ParisLemon » Fox DVDs Already Shipping With iTunes-Ready Digital Copies?

Fox DVDs Already Shipping With iTunes-Ready Digital Copies?

A TUAW tipster has supposedly uncovered proof that Fox will be including digital iTunes-ready copies of movies on their new DVDs. A new Family Guy DVD apparently pops up a window stating “This Fox Digital Copy file requires iTunes 7.6 or newer. Your current iTunes is 7.5″. iTunes version 7.6 is of course not out yet, but you can be almost sure a new version will be launching at MacWorld.

It looks as if this is a digital file already on the disc encoded specifically for this 7.6 version of iTunes that can read it – so technically you don’t be “ripping” Fox movies to your computer as had been speculated, but allowed to transfer over the already-made file. This would seem to make a lot more sense from a copy-protection standpoint, but doesn’t give you any option in terms of quality and/or file size you’d like. Of course for those you can still use Handbrake.

[photo: The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

Post by MG Siegler on 01/08/08
Comments

Anonymous

So essentially Fox is including a DRM wrapped video file on their DVD?

That seems like a step in the wrong direction.

MG Siegler

@anon - i agree and disagree. i'm no fan of DRM but like the music industry before we're going to have to put up with it at the very least in the beginning years of (legal) digital distribution for movies.

I like this move by Fox because it's going to make the move to digital much easier and it's very smart for them from a business perspective because it gives people a reason to keep buying DVDs.