[bradalax]

Morning,

I've just ordered my first Blu-ray player so have been hanging out here for a bit reading up on what's good and what's not.

I've read a few threads talking about digital copies of disks that are included in some sets and that they have expiration dates.

Two questions - what is a digital copy and why does it have an expiration date?

Cheers,

[andy1249]

Digital copies are usually an SD or lower res version of the main title which can be downloaded or activated if its on a separate disc.

There are many variations , but in general you get to download or activate the copy to play on one device type of your choice , either you computer or whatever media player you choose.

They are DRM'd , meaning you cannot share these , they are tied to whatever device they were activated for , and as server space costs money , usually digital copies are available for download or activation for a limited time after release ,

For example , I have Shine a light ( Scorceses's Rolling stones movie ) the expiration date for my digital copy was Sept 09 , so that extra disc which came with the blu ray is now useless.

I would question the value of digital copies in the first place , if your spending extra on a blu ray version of anything your doing so for the HD content , why then would an SD digital copy be of any use to you ?

Also , given that this is the generation where media players are hugely popular , and people already know how to get their favourite media on there , why would anyone opt for a version thats as hobbled as these digital copies usually are ?

[AgentCool]

They are pretty pointless and often bump up the price of a release due to the cost of manufacturing an extra disc. If they really must have these digital copies then surely a better option would be to include a code for iTunes which lets you download the film for free.

[bradalax]

Thanks for that - makes it clearer.

So I guess the digital copy would be for Computer connected to a telly or say an iPod Touch or something?

As you say, if you have the Blu-ray, why bother? Sounds like it's not something I'd be bothered about to be honest, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything!