“MacRumors reader mr echo received an early copy of a Family Guy DVD [Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation] intended for release January 15th and discovered an included iTunes/iPod compatible digital copy. Also reported on TUAW,” Jeff Longo reports for Mac Rumors.
“Including a digital copy on the DVD makes ripping the DVD for use with portable media players largely unnecessary, although the files are likely to contain digital rights management,” Longo reports.
“The H.264 copies reportedly require iTunes 7.6, which isn’t yet available,” Longo reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam W.” for the heads up.]
Matthew Garrahan and Kevin Allison reported for The Financial Times in late December that “Apple has signed News Corp’s 20th Century Fox studio to a new online video-on-demand service in a deal that could change the way people pay for online film content. The agreement will allow consumers to rent the latest Fox DVD releases by downloading a digital copy from Apple’s iTunes platform for a limited time, according to a person familiar with the situation.”
Expect iPod/iPhone/iTunes-compatible files on Fox DVDs, the release of iTunes 7.6, and probably iTunes video rentals and possibly a significant Apple TV software update (and/or Apple TV 2.0) at Macworld Expo. Less than week to go now…
Sure glad all of this is a secret. Wouldn’t want the wrong people to know…
growing the rev stream
faster than a <insert here>
Damn your Conservative values, Rupert Murdoch…..
(sorry, wrong thread)
Be interesting to see if Netflixs rentals have these on them, and what it will mean. Could one rent the movie and be able to pull the iTunes version off of it? I imagine if someone all of a sudden starts having 1,000s of movies registered with iTunes that might alert somebody. Apple might receive some user backlash if it started reporting people……assuming it does that sorta thing. Of course, being someone who has 10,000s of iTunes MP3s which I got the covers from iTunes, I haven’t been “turned in” yet……..and quite a few of my tunes were obtained from places other than iTunes Store or the actual CD…….
It’s a step in the right direction.
If it’s true and legit. then – YES!
I’ll tell you what, I’m getting weary of ripping my DVD’s for the iPOD.
In a way it’s too bad all of this coming out… it takes away some of the magic from the keynote itself
So is this US-only or are these gonna be in R2 DVDs too?
If US-only, I can only say to them TV-people: Oh, screw you!
Wonder what the resolution will be. 320×240, 480×320, 640×480? Videos sized for my iPod look like crap on my iPhone with the black bars on each side and I don’t want to zoom as it cuts off the picture.
So how will DRM work on these?
I mean you buy a DVD, copy file to iTunes, and what?
How do you authorize it?
Let the games begin!!!
I wonder how will that work. If you rend the DVD, will you still have access to this bonus iTunes movie. That would be kind of cool, but it would make it very easy to amass a pirate collation of unlicensed material. But, really, how many times are you willing to see the same movie. Now if your 4, like my son, now that is a different story.
Personally, if the H264 version included costs me no extra… I welcome it. Certainly this is beneficial as a connivence.
I am imagining this works due to a digital encoded barcode…
proof of purchase to iTunes.
Interesting.
Thought this was going to download-rent?
If you have to get down to blockbuster anyway, then why not just grab a standard Blu-Ray Disk ?..
This will save me 2 minutes from having to use HandBrake.
The only thing I care about now is how much further this collapse of AAPL is going…
Yes, you need to give up your privacy [by “registering” the DVD with iTunes to gain access to this video] in return for a DRM-limited version of the DVD. Why not just use HandBrake to retain your fair-use rights, and retain your privacy as well?
Think I’d rather rip or download my own anyway. No DRM, actually ‘plays for sure’ on any device i choose.
Who Cares…?
What are you talking about, the lower the stock goes the better. We’ve seen it at 200, which proves it can be 200, it will be at 200 again. Buy now while it’s cheaper. You never realy loose money on the stocks (unless a company goes absolutly belly up, or you get nervouse and withdraw at a lower price) you just have to wait until it goes up again. But if you bought in at 200 and it’s now what, 170, you may be a little concerned. Relax, you don’t make a killing over night it takes years. ‘Invest’ any spare cash you arn’t likely to need and forget about it for 5 years, don’t even look at the stocks. Quietly come back and log in in 5 years, then you’ll smile.
Unless Apple goes belly up of course. I don’t see that happening just yet.
Porn isn’t thinking of DRM are they?
“We continue to believe that HD DVD is the best quality experience at the most affordable price,” said a Microsoft representative in an email to GamePro on Tuesday. “We stand behind our decision to offer the Xbox 360 owner an affordable choice to adopt HD optical media.”
Gee, I thought the entire contents of a DVD were already digital. I guess I been hoodwinked
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“”MacRumors reader mr echo received an early copy of a Family Guy DVD . . .”
What the deuce?
Family Guy kicks @$$!!!
Ampar,
Great comment!
Victory is Apple’s!!!
Sorry, Ampar, couldn’t resist getting in the action.
I think I know every damn line and possible trivia question about Family Guy there is!