[starman]

Gonna make this short because I'm tired and going to bed.

Picked up Risky Business which had a digital copy DVD. Turns out the digital copy has an expiration date of Sept. 16, 2009. If you don't activate it before then, it's useless. I found that a bunch of digital copies I've been neglecting did the same. They're useless coasters now.

And they wonder why people rip discs....

[shifuimam]

Also a plus when the digital copy of a DVD or CD isn't compatible with the iPod. Way to shut out 90% of your customers.

[starman]

Dark City, also Warner, was WMV only. That was before Risky Business was released, so hopefully they'll learn from this. I wrote them a scathing letter about their business practices.

[Dork.]

You're not saying that the digital copies themselves expire, you're saying that the one-time code that "unlocks" them expires. Right?

[starman]

Right. Sorry for the confusion. I was dead tired when I wrote that.

[Dork.]

It still doesn't make the situation right. This is the thing where you buy the DVD, and get a pre-ripped copy for iTunes, right? If so, there are still discs sitting on shelves with a little sticker on them saying you get a digital copy for free, with no indication that the free copy has actually expired. If I had bought one, I'd be pissed.

[starman]

See, that's the thing. The sticker says "DIGITAL COPY INSIDE", but if you open the sticker (like anyone would do that), you'll see the expiration date inside.

Still lame. Why make it so that it has a limited life? This is why people get pissed off and try to rip stuff themselves.

[The Final Dakar]

My guess is to prevent resold copies from giving unlimited Digital Copies.

[starman]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

My guess is to prevent resold copies from giving unlimited Digital Copies.

I would think the code only works once.

[The Final Dakar]

I thought you might say that.

[mduell]

Is the digital copy (as an aside, what a stupid name... how is the DVD VIDEO_TS not a digital copy?) on the disk or downloadable? If it's on the disk, can you fool it by setting your computer's clock back?

[Spheric Harlot]

Well, people keep talking about "digitizing CDs"...

'kay.

[starman]

It verifies the code on the internet. Setting the clock back won't work.

[turtle777]

Well, my digital copies from Piratebay never expire.

There ya go.

-t

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by starman 

Dark City, also Warner, was WMV only. That was before Risky Business was released, so hopefully they'll learn from this. I wrote them a scathing letter about their business practices.

You're writing a letter to a company that sues disabled children and grandmothers that don't even have computers with which to pirate movies.

Good luck with that.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by mduell 

Is the digital copy (as an aside, what a stupid name... how is the DVD VIDEO_TS not a digital copy?) on the disk or downloadable? If it's on the disk, can you fool it by setting your computer's clock back?

The digital copy doesn't circumvent DSS encryption.

[starman]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Well, my digital copies from Piratebay never expire.

There ya go.

-t

Proud of you™

[ort888]

I can see some sort of expiration date... maybe 5 years or so... but that seems a little soon.

Then again, Digital Copies are lame. Handbrake says hi.

[osiris]

I had no idea that digital copies could expire. What's the point?!?

Rip 'em if ya got 'em. That's your digital copy.

[starman]

Originally Posted by ort888 

I can see some sort of expiration date... maybe 5 years or so... but that seems a little soon.

Then again, Digital Copies are lame. Handbrake says hi.

It's a little harder to do for Blu-Ray. As it is, I don't know if there's a one-click solution for the Mac, and the ones for the PC aren't free.

[exca1ibur]

What is even worse. You buy the Blu-ray version with digital copy and the digital copy is just redeem code that downloads from iTunes. Only the Windows version uses the file on disk.

iTunes only lets you download once so if you format or loose it, you are out of luck. You are stuck with a digital copy on a disc you can't use. WTF is that?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by exca1ibur 

WTF is that?

"progress"

[lpkmckenna]

I did not know that digital copies expire, and now I do. For once, a truly informative thread exists.

[downinflames68]

I did not know digital copies existed.

[goMac]

Even better, Sony is moving some of their digital copies to the PSP format...

Lack of standards FTW!