iTunes motion-picture show rentals grabbed the limelight , but that service was n’t the only digital - culture medium proclamation to come out of Steve Jobs ’ Macworld Expo keynote last workweek . Overshadowed by the news that users could download iTunes rentals from all of the major movie studios was an announcement made by 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulous when he joined Jobs on stage — another Fox - Apple collaboration called iTunes Digital Copy .
TheDigital Copyis a new feature include with selected movies . When you buy one of these videos on DVD or Blu - beam , you ’ll also get a rendering of the flick that ’s compatible with iTunes and Apple ’s associated medium instrumentalist .
The result ? You ’ll no longer need to use time - consuming — and legally questionable — method , such as ripping your own DVDs using HandBrake , to be able to look on your picture on your iPod , iPhone , or Apple TV . With Digital Copy , you ’ll have an iTunes - compatible version right out of the box .
Though Apple desire other picture show studio latch on to iTunes Digital Copy , Fox is the only one take part right now — and with only one specific movie at the time of this authorship . We plunk down $ 12.99 for a transcript ofFamily Guy Presents : Blue Harvest , marked with a sticker advertizing that it included the bonus Digital Copy .
videodisk in helping hand , we direct a look at this new feature film and how it lick .
Getting started
Movies with an iTunes Digital Copy — call justDigital Copyon the publicity — actually include two discs : one for the DVD or Blu - beam copy of the movie and one for the Digital Copy . When you introduce the latter into your Mac , the disc opens in the Finder to expose a Blue Harvest image and an iTunes picture you doubly - click to transport the moving-picture show to iTunes .
( If you ’re on a machine incline Windows , insert the disc brings up a program that lets you chose whether to transfer the Digital Copy to the Windows interpretation of iTunes or Windows Media Player . If you choose the latter , you ’ll then see a CRT screen where you choose to which twist it should be change : your computer or a link Windows Media - compatible media player . )
iTunes launch , and the Blue Harvest disc appear in the Devices section of iTunes ’ Source List . ( If iTunes was already unfastened , you do n’t even need to double - click the icon on the disc ; just switch to iTunes . ) dawn on the disc in the Source List show you a blind — novel to iTunes — containing the movie banner , instructions for using the platter , an Enter Code field , and the iTunes terms of manipulation for the video .
Redeeming your code
The DVD package comes with an insert list a singular serial number to unlock the Digital Copy . Type the numeral into the Enter Code field in iTunes and tick on Redeem ; if you are n’t presently logged in to your iTunes Store report , you ’ll be cue to do so . After iTunes connects to the Store , you ’ll see a confirmation screen get you know your attack to unlock was successful ; you ’ll also see the Downloads detail seem in iTunes Source List , just as if you ’d purchased a movie from the iTunes Store . you’re able to sink in on Downloads to take in the progress , which is really the procession of the movie data file being copy from the disk to your iTunes Library . Thus , it ’s much faster than actually downloading a movie over the net .
Once the “ download ” is over , the movie appear under the Movies section of your iTunes Library , just like any flick you may have bribe from iTunes . you could toy it in iTunes or Front Row , and you could transpose it to an iPod , iPhone , Apple TV , or another Mac .
unlock the pic comrade your iTunes Store account with the file using Apple ’s FairPlay digital rights management ( DRM ) technology . ( In fact , if you chew the fat your history in the iTunes Store and get across on Purchase History , the Digital Copy will appear in your lean of purchases . ) Thus , the same five - computer bound applied to iTunes Store purchase apply to Digital Copy motion picture .
Once you ’ve used the nonparallel number admit with the disc , that number is permanently linked to your iTunes Store account . If you put the disc in another data processor using the same iTunes Store explanation , you ’ll be able to use that same serial number to copy the movie to iTunes on that computer . However , if the other computing machine is using adifferentiTunes Store account , you ’ll get an error that the serial telephone number has already been used . ( The same use to substance abuser explanation on the same calculator — if another drug user account is using the same iTunes account , the serial turn can be used to simulate the movie to iTunes . ) If you want to watch the Digital Copy on a computer using a different iTunes Store account , you ’ll take to manually copy the picture file from your computer — it will be in your iTunes Music leaflet — to the other one ; of course , that computer still must be pass to play your iTunes - purchased cognitive content .
More info
you could use iTunes ’ Get Info sport to view elaborated information about the Digital Copy of the motion picture ; doing so break some interesting choice morsel . For example , for this fussy film file , the audio bit rate is 124 kbps ( two - channel stereophonic system ) ; the video bit rate is 1451 kbps ; the video codec used is H.264 ; and the video has a solving of 640 - by-480 pixels . You ’ll also note a new anti - buccaneering monition that appear to be present on all video newly - usable for rent or purchase on the iTunes Store .
Overall , the appendage is quite simple , and the character of the Digital Copy is comparable to the 640 - by-480 videos you may grease one’s palms off the iTunes Store . If you do experience problems , Appleprovides a Knowledge Base pagethat includes links to troubleshooting article . Fox also hasFAQandSupportpages , although both provide little data for Mac users , as they sharpen on the Windows Media version of the Digital Copy .
Final thoughts
Assuming your goal is to watch your own movies on your own gimmick , the Digital Copy lineament is much more commodious than rip a movie yourself usingHandBrake , MacTheRipper , or other DVD - spiritual rebirth public-service corporation . Those programs want you to extract the capacity of the DVD and then change that content to a compatible picture file — both boring processes .
The main advantage of HandBrake is that it lets you convert your DVDs to higher - quality versions ; for example , for copying to an Apple goggle box for watch on an HDTV . But if that ’s something you want to do , you could still do so using the stock DVD admit in the Digital Copy package .
Perhaps the good news , ifBlue Harvestis representative of next offerings , is that gravel a Digital Copy does n’t mean getting hose down at the check counter . The Blue Harvest videodisc is currently sell for $ 13 to $ 15 , which is about what you ’d expect for a novel release .
[ Senior editor Dan Frakes reviews iPod gearing and manages the Mac Gems blog . ]
