Apple TV, iOS devices now recognize DVD Digital Copies in iTunes in the Cloud

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014


iTunes Digital Copy movie files now show up under the Purchased tab of Apple TV and iOS devices and can be re-downloaded through iCloud.



Apple teamed up with Twentieth Century Fox to introduce the iTunes Digital Copy format in 2008 as a way for studios to let consumers import a digital version of purchased DVD movies into iTunes. Support for the initiative has gradually swelled as more studios have come on board.



In order to activate iTunes Digital Copy files, users insert the purchased physical media that includes a digital copy into a Mac or PC and then input a redemption code included with the DVD to import the file into iTunes.



Following the release of updated software for the Apple TV earlier this week, Gabe Gagliano of Tech of the Hub discovered that some of his iTunes Digital Copy files automatically appeared in the Purchased section of his Apple TV and were available for streaming via iCloud. The media also appeared under the Purchased tab of the iTunes app on an iPhone.



For now, Fox and Universal are reportedly unable to offer re-downloads and streaming of their movies because of a contractual obligation with HBO.



Apple announced the expanded iTunes in the Cloud functionality for movies and TV episodes on Wednesday alongside the release of the new Apple TV and third-generation iPad. The company first unveiled its iTunes in the Cloud feature last June as a precursor to the full-fledged iCloud service. The feature initially allowed music purchased through iTunes and apps downloaded from the App Store to be easily re-downloaded to authorized devices.







The new Apple TV adds support for new 1080p iTunes content. According to one analysis, Apple is utilizing new High profile H.264 compression in order to reduce the storage footprint of the new 1080p videos. The most recent versions of Apple's iOS and Apple TV devices include support for High profile decompression.









[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    If you delete your digital copy and go to iCloud in iTunes, it redownloads it and includes the iTunes Extras, if there are any available. You didn't get those with the original digital copy. Nice little side benefit.
  • Reply 2 of 33
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Lots of hidden extras with videos I'm surprised they didn't feature on Wednesday.





    PS: Do people really hate this 4th Apple TV UI because I think it's the best one they've released.
  • Reply 3 of 33
    rcoleman1rcoleman1 Posts: 153member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Lots of hidden extras with videos I'm surprised they didn't feature on Wednesday.





    PS: Do people really hate this 4th Apple TV UI because I thin it's the best one they've released.



    You know how it is...people are so quick to criticize the "new, different" thing. Just human nature I guess.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    I wonder what will happen to a video file in iCloud that has had the requiem treatment?
  • Reply 5 of 33
    cory bauercory bauer Posts: 1,286member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Lots of hidden extras with videos I'm surprised they didn't feature on Wednesday.





    PS: Do people really hate this 4th Apple TV UI because I think it's the best one they've released.



    Functionally, it's vastly superior. Visually, it's ugly as sin.
  • Reply 6 of 33
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Tech o' the hub, lol
  • Reply 7 of 33
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cory Bauer View Post


    Functionally, it's vastly superior. Visually, it's ugly as sin.



    I wouldn't be surprised if that's somewhat deliberate. They don't want Apple TV looking better than iTV now, do they?



    I also think they give iTV an App Store, but they renege on Apple TV. Making it the defining differentiator between the two products. So if the customer wants the true console experience they must get the actual iTV product, as opposed to the poor man's version of it - which they will continue to sell until they can get the iTV cheap enough or perhaps even longer.



    This is presuming they can get a Subscription TV Shows deal inked; something they need to do before releasing iTV or it will not be a success. They need to give people a much better proposition for TV Shows on their TV than Apple TV provides, and they need to subsidize iTV to get it into the hands of as many people as possible. The only way to make the TV as cheap as possible is to lock people into a 12-24 month contract so they will be able to sell iTV at an up-front price the consumer can afford. And they only way to achieve that is Subscription TV Shows.



    I got rid of my cable 5 months ago. I was fed up with watching ads and crap TV. And I completely detest Rupert Murdoch's Sky. They charge you €20 to call support even if the problem is their fault. They charge you call out fees if their box breaks. And if you e-mail them, which you can, they ask you to call them in their e-mail reply - so they can charge you the €20 (a piece of information they care not to divulge).



    Apple iTV cannot come soon enough. It's time to shake up the shit-ho that is cable "terrestrial" TV and provide people an option for a great customer and user experience with excellent customer support.
  • Reply 8 of 33
    starbirdstarbird Posts: 42member
    Aren't Universal and Fox the two studios who don't offer HD versions as well, currently?



