Digital Copy Discs in DVDs - What are they and how do they work?

Raikus — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:14:00 GMT

You may have noticed a new trend when buying DVD movies lately -- an extra disc labeled "digital copy." Normally these come in the Collector's Edition or Special Edition of a new DVD release. I first noticed it when I had to buy "Nightmare Before Christmas" on DVD for my daughter after the VCR (yes, Virginia, they do still exist) ate the tape. Most likely the first taste you'll get of a new digital disc will be when you buy the Dark Knight 2 disc collector's edition.

So what are these newfangled contraptions? Quite simply, they are digital media on a disc (normally only the feature film) that allows you to play the movie on your computer, iPod, Zune and other media enabled devices. Normally they will also include a download code for iTunes that you can enter and download the digital media version directly into your iTunes. Pretty nifty, no?

You see, the movie industry is trying to head off piracy any way that they can. They know of the programs out there, like Handbrake, that can rip DVDs and convert them into digital media so they're trying to provide an easier way. A way that, naturally, is regulated by them through DRM. Ninety percent of people that buy these DVD sets with digital copy discs won't care about DRM. However, there's a large group of people that vehemently oppose it. DRM stands for "Digital Rights Media" and is essentially a regulation device.

Apple's iTunes and iPod is an example of an annoying DRM policy. Have you ever tried to plug your iPod into a friends or spouses computer? Well, if you've already synced it to two other computer then you're tough out of luck. Most people will most likely respond "Two computers? Who uses more than that?" I, for one, and many others own a home computer, a laptop and work nearly all of the time on a computer at work. Or some people have one central computer and each spouse has a laptop. So if your spouse just downloaded the newest Killers album and you'd like to listen to it, well tough luck Johnny. You have to shell out your .99 per download as well. The other annoying thing about iProducts is that once you buy iMusic they lock you into having to use anything "i" from then on. Don't even think about buying a Zune or Sansa player because you're entire musical library is locked into Apple's proprietary file format that no one else is legally allowed to offer. The more you learn about DRM the less appealing it sounds.

But, for a music and movie industry that's fighting against surging technology, they're trying to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Which brings us back to our digital copy disc. They're hoping that by including this disc it will satiate your need to rip it from your legally bought DVD or download it illegally for free. However there are still problems with the way the digital copies are being distributed. First, if you buy a Region 1 DVD from the US and you live in another country you forfeit your free digital download from iTunes. Apple will only honor the code if you live in the U.S. Also, not all movie companies bought on with Apple to sell their digital media through them. Warner Bros.'s movies that include a digital copy disc only works for PCs and Windows.

As time goes on and movies transition from the physical media to the digital download media you're going to see what you're allowed to do with your bought property transition as well. Soon there will be all kinds of limitations on the digital media you buy, who you can share it with, and what you can do with it. And while digital copy discs seem like a step in the right direction (and in some ways are) they may pave the way for the eventual loss of your consumer rights. Ah well, at least you'll be able to watch Dark Knight on your iPhone.

All Around Me are Familiar Faces...

Raikus — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:20:00 GMT

What had the largest opening week in the history of entertainment media?

I know. Easy question. After all, it just happened and everyone is still talking about it. Few, if any, people I know haven't seen it. It had everything an audience would want -- great acting, action scenes that just don't seem to let up, villains with quirky accents and mean senses of humor, and a great storyline. And what's the answer to my original question? Say it with me...

Grand Theft Auto IV.

Huh? What does Grand Theft Auto IV have to do with The Dark Knight? Not to much really. I guess if you were to draw parallels then you could say the Dark Knight, whose opening week is the #1 box office gross in the HISTORY of cinema earning $238,615,211 and some odd change, is almost half of what Grand Theft Auto IV made in it's first week of sales.

It's long been a misconception that Hollywood is the premiere earner in the entertainment category. Actually, for a while now, it's been video games. Halo 3's opening week took in roughly $300 million. Even Madden '07 made $100 million it's first week. It seems that video games are starting to become the sure thing for entertainment media.

So it's rather surprising that advertising for the largest "media money makers" (TM coming!) is relatively sparse when compared to the silver screen, DVDs or even music. They're starting to pop up more frequently now -- and not just on stations like Cartoon Network or Network Saturday morning programming. Lately there have been quite a few spots for video games. Not surprising based on the facts, but what is surprising is that they're... well, they're really, really good! Good commercials are about as rare as finding a mounted brigade of Leprechauns atop unicorns. These commercials seem to have unlocked the secret to tapping right into the heart of their target audience. The secret is "music".

There are three commercials for video games that I think are just perfect:
Halo 3 "Believe" spot:
Visit the site to see the media.
Mercenaries 2 "Oh No You Didn't!":
Visit the site to see the media.
and Gears of War "Mad World":
Visit the site to see the media.

Each one of these spots makes excellent use of the accompanying music. The "Believe" spot in itself is a masterpiece. The odd thing about it is that it doesn't show one frame of game footage. Instead they took the story and characters of the game and transformed it into another medium -- that of a diorama. It's wonderfully done. You see this fictional moment in time where humans are fighting alien hordes. They're yelling, in shock, some are running, others fighting, but each face is telling us a story that words couldn't. The battle doesn't seem to be going in our favor. The aliens are bigger, there's many more of them, and they're holding our hero up as a trophy. The hero -- lifeless, broken, defeated -- holds one last chance for victory in his hand. There is hope yet.

Did this spot just convey... emotion? Emotion for a video game? Yes, it really did. The backbone of this spot is the piano -- simplistic and dire -- that starts off dreary before building into a stronger melody of hope. The visuals drive the story, but the music is what lays the tracks and determines where the viewer will go. I haven't seen a commercial that has prompted such feelings in a very long time.

Mercenaries 2 wields the typical weapon of "good" commercials -- comedy. The song is fun, playful and irreverent. It tells the story and let's the visuals back it up. That's not to say the visuals are secondary eye candy though. Everything is shot in green and textures like the engraving plates that make up the good ol' buckskin. It tells you that this game is going to be fun, full of revenge, and that you get to blow a lot of crap up. Repeatedly. The commercial is in perfect touch with what it represents. I doubt few people would buy this game and not get what they were expecting after viewing this spot.

Finally we have the Gears of War commercial with Gary Jules haunting "Mad World." The spot itself is well done and touching, but it's a combination of two media that don't necessarily mesh. "Mad World" is probably most famous for being in Donny Darko. The song itself casts an air of depression and remorse. It's used the same way in the movie as it is in the spot. The visuals are great. They show you a world destroyed and man fighting against overwhelming odds. Something not all that original, but very well done. I especially appreciate the lack of any "in game" sound effects. The action is entirely mute against the backdrop of the song. It's not a perfect fit, but the quality is certainly that of a great commercial.

I hope that video game commercials keep this trend up. I love to see well done spots, regardless of what they're selling.

The Wastebucket : dvds

Digital Copy Discs in DVDs - What are they and how do they work?

All Around Me are Familiar Faces...