Question about "Digital Copy" Blu Rays

[AHamick]

Hey everyone,

I own several blu rays that have either "Ultraviolet" or "Digital Copy" as an added bonus to them. With my UV movies I have already loaded them onto the cloud and can now access them through my phone and smart tv.

As I understand it, "Digital Copies" are only allowed to be downloaded to a device for viewing. Other than itunes (which I dont have and cant really use) does anyone know of a way to put "Digital Copies" onto a cloud like service that I can access online through my android phone or smart tv? I would prefer not to have to store the entire movie permanently on my phone hogging up my limited storage space

Any ideas?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Step 1: Rip the Blu Ray
Step 2: Load Plex on a faster always on machines and maybe by a Roku if you want it on your TV
Step 3: Use Plex to stream video to your devices

Screw any more legitimate way to do it, it is a pain.

 

[KeithP]

Step 1: Rip the Blu Ray
Step 2: Load Plex on a faster always on machines and maybe by a Roku if you want it on your TV
Step 3: Use Plex to stream video to your devices

Screw any more legitimate way to do it, it is a pain.

Yeah, because those steps are soooo easy with no problems whatsoever.

I believe "digital copies" can be redeemed on services such as Amazon or Vodu. However you may just want to check out the "pocketBLU" app.

http://www.pocketblu.com/DigitalCopy.aspx

-KeithP

 

[JackBurton]

Yeah, because those steps are soooo easy with no problems whatsoever.

I believe "digital copies" can be redeemed on services such as Amazon or Vodu. However you may just want to check out the "pocketBLU" app.

http://www.pocketblu.com/DigitalCopy.aspx

-KeithP

I'm almost positive it is an iTunes only copy, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

For me, I LOVE the iTunes Digital Copy. It stores my movies in the cloud, and let's me download it whenever I want. On the contrary, I HATE UV. I don't want to stream. I just want to download my movie and be able to watch it offline when I want. To make everyone happy though, I think every BD movie should come with a UV and Digital Copy.

 

[dagamer34]

I'm almost positive it is an iTunes only copy, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

For me, I LOVE the iTunes Digital Copy. It stores my movies in the cloud, and let's me download it whenever I want. On the contrary, I HATE UV. I don't want to stream. I just want to download my movie and be able to watch it offline when I want. To make everyone happy though, I think every BD movie should come with a UV and Digital Copy.

Only problem is that iTunes digital copies are SD, making them effectively useless to me. UV is at least HD, and with Vudu, pretty decent bitrate HD.

 

[JackBurton]

Only problem is that iTunes digital copies are SD, making them effectively useless to me. UV is at least HD, and with Vudu, pretty decent bitrate HD.

I have several digital copies and they look GREAT on my retina iPad. I don't think they would look that great on a big screen, but for portable viewing, they look damn good.

 

[dagamer34]

I have several digital copies and they look GREAT on my retina iPad. I don't think they would look that great on a big screen, but for portable viewing, they look damn good.

720x480 on a 2048x1536 screen? If that looks great, more power to you. :whiste:

 

[JackBurton]

720x480 on a 2048x1536 screen? If that looks great, more power to you. :whiste:

What I'm saying is, it doesn't look SD. It looks HD but I can't see where it shows the resolution. I'm pretty sure it's the HD version though.

 

[Aikouka]

I think I've seen an option for a Windows Media variant for some Digital Copies, but it's not like that's much better.

 

[sdifox]

Yeah, because those steps are soooo easy with no problems whatsoever.

I believe "digital copies" can be redeemed on services such as Amazon or Vodu. However you may just want to check out the "pocketBLU" app.

http://www.pocketblu.com/DigitalCopy.aspx

-KeithP

lulz. Tons of those digital copy ones have expiry date, as in if you don't claim it before x date it is gone. Even if you bought a brand new BluRay you are out of luck.

 

[purbeast0]

i have the dvd and digital copies of both the hobbit and life of pi that i have absolutely no use for. i think it's ridiculous how the only way to get a 3d bluray for the most part is to get the 3d bluray, 2d bluray, dvd, and digital copy.

i'd prefer the 3d and 2d bluray if i had to have more than 1 disc because i only have 2 pairs of glasses for now, so that way if more than 2 people want to watch it they can watch the 2d version. but wtf do i need a dvd for if i'm buying a bluray?

