to look at anyways? Waste of resources.

10.3.2008 19:37 #6

gallagher

Didn't HD-DVD originally plan this and get shot down by the industry?

10.3.2008 19:58 #7

nobrainer

Its a start but pointless as you can rip any DVD to any format you wish very easily, so if you don't want to be stuck with a low quality copy that is stuck at low resolutions, that is useless to watch on your notebook unless you purchase some Mr MaGoo glasses, like what fox is offering via its DRM-Ray discs, just purchase the DVD and rip to whatever format YOU want to use and not be TOLD what to use.

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.

The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!

The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

How do you stop anti consumer = its easy purchase only second hand media and avoid their propertarian hobbled by DRM hardware! http://www.boycott-riaa.com/

11.3.2008 04:27 #8

domie

OOOOOHHH a blu ray version of Rambo ! Let me set my alarm clock for 5 am so I get to the shop first in line on the day that that little gem is released in HD glory - NOT ! That Italian freak has had more surgery than Cher and mary Tyler Moore together, not to mention te penile enhancements and years of steroid abuse to give him artificial muscles - watching that wooden freakshow in High Definition is not a major attraction for anybody to dive into the HD market LOL

11.3.2008 04:51 #9

domie

Originally posted by domie: OOOOOHHH a blu ray version of Rambo ! Let me set my alarm clock for 5 am so I get to the shop first in line on the day that that little gem is released in HD glory - NOT ! That non-acting freak has had more surgery than Cher and Michael Jackson together, not to mention the penile enhancements to his 2 inch appendage and years of steroid abuse to give him artificial muscles - watching that wooden freakshow in High Definition is not a major attraction for anybody to dive into the HD market LOL

11.3.2008 04:53 #10

emugamer

Ok, so the big question is what quality bluray backup would you be downloading? 720P mkv x264 high quality 4.5GB, or 1080P 8.5GB? I doubt that. That's a bandwidth sucker that's going to bog their servers down and cause Comcast to throttle. Probably a 700MB AVI xvid. If I buy a bluray movie, there's no reason why I would want to rip it 1:1 as a backup. Too expensive. But I would want a high quality backup. I would probably just resort to downloading a DVD rip from other "sources" so that I can do what I want with it - do multiple conversions to play back on my different media devices.

They still haven't gotten it right. This deal is not even close. And of all corporations, they choose Apple to launch with, and through the biggest joke of a media distribution system - iTunes. All of their approaches to "provide the customer what they want" revolves around a technology that the customer DOES NOT want - DRM.

11.3.2008 12:13 #11

rosedog

This is a stupid idea for stupid people. No thanks, one library limit, have to go thru apple/itunes?! Eff that.

How about I buy the movie and you let me rip my own digital copy and I play it where and on what I choose too.

11.3.2008 12:32 #12

signal

I bought Live Free or Die Hard with the Digital Copy and I was not impressed at all. It is DRM Prtected, in WMV format, and over 1 gig in size. I converted it over to divx and trashed the DRM....

11.3.2008 13:31 #13

camaro17

I don't care if its got DRM, as long as it works with my iPod, then i don't really care, you guys quit b!tchin about drm, your basically saying "those god damn companies always trying to make sure that we cant steal and pirate their work, i wish they would just let us take their hard work for free, they are a bunch of retards." Honestly, thats all your saying, who cares, if you made something that costed you a couple million dollars, im sure you guys would care if people were taking it for free, or giving it away to all of their friends so that they don't have to pay for it, all because you just didnt put on DRM. Don't get me wrong, i hate the big companies or corporations, otherwise known as "THE MAN", but honestly, i can't blame them for protecting their work.

Peace

11.3.2008 15:09 #14

emugamer

Originally posted by camaro17: I don't care if its got DRM, as long as it works with my iPod, then i don't really care, you guys quit b!tchin about drm, your basically saying "those god damn companies always trying to make sure that we cant steal and pirate their work, i wish they would just let us take their hard work for free, they are a bunch of retards." Honestly, thats all your saying, who cares, if you made something that costed you a couple million dollars, im sure you guys would care if people were taking it for free, or giving it away to all of their friends so that they don't have to pay for it, all because you just didnt put on DRM. Don't get me wrong, i hate the big companies or corporations, otherwise known as "THE MAN", but honestly, i can't blame them for protecting their work.

PeaceThe problem is these companies are all on different pages. There is no consistency. They can protect their stuff however they want. It's their intellectual property and I'm not going to call them retards. I just won't buy it. I need to backup my movies. I've lost some of my favorite DVD's to my kids. I take precautions, but every now and then, one slips by and I find it under my bed cracked in half. Now that I have a PS3, I will be purchasing bluray movies. If I own a bluray movie and there is no economically feasible way to back it up, I have no problem finding a way to download it from somewhere else. But I don't want restrictions on how I can use it, so this new service will not be something I will ever buy into. The problem I have is that I'm labeled a thief and pirate. Their laws and rules throw everyone in the same pot.

Pirates are going to pirate no matter what. There are ways around everything. They should just accept that regardless of the DRM, their stuff is going to get pirated by the people that want to. So why even bother frustrating paying customers by putting the restrictions on them? Because restrictions are nothing to a pirate. People who want to buy will buy and people who don't want to buy will pirate it some how.

Maybe this service is a good idea. I probably should try it first before passing judgement. But my overall experience with DRM as a paying customer has been quite frustrating.

11.3.2008 18:10 #15

nobrainer

Originally posted by emugamer:
They still haven't gotten it right. This deal is not even close. And of all corporations, they choose Apple to launch with, and through the biggest joke of a media distribution system - iTunes. All of their approaches to "provide the customer what they want" revolves around a technology that the customer DOES NOT want - DRM.apple are forced to use DRM by the media studios, but iTunes software includes a way to circumvent all the embedded DRM unlike all other DRM digital shops. Apple are bad but they are not as bad as the 4 big RIAA/IFPI/BPI/ECT members and far from the evil of the leading MPAA members.

12.3.2008 05:26 #16

DXR88

Ill rip that drm off, just like rambo Rips off your head with a dull Survival Knife.

because i AM A PIRATE:D...

13.3.2008 18:33 #17

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