Expired Digital Copies...

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

Has anyone actually had experience with a Digital Copy not working because it expired?

I just loaded Nightmare Before Christmas onto my computer and then my iPod (after it's expiration date) and it worked fine.

Which goes to what I was quoting Jeff as saying back when the thread started. It means their "support" of the file has expired, but it should still be good.

[Rik1138]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

Has anyone actually had experience with a Digital Copy not working because it expired?

I just loaded Nightmare Before Christmas onto my computer and then my iPod (after it's expiration date) and it worked fine.

Did you just load it off the disc, using the code? Or did you already have it on your computer? My understanding is that the code _can_ stop working after the expiration date, but once you have it on your computer (in iTunes or whatever), it will work forever. So if you think you might ever want to use the digital copy, copy it to your computer when you get the disc, and just let it sit there until you want it... I've never tried to use a code after the date though, but people have commented here about it in the past.

Rik

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by Rik1138

Did you just load it off the disc, using the code? Or did you already have it on your computer? My understanding is that the code _can_ stop working after the expiration date, but once you have it on your computer (in iTunes or whatever), it will work forever.

Rik

No, I didn't have it on my computer. I've owned the disk for awhile, but I just got a new iPod classic so I wanted to try loading it. I inserted the disc into my computer's drive and used the code to load it. It worked great.

I don't think I would panic over an expired code after this. Who knows how long it may work? As others have stated, it may just be the support that expires.

[Rik1138]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

No, I didn't have it on my computer. I've owned the disk for awhile, but I just got a new iPod classic so I wanted to try loading it. I inserted the disc into my computer's drive and used the code to load it. It worked great.

I don't think I would panic over an expired code after this. Who knows how long it may work? As others have stated, it may just be the support that expires.

It's probably more like a guarantee... We guarantee the code to work up to this date... After that, maybe or maybe not... I really don't see why they have a need for the codes to ever expire though...

Rik

[Agrare]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

Has anyone actually had experience with a Digital Copy not working because it expired?

I just loaded Nightmare Before Christmas onto my computer and then my iPod (after it's expiration date) and it worked fine.

I went through all my Blu's and DVD's that had digital copies a couple weeks ago and loaded them on my computer. (I can give a list of titles if people are interested) the only one that didn't work was Sex and the City. When I put the code in iTunes it said it expired.

speaking of, anyone know if there is a number i can call or website I can go to to get a new code?

-Agrare

[progers13]

Originally Posted by Agrare

I went through all my Blu's and DVD's that had digital copies a couple weeks ago and loaded them on my computer. (I can give a list of titles if people are interested) the only one that didn't work was Sex and the City. When I put the code in iTunes it said it expired.

speaking of, anyone know if there is a number i can call or website I can go to to get a new code?

-Agrare

Most of the discs I've loaded have a Help section on the main screen. I would explore that and see if there is a way to send an e-mail to the manufacturer. If there is, explain that you would like a replacement code and see if that works. I did this with The Matrix 10th Anniversary Edition as my copy came without the code. Warner e-mailed me back 2 days later with a code that worked.

[DiscoStu]

The bottom line is, I don't want to pay even more for a digital copy. And I know it costs money to keep servers running, and the possibly pay Apple to run the activation process for an extended period of time.

As in my business, anything that is network services related needs to have some way of ending support of it. What if Apple decides to jack up the prices for running the activation server or to stop supporting it in iTunes (because they can then sell the digital copy themselves)? Or what if the digital copy format becomes obsolete by something else in a couple of years?

In this case, I have yet to have any problems activating a code that is expired. In fact, on most of the fine print it says the code "may expire" after that date. In other words, studios are giving themselves an option to stop, but they are legally promising to keep it running for at least that time.

After doing some tests:
You can redeem a code multiple times on iTunes as long as you associate it with the same account.
If your code stops working, you can contact customer support and get it reset with a new code.
The file itself is yours once you activate it. It's just the activation support that has the ability to go away.

Still, I'd redeem them as soon as possible just in case. But I understand the decision to have some sort of option to end it.