 

[mmntech]

lulz. Tons of those digital copy ones have expiry date, as in if you don't claim it before x date it is gone. Even if you bought a brand new BluRay you are out of luck.

Yeah, I have tons of discs with useless digital copies on. What a colossal waste of plastic, though they make good Frisbees. ^_^

The best thing to do is grab AnyDVD HD and a PC Bluray drive. Just rip them. I stream most of my stuff now though. If I do buy hard copies I'll get the BD/DVD combo packs. SD looks fine on my mobile devices.

 

[JackBurton]

Yeah, I have tons of discs with useless digital copies on. What a colossal waste of plastic, though they make good Frisbees. ^_^

The best thing to do is grab AnyDVD HD and a PC Bluray drive. Just rip them. I stream most of my stuff now though. If I do buy hard copies I'll get the BD/DVD combo packs. SD looks fine on my mobile devices.

If your digital copy has expired, you should be able to contact the studio to get a new code. I have a stack of BD's that I need to contact support to get me another digital code. The great thing about a DC is that it is stored in the cloud and can be downloaded whenever you'd like. Way better than ripping a disc where you have to provide your own storage.

 

[sdifox]

If your digital copy has expired, you should be able to contact the studio to get a new code. I have a stack of BD's that I need to contact support to get me another digital code. The great thing about a DC is that it is stored in the cloud and can be downloaded whenever you'd like. Way better than ripping a disc where you have to provide your own storage.

I live in stone age Canada, we don't got streaming like you guys.

 

[Aikouka]

i have the dvd and digital copies of both the hobbit and life of pi that i have absolutely no use for. i think it's ridiculous how the only way to get a 3d bluray for the most part is to get the 3d bluray, 2d bluray, dvd, and digital copy.

i'd prefer the 3d and 2d bluray if i had to have more than 1 disc because i only have 2 pairs of glasses for now, so that way if more than 2 people want to watch it they can watch the 2d version. but wtf do i need a dvd for if i'm buying a bluray?

It is kind of a waste, but I think it's just to give more value and versatility to the overall purchase. For example, some cars have monitors in them, and they support playing a DVD. So, including a DVD might be a good idea for a children's movie. However, those two movies aren't really children's movies. Although, it is worthwhile to consider that DVDs are ridiculously cheap to manufacture. The fancier case that's required to hold 4 discs probably costs more to make than the disc.

What I hate is the price premium on 3D movies. It's just ridiculous. I got Wreck-It Ralph at release for a good price using that $7 off Disney coupon. The 2D Blu-Ray was $12.99 after coupon and the 3D copy was $21.99. Is that one disc really worth $9?

 

[AHamick]

If your digital copy has expired, you should be able to contact the studio to get a new code. I have a stack of BD's that I need to contact support to get me another digital code. The great thing about a DC is that it is stored in the cloud and can be downloaded whenever you'd like. Way better than ripping a disc where you have to provide your own storage.

How are you streaming digital copies over a cloud? Is it through iTunes or another service? I have UV movies but some of my movies aren't UV and I can only seem to fully download a copy to a device. I would prefer to stream them on my TV

 

[JackBurton]

How are you streaming digital copies over a cloud? Is it through iTunes or another service? I have UV movies but some of my movies aren't UV and I can only seem to fully download a copy to a device. I would prefer to stream them on my TV

It's technically not streaming. You just enter your code in iTunes and it immediately becomes available to download on any iDevice. Think of it as having your movie library in the cloud and available to download wherever a wifi connection is available. For instance, if I plan to go on a trip, I download the movie I want from the cloud that night to my iPad and can then watch them offline whenever or wherever I'd like. So unlike streaming, I don't have to have an internet connection available to watch a movie.

I also have an AppleTV connected to my TV and can stream any digital copy I've purchased which includes the copies that come with my BD. I usually don't do that though because I'd rather use the higher quality BD version.

 

[marcplante]

How are you streaming digital copies over a cloud? Is it through iTunes or another service? I have UV movies but some of my movies aren't UV and I can only seem to fully download a copy to a device. I would prefer to stream them on my TV

You will have to find a UVVU streaming provider, and I don't know if there are any yet.

