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Answerman - Why Don't More Anime Discs Come With Digital Downloads?


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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:08 pm Reply with quote
I've honestly never used a digital copy code for any of the movies I buy. Why waste internet usage and deal with loading times when I have the disc in hand already? If I'm travelling and have enough time to watch a movie then that means I'll have my laptop I can pop a disc into.
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LaughingElbow



Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 237
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:11 pm Reply with quote
I always wondered about this. Thank you Answerman.


Vaisaga wrote:
I've honestly never used a digital copy code for any of the movies I buy. Why waste internet usage and deal with loading times when I have the disc in hand already? If I'm travelling and have enough time to watch a movie then that means I'll have my laptop I can pop a disc into.


Would you be willing to give the digital copy codes to me? Lol.
I use those all the time.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:21 pm Reply with quote
It's important to keep in mind that while digital copies are common with movies, there are still quite rare with TV series. If Hollywood studios don't find it feasible offering digital with a mainstream TV series, then I can certainly understand why it wouldn't happen with anime series.

I actually much prefer digital copies over combo packs. While I have used digital downloads before, I've never used the DVD copy in a combo pack. It's just a wasted disc for me. That being said, I much prefer the iTunes system where you download it and own it. I shouldn't have to use data every time I want to watch it by streaming it from another company's server. Not to mention, what happens should that company shut down?
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AnimeAddict2014



Joined: 16 Feb 2015
Posts: 925
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:31 pm Reply with quote
Will there be a day when we can also get Ultraviolet for anime?

If you are buying a physical blu-ray movie now a day-- there will be an ultraviolet copy available to redeem...
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:32 pm Reply with quote
dragonrider_cody wrote:
I actually much prefer digital copies over combo packs. While I have used digital downloads before, I've never used the DVD copy in a combo pack. It's just a wasted disc for me.


When it comes to anime at least I use the DVD copy to get screenshots and stuff, since no player lets you take BD screenshots.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4410
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:46 pm Reply with quote
So far, I've only seen an Ultraviolet version for the Psycho-Pass and GITS Arise movies which I bought recently. I am guessing that going forward, we'll only see this for movies, and not series.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 12:52 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
With most anime discs only expected to sell between 5,000 and 10,000 units,


this is funny because it means that most anime would be a hit for the creators (if they were able to sell directly to the usa and keep the same price and the same sales nubers)
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:04 pm Reply with quote
I saw my Psycho-Pass movie came with a copy, but didn't bother doing anything with it yet. I typically prefer to watch things on my PC, so digital is great, especially for mobility, but last time I tried Ultraviolet, it was kind of shit. Maybe it's time to give it a try again.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3426
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:07 pm Reply with quote
maximilianjenus wrote:
Quote:
With most anime discs only expected to sell between 5,000 and 10,000 units,


this is funny because it means that most anime would be a hit for the creators (if they were able to sell directly to the usa and keep the same price and the same sales nubers)

Keep in mind US discs usually have more episodes movies aside, and are often sold in sets...
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:09 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
I've honestly never used a digital copy code for any of the movies I buy. Why waste internet usage and deal with loading times when I have the disc in hand already? If I'm travelling and have enough time to watch a movie then that means I'll have my laptop I can pop a disc into.


I have literally two dozen disk-bonus and Warner-gift titles on my iTunes, Amazon and Vudu libraries that I've never paid for, and they're good to have, for travel or airport layovers, even if you never need them.
Although the only time I'm traveling long enough to watch a movie is on airline flights, which don't allow streaming wi-fi.
The tablet is already replacing the laptop for portable travel-work (and easier to carry-on), so while Blu-ray must survive, the extraneous DVD copy may be...going the way of the DVD. Sad

Quote:
Years ago, the major Hollywood studios would include downloads with their discs via iTunes. However, this wasn't a good long-term solution. Download codes for each film had to be purchased from Apple, which meant that every unit sold meant Apple got a royalty -- something that the studios were really not all that comfortable with.


Believe it or not, Steve Jobs invented the idea: He wanted to give users an incentive to use his new Video iPod, and tried to sell studios on the idea of including the .m4v movie file on the physical DVD, that users could transfer off their desktop drive. Studios didn't see the point.
Until iTunes took off with only music and Disney videos (since Steve was on the board), and every studio started seeing the point, but, again, didn't like Jobs' idea of paying only one price for every movie.

As for why no digital copies in the new Streaming age, it's possible that anime companies just haven't licensed them--
It's a separate and expensive issue, and in Japan, where they're still not yet into Streaming, corporate studios are still likely too careful about keeping Japanese hackers from pirating reverse-imports off the net.
Disney has a healthy business going with their streaming Disney Movies Anywhere, and if they could have added their Studio Ghibli movies to the catalogue by now, they would have, but take a reasonable guess why not.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:26 pm Reply with quote
Honestly I think the opposite would be more interesting, if you watch a series online you'd get a rebate for the physical version. ie it cost you 24$ to watch a series (at 2$ per episode for 12 episode) and the physical release is 60$ but since you already paid 24$ you can get it for 36$. This way they could milk a bit more out of the customer who already watched the show and presumably liked it (since they watched it all) and would otherwise not buy the physical release since they already watched it but could justify it since its cheaper now.
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Treeborn



Joined: 30 Mar 2013
Posts: 729
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:56 pm Reply with quote
Ah, so that's how it goes. I was curious about this because of the trailer Funimation recently posted for the physical release of Blood Blockade. At the end, it mentioned digital HD, but on the rightstuf and Funimation store description, no information is given on this. So it's safe to assume that the Blu-ray/DVD combo will just have a sticker on it with the code?
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 3:08 pm Reply with quote
LaughingElbow wrote:
Would you be willing to give the digital copy codes to me? Lol.
I use those all the time.


If the mods are okay with it I could post a list of the movies I have codes for and anyone who wants them can PM me (first come, first serve, limit 3 per person).
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 4:20 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
If the mods are okay with it I could post a list of the movies I have codes for and anyone who wants them can PM me (first come, first serve, limit 3 per person).

Nope. Take it to PM please. Also, pretty sure Canadian UV codes don't work in the US and vice versa.
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Kalessin



Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 931
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:29 pm Reply with quote
I confess that I've never paid attention to stuff like Ultraviolet, since it's obviously not going to be DRM-free, I don't like streaming, and I can always just rip the disc. Having streaming access on any of your devices after you've bought the physical disc is at least theoretically interesting for mobile devices, but I'd prefer to watch on my desktop computer anyway, and I can just use my own rip or the physical disc if I'm doing that. So, I don't see a service like this as providing much worthwhile. And it's even worse if you're going to be paying just for the online content and not the physical disc, because then you're completely dependent on the service and its continued existence to watch what you bought. But in that respect, I suppose that using a code you got with the physical disc isn't so bad. Still, I'd rather not encourage them.

Now, what would be really interesting would be the ability to purchase DRM-free download-to-own copies of movies and shows that were just standard .mkv files at the highest quality that existed for the movie or show (not only allowing for better resolutions without needing a new disc format but allowing for stuff like progressive content at framerates higher than 24fps for movies and the like, which you can't do with Blu-ray). I'd be okay with losing out on the physical discs then. But no one is going to do anything that awesome at this point. The folks selling the content are paranoid that folks will pirate it, and way too many of the folks consuming the content will gladly pirate it without a second thought.
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