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Questions re: digital copies included with DVDs

post #1 of 17
7/17/09 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 
What exactly is this, did anyone ask for this, and, more importantly, does it jack up the price of a DVD? I've seen prices steadily climb on new releases and along comes this gimmick which doesn't seem to have a reason to exist other than as an excuse for studios to charge more. Has the public clamored for such a feature?
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post #2 of 17
7/17/09 at 5:32am
I have never clamored for it and end up giving the digital copy away to someone that wants to watch the movie on an iPod.  Not sure if it jacks up the price, but it is another disc so it must somehow.
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post #3 of 17
7/17/09 at 7:53pm
I've always smashed them, thrown them away, set them on fire, made a few of them explode and more crazily elaborate things destroy them. They're nothing but a waste of a disc and frankly it's idiotic whomever developed it. "WITH DIGITAL COPY" means fuck-all to me. I got the Canadian Blu-ray of DARK CITY and guess what? It didn't have a "Digital Copy" disc. I was happy and then I danced in my monkeypants.
Obviously from my signature I don't support the studios for this product.
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post #4 of 17
7/18/09 at 7:18pm
It means at least a $5 increase in the msrp and it is the most useless feature since the invention of dvd.     I'd like to have a set of brass knuckles and 5 minutes in a room with whoever invented it.
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post #5 of 17
7/18/09 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Thomann View Post

It means at least a $5 increase in the msrp...
 


It does? A price increase might happen some times but a digital copy doesn't always mean that there's an increase in price.

That being said, I couldn't care less about digital copies and I have no intention of ever using one.
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post #6 of 17
7/19/09 at 7:12am
Is this Digital Copy crap only used in Region 1? One was in my Blu-ray release of THE DARK KNIGHT. I just tossed that thing in the trash without a moments hesitation.
Someone should strike up a petition for studios to stop using the most worthless invention in 5" disc history. I'd sign it. I certainly didn't ask for it either.
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post #7 of 17
7/19/09 at 3:57pm
Isn't burning them going to release a lot of toxic fumes into the air?

I've seen older Sony/Columbia titles like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth pop up at Walmart, with all the extras dumped to make room for a digital copy on the same disc. Don't know if it's exclusive to them or not.

I'd just give the separate discs away, but everybody I know simply uses a portable DVD player on long trips.
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post #8 of 17
7/19/09 at 3:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray_R View Post

I've always smashed them, thrown them away, set them on fire, made a few of them explode and more crazily elaborate things destroy them. They're nothing but a waste of a disc and frankly it's idiotic whomever developed it. etc.
 

Rather childish, IMO.
Many members here have posted about their using it in the car, giving it to the children to play a movie, play it in another room, on a notebook, and so on.

There's many a thing on a DVD or BD I don't use / see / listen to / read at all, but if other people do: I don't care and more power to them.
There's no such thing as a unit product, actually.


Cees
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post #9 of 17
7/19/09 at 5:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cees Alons View Post




Rather childish, IMO.
Many members here have posted about their using it in the car, giving it to the children to play a movie, play it in another room, on a notebook, and so on.

There's many a thing on a DVD or BD I don't use / see / listen to / read at all, but if other people do: I don't care and more power to them.
There's no such thing as a unit product, actually.


Cees
I know just over-exaggerating. I have no need for Digital Copy anyway.
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post #10 of 17
7/20/09 at 4:31am
When I travel I watch movies on my PSP, so I like the digital copies.  That said I only get them when they're "free" or nearly free; that is, when it appears the standard price hasn't been jacked up. 

The worst digital copy disk I experienced actually just dropped you on a web site where you could download the copy - once.  THAT was a complete waste of a disk and I really wanted to throttle whoever came up with that idea.
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post #11 of 17
7/20/09 at 6:42am
My oh my.....this must be the Digital Copy Hater's Club judging from the majority of posts here so far.    Oh well, to each their own.

Personally, I enjoy using them when I'm travelling.....they certainly help pass the time when you're stuck at the airport waiting for a flight or simply just delayed on the commuter train heading home.  They will never replace DVD/Blu-rays....but they are perfect for "on the go" entertainment when you're just bored out your mind.

....I haven't noticed any real difference in prices between those films that have digital copies and those that don't either.

....maybe you guys need to travel more.
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post #12 of 17
7/20/09 at 9:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph J.D View Post


....maybe you guys need to travel more.

Or maybe you need to read more!   I find long waits at airports on planes to be the perfect place to get caught up on my reading matter, but not to get engrossed in a movie.  But then, I'm the type to all but take the phone off the hook when I watch a DVD.
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post #13 of 17
7/21/09 at 8:54pm
I don't see the big deal. I have an mp3 player and even though right now I don't have a desire to watch it on there, I'm keeping it in case some day I might. It certainly doesn't hurt having it sit there in the case. As far as jacking up the price? I just bought X-Men 3 at Sam's Club for $5.88 and it had a digital copy, no price hike there. Evidently, the studios are getting requests for these or they are trying to accommodate people seeing that mp3 players are so popular now. Perhaps trying to dissuade people from illegally downloading movies?
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post #14 of 17
7/22/09 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
Sure, X-Men 3 was dirt cheap, because its old news and they're trying to dump all that remains unsold. I'm talking about new releases. Noboby I know actually uses (or needs) digital copies of movies because like a poster said above many people, including myself, use portable DVD players on the road. I'm not gonna watch a scope film on a 3-inch screen. As for the price issue, I don't remember special edition versions of DVDs (the ones with a useless second disc where all the extras could easily fit on one disc) costing $22.99 five years ago. Now they're adding yet another disc to justify charging $5 more. All I'm saying is, do we really need the gimmicks when all we want is to see our favorite movies uncut, in widescreen and looking as good as possible?        
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post #15 of 17
7/22/09 at 9:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luisito34 View Post

As for the price issue, I don't remember special edition versions of DVDs (the ones with a useless second disc where all the extras could easily fit on one disc) costing $22.99 five years ago. Now they're adding yet another disc to justify charging $5 more.

Two disc sets have cost $22.99 for years before they started including the digital copies. I don't like digital copies and I don't need them but I don't see any evidence that they're causing a price increase.
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post #16 of 17
7/22/09 at 6:12pm
Digital copy discs irritate me since in a lot of cases they seem to leave less room for special features.  The special features on 2 Disc special editions just don't have the same bang that they used to, whether it be quality or quantity.  On some rare occasions I have bought 3-Disc DVD's that have the digital copy in a paper sleeve that sits loose in the case.  I like that at least with those you get a larger amount of special features and the digital copy is considered more of an after thought.
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post #17 of 17
7/22/09 at 6:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryK View Post

Digital copy discs irritate me since in a lot of cases they seem to leave less room for special features.  The special features on 2 Disc special editions just don't have the same bang that they used to, whether it be quality or quantity.  On some rare occasions I have bought 3-Disc DVD's that have the digital copy in a paper sleeve that sits loose in the case.  I like that at least with those you get a larger amount of special features and the digital copy is considered more of an after thought.

 
Yeah they should name those 2-Discs and a Digital Copy disc thrown in of which you can toss out.
Perhaps someone needs to make a petition for studios to abandon this worthless-feature? I take alot of them dropped trailers in favor of this.
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