Digital Movies? How do they work?

[crowe-t]

How do digital movies work? I just recently got a 4K TV and 4K Blu Ray player. I just received the Apollo 13 4K UHD disc and it comes with a digital download.

Is the digital movie just streamed or is it an actual download that I can keep on my PC's hard drive?

[akaun6899]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

How do digital movies work? I just recently got a 4K TV and 4K Blu Ray player. I just received the Apollo 13 4K UHD disc and it comes with a digital download.

Is the digital movie just streamed or is it an actual download that I can keep on my PC's hard drive?

Once you redeem the code, you can immediately stream it wherever you choose, and the provider gives you the option to download.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

How do digital movies work? I just recently got a 4K TV and 4K Blu Ray player. I just received the Apollo 13 4K UHD disc and it comes with a digital download.

Is the digital movie just streamed or is it an actual download that I can keep on my PC's hard drive?

It's a actual movie that can be downloaded onto your computer, TV or any other portable device.

[kurtis21]

It works with an App...such as iTunes, Vudu, Movies Anywhere, etc. Then you can play it on your smart tv (If it has named App) or your phone, tablet, etc. Hope that helped.

[crowe-t]

What format are they usually in?

Would I actually have it on my hard drive?

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

What format are they usually in?

Would I actually have it on my hard drive?

You can download HD copies to your hard drive (from iTunes at least), but there isn't a way to download 4K/UHD copies to your hard drive.

[Greyman]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

What format are they usually in?

Would I actually have it on my hard drive?

The downloads are encrypted except maybe a few shout factory or other uncommon titles.

In general for home TV viewing it is easier and may be of better quality to just stream.

You can download to your mobile device for on the go viewing, but all except iTunes are device locked and again all are encrypted.

[crowe-t]

I redeemed it but I don't see the big deal about having it if I have to stream it. I have the 4K disc for watching on my TV which I'm sure looks a lot better.

[odisn]

For me...there are times when I'm feeling lazy and it is just so much damned easier to hit a button on my remote, rather than walking to the other room to grab a disc.

[kiran_mk2]

I used to prefer theoretically better sources but I think picture quality of streaming services is getting so good that I can't really tell the difference unless I really look for it - and to be honest, I'd rather just enjoy the film rathar than look out for macroblocking or other lower bitrate issues. My film collection is split across DVD, Blu-Ray and a few UHD (I don't have a UHD TV yet) and going forward I'm going to replace my DVDs with iTunes copies on sale at $4.99 to get HD (one hopefully on to UHD in time) which will let me clear out a load of discs. New titles, I'll look out for some codes for digital versions unless I either really love the movie or it is a film that relies on visuals and then I'll go UHD disc. Even in the latter case I suspect I'll redeem the digital code and use these most of the time.

[Krizzle1]

Originally Posted by kiran_mk2

I used to prefer theoretically better sources but I think picture quality of streaming services is getting so good that I can't really tell the difference unless I really look for it - and to be honest, I'd rather just enjoy the film rathar than look out for macroblocking or other lower bitrate issues. My film collection is split across DVD, Blu-Ray and a few UHD (I don't have a UHD TV yet) and going forward I'm going to replace my DVDs with iTunes copies on sale at $4.99 to get HD (one hopefully on to UHD in time) which will let me clear out a load of discs. New titles, I'll look out for some codes for digital versions unless I either really love the movie or it is a film that relies on visuals and then I'll go UHD disc. Even in the latter case I suspect I'll redeem the digital code and use these most of the time.

There's so much on sale on iTunes right now, its their annual end of year/Christmas sale, so now would probably be the best time to buy anything on your wishlist. You can see what's on sale here - iTunesMovieDeals

[Ggould1975]

I do love physical media and am into 4K and regular bluray. But for DVDs I'm in the process of getting rid of what I can to digital Nd get HD copies instead since a lot of catalog titles don't have a bluray release. That's where I'm at with going forward. Been getting good deals on titles for 4.99 and up.

[jasonvoigt]

If you have a Microsoft computer, you can use the Microsoft Movies & TV app and download your title to an MP4 file on your device from there. Just make sure to link your movies to MA.

As for my two cents on physical vs. digital, I got rid of most of my Blu-rays/DVDs five years ago, since me and my pals thought streaming was the future. It sort of is now, but I'm happy that I don't have to mess with any discs and just have my movies available on five different apps (Vudu, Google Play, etc.). Some people have told me that I should back them up, meaning download them to my computer just in case they all get lost in the cloud.

[Spotty]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

I redeemed it but I don't see the big deal about having it if I have to stream it. I have the 4K disc for watching on my TV which I'm sure looks a lot better.

I love the digital codes.

When watching on my home TV, I use the disc, since I find the quality of the stream much more noticeable on a larger screen. But it is nice to have the digital copy to watch things on my phone in bed, or if I am trying to catch up on some TV shows/movies I can watch them on the commute to work, not to mention they are handy to have for those long plane flights etc.

I don’t feel comfortable purchasing digital-cloud only content, but the disc + digital combination is really the best of all worlds. It just provides more options to view the content I purchased....and options are always a good thing!