    And nice find on the iTunes Extra. Going to have to do that...
  • Reply 9 of 33
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by calvin2006 View Post


    If you delete your digital copy and go to iCloud in iTunes, it redownloads it and includes the iTunes Extras, if there are any available. You didn't get those with the original digital copy. Nice little side benefit.



    I need to find out how this works I have 3 boxes of DVD's and BR. They are all ripped into m4v files but putting what I can in the cloud would be nice. I am sure some have digital copies.
  • Reply 10 of 33
    jtnugejtnuge Posts: 2member
    Yeah, I was shocked and so happy that Star Trek '09 and Up were in my purchased bin in iTunes with the extras. I had to format my Macbook Air last Fall and those were the only two movies I couldn't save. And of course the download period for those digital copies had expired.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    gymratgymrat Posts: 1member
    This is sadly not yet available in the UK :-(
  • Reply 12 of 33
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by calvin2006 View Post


    If you delete your digital copy and go to iCloud in iTunes, it redownloads it and includes the iTunes Extras, if there are any available. You didn't get those with the original digital copy. Nice little side benefit.



    I noticed that. but only on SD since that was what the copy originally was.



    Two of my Harry Potter titles aren't showing as purchased (they were all digital copies) but I'm hoping that will resolve itself in time.
  • Reply 13 of 33
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cory Bauer View Post


    Functionally, it's vastly superior. Visually, it's ugly as sin.



    I think you nailed it. Folks on boards like this think it is ugly as anything. but they forget that they make up only a tiny cut of the audience that Apple is going after and that Steve Jobs would have been thinking about when he was designing the simplest interface ever (and yes I do think this is the UI he was talking about).



    My only objection is the color scheme. I think it's a tad over the top. Makes it look garish. But my grandfather will have no issues getting around. Especially if the Apple Remote app will mirror that layout when paired to an Apple TV. He already wants an iPad anyway so we kids are thinking of getting the Apple TV for him as well.
  • Reply 14 of 33
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by starbird View Post


    Aren't Universal and Fox the two studios who don't offer HD versions as well, currently?



    don't know about that but they don't do any redownloading at the moment
  • Reply 15 of 33
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by herbapou View Post


    I need to find out how this works I have 3 boxes of DVD's and BR. They are all ripped into m4v files but putting what I can in the cloud would be nice. I am sure some have digital copies.



    This isn't iTunes Match for movies. It's just redownloads of what you got from iTunes. With those old DVDs if there was a digital copy you would have to have claimed it during the valid time (which is typically only the first six months after the release) to have it in your records. Otherwise game over.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    desarcdesarc Posts: 642member
    so this "High Profile Compression" supports a maximum bitrate of 62.5Mbps, the New AppleTV supports 25Mbps, and Blu Ray supports a Maximum of 54 Mbps.



    Can anyone tell me what rate the 1080p iTunes content is typically set to? i imagine no more than 25 to support the AppleTV. [looks like i'm not throwing out the BluRay player yet].
  • Reply 17 of 33
    guyrguyr Posts: 50member
    I don?t think this is in iTunes Canada either, I will have to double check this evening, but I didn?t see it after updating the iOS.



    One thing I had noticed was in the physical ?digital? copy when moved into iTunes, was the same size as the ?normal? digital copy on iTunes i.e. around 1 ? 1.5GB. Some films iTunes films also had HD digital copies, they were around 0.5 GB larger. So the questions become, are they going to include the ?HD? digital copies in the physical combo sets ? And if iTunes is re downloading, with extras ( which I have only seen with a Harry Potter disc ) as mentioned elsewhere, will they be ?upgrading? your digital copy ? Similar to that of iTunes match if your song is less than 256k encoded, or will they only do it if they see you have the 1080p Apple TV ?



    I guess they are still fine tuning so it might be a moving goal post for a bit.
  • Reply 18 of 33
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    Can anyone tell me what rate the 1080p iTunes content is typically set to? i imagine no more than 25 to support the AppleTV. [looks like i'm not throwing out the BluRay player yet].



    It's 5-8k, I think.



    Er, sorry, M. I'm used to HandBrake making me type in thousands.
  • Reply 19 of 33
    moochmooch Posts: 113member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GuyR View Post


    I don?t think this is in iTunes Canada either, I will have to double check this evening, but I didn?t see it after updating the iOS.



    It's not, I just checked. *grumble*
  • Reply 20 of 33
    I just tried redownloading Tron, purchased as a Digital Copy with the blu-ray, and it still downloaded a SD version.
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