[pnote13]

Originally Posted by Fang Dangerchili

I am confused What do you mean by expire? If i have it loaded on my computer it will stop playing after a certain date? Or i have until expiration date to load it?

YES, well at least for all my Windows Media versions! I just learned this the Hard way. I went to watch Dark City which I downloaded last year long before the expiration date of the Digital Download. I was under the impression I had until July 29, 2009 to download the copy. It turns out the Digital File is only good until July 29, 2009. Once I noticed this, I checked all my other digital copies. I have over 40. Most of them are giving me the same error regardless of Studio. I contacted WB, Sony, Disney and Universal and I get the same response. "The license is expired and Support for this title is no longer available."

This is a huge rip off. As far as I am concerned I purchased a digial version of this movie and not an entended rental. On the plus side if you downloaded the iTunes copy instead of the Windows Media then they seem to still work. Unfortunetly, when you decide to redeem your digital copy you have to choose between the two formats and without the knowledge of WMV having an expiration date and iTunes seeming to be long term it really only helps most people going forward.

[persuazion]

I have never even used one of my digital copies yet.....

[Woody]

Originally Posted by aramis109

Ok, just looked at my Hulk digital copy...

"Code that permits activation of Digital Copy may not be valid after 10/31/09".

Sounds like legalese to me so they can cover their bases. Everyone's freaking out and no one has confirmed that the codes won't work after the date. I think they'll be fine, personally.

Tried Hulk a week ago. "Redemption code has expired"

[Woody]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

Has anyone actually had experience with a Digital Copy not working because it expired?

I just loaded Nightmare Before Christmas onto my computer and then my iPod (after it's expiration date) and it worked fine.

Hulk for me.

[Darkhawk9587]

Originally Posted by persuazion

I have never even used one of my digital copies yet.....

Nor have I. I think it's kind of dumb that they release Digital Copies in the first place, since I don't use them. But, now that I know they'll expire, what's the point in giving them out at all?

[Rinzler]

Hulk did nothing for me either. Is Speed Racer and Crystal Skull still active? I expect atleast one for christmas, so I'll be redeeming them.

[Hard Nard]

Earlier this week I downloaded all of the digital copies in my collection. The only one I had that was expired was for Blue Harvest and it still worked.

Hasn't thought about them until all of this talk about expiring copies, plus I have a friend who is dead-set against digital copies so i downloaded them to prove a point.

[Colby]

Seems Hancock is expired. Just tried to install it today with no luck.

No biggie though because I don't think Sony supports iTunes digital copies anyway.

[MaCruz]

TDK Digital Copy Expires December 9, 2009.

PM me for the code. There will be a fee for this.

[Hockey_girl]

So...if I buy Juno today, for example, the digital copy would have already expired?

[EddieMcZee]

Made an account just so I could chime in on the whole thing! I'm very new to the world of Blu-ray (I just bought a PS3 on Black Friday). I ordered a bunch of movies from Amazon and one of them was Wall-E, the three disc edition. The whole reason why I chose the 3-disc was to get the digital copy!

I got the movies today and I realized that these codes expired. I tore open Wall-E and found out the code expired November 18, 2009! Blah! However, I tried putting the disc in my laptop anyway and low and behold, it still works.

I agree it's very lame that the digital copies are secretly for a limited time. And like someone else mentioned, it's very upsetting for Wall-E's Three-Disc Edition because the whole third disc is the digital copy and nothing else!

Anyway, if someone does make a sticky, you can mark that Wall-E's code still works... for now.

[minlshaw]

It doesn't surprise me that those "expired" codes from Disney would still work; they seem to be really throwing some support behind both Blu-ray and digital copies. I'm curious, though; does anyone know if there is a way to "gift" a digital copy? My wife and I bought The Dark Knight on DVD last year and I redeemed that DC then. This year, we've "gone Blu" and double-dipped on it. I don't really need the superfluous DC, but I hate for it to go to waste if someone could use it.

[wvl]

Risky Business does not work after the expiration date.