Comcast was thinking of offering a service as a streaming service to complement their VOD service. CinemaNow originally joined the UVVU consortium to stream videos, but their mission may have changed when Best Buy purchased them. You might check the Cinema Now menu of your smartTV or BluRay player or go to CinemaNow.com on your PC. then again, i haven't worked with DECE in a couple years, so you might want to try to email them to see if they can name any active streaming companies. The DECE term for streaming company was LASP (Locker Access Service Provider).

HTH

 

[dookulooku]

I'm almost positive it is an iTunes only copy, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

For me, I LOVE the iTunes Digital Copy. It stores my movies in the cloud, and let's me download it whenever I want. On the contrary, I HATE UV. I don't want to stream. I just want to download my movie and be able to watch it offline when I want. To make everyone happy though, I think every BD movie should come with a UV and Digital Copy.

For most recent blu-ray releases, a "digital copy" is synonymous with a UV copy. The main exception are Disney releases.

AFAIK, UV lets you use BOTH a STREAMING provider (e.g. Vudu) and DOWNLOAD a copy using iTunes.

If you bought a movie like Hobbit or Life of Pi, then I recommend you redeem the UV copy via Vudu, or give it away. It literally takes 10 seconds once you have a Vudu account. It sucks that you can buy Disney movies on Vudu, but you can't redeem digital (non-UV) copies of the same movies on Vudu though.

Vudu HDX is a legit replacement to blu-ray. Yes, in detailed scenes it's going to be a bit softer looking than blu-ray, but overall it is actually really good, and looks and sounds better than the other services. Vudu does let you download a copy to watch offline too.

 

[JackBurton]

For most recent blu-ray releases, a "digital copy" is synonymous with a UV copy. The main exception are Disney releases.

AFAIK, UV lets you use BOTH a STREAMING provider (e.g. Vudu) and DOWNLOAD a copy using iTunes.

If you bought a movie like Hobbit or Life of Pi, then I recommend you redeem the UV copy via Vudu, or give it away. It literally takes 10 seconds once you have a Vudu account. It sucks that you can buy Disney movies on Vudu, but you can't redeem digital (non-UV) copies of the same movies on Vudu though.

Vudu HDX is a legit replacement to blu-ray. Yes, in detailed scenes it's going to be a bit softer looking than blu-ray, but overall it is actually really good, and looks and sounds better than the other services. Vudu does let you download a copy to watch offline too.

It doesn't. With BD's, you'll see digital copy (iTunes) or UV, or both. If it says digital copy, it's strictly an iTunes redeemed copy. If it says UV, it is strictly UV with no iTunes copy. I know because I hate it when it just shows UV on the cover of the movie. That means there is no iTunes version.

 

[dookulooku]

It doesn't. With BD's, you'll see digital copy (iTunes) or UV, or both. If it says digital copy, it's strictly an iTunes redeemed copy. If it says UV, it is strictly UV with no iTunes copy. I know because I hate it when it just shows UV on the cover of the movie. That means there is no iTunes version.

Hmmm, when I activated UV on Vudu's site, I was asked to pair it with iTunes/WMP, but I declined. I also didn't read the details, so maybe it was for something else.

In any case, the real war is not between UV and digital copy, but rather Vudu vs iTunes. Yes, you can use UV with other services, but Vudu is the de facto choice. And a digital copy can also mean Windows Media, but iTunes is often the only choice.

I must emphasize that Vudu is considered the front-runner (by a large margin) when it comes to a legitimate replacement to optical media, especially among the HT crowd. In most cases PQ is the closest to Blu-ray, and for audio quality it has an even larger advantage over the competition. It also has the strong backing of most movie studios: You can convert DVDs from those studios into HDX copies, a nice feature for people who don't want to purchase or wait for a Blu-ray release of their old movies.

Vudu and iTunes have different origins, and at this moment still appeal to different audiences. Vudu started from the living room, and preferred by people like me, who like watching movies in the living room with the best equipment. ITunes is more for people who want to watch on the computer, or download a movie and watch it to-go. Of course, both are heading towards the same goal: accessibility in both the living room and on the go.

I think Apple is very aware of the huge threat that the Vudu poses to them, which is why they are working on an upcoming TV. Vudu has a much stronger foothold in the living room than iTunes does, and the pairing with UV makes this even stronger. It's completely viable to buy a Blu-ray, redeem a Vudu HDX, and watch it in near Blu-ray quality without ever having to pop the disc in. The more open nature of computers and portable devices makes Vudu's transition to outside the living room much easier than Apple's transition to the living room.