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Opinions: A semi-logical step for movies


Yes! I can finally (legally) watch "Juno" on my iPod!

Well, that is if I owned an iPod and wanted to stare at a 2.5-inch screen for an hour and a half.

Several new movies such as "Juno," "I Am Legend" and "Rambo" have been released on DVD with an accompanying digital copy that can be transferred to iPods and Windows Media Player-based devices.

While I do have time between some of my classes to watch most of a movie, I don't really want to strain my eyes trying to watch something on such a small screen. I wouldn't be able to appreciate fantastic set designs or costumes or notice all the little details like I could when watching a movie on my laptop or TV. Subtitles are totally out of the question on such a small display.

I remember the short-lived UMD movies for the Sony PSP, which failed, I believe, in part because of the undesirability of watching movies on a small screen and in part because of their cost.

There aren't too many times when I think I'd want to watch movies when I'm not at home. Maybe on long road or plane trips, a movie would be appropriate to kill time, but quite a few newer models of SUVs and minivans have DVD players, so iPod-compatible copies aren't necessary. In most other situations I can use my laptop anyway and watch on a 15.4-inch screen.

Also, if a friend of mine hasn't seen "The Princess Bride" and I think she'd really like to see it, I'm not sure how I'd go about letting her borrow a digital copy whereas I could easily hand her a DVD.

The first DVD to have this feature was the "Live Free or Die Hard" DVD. This was supposed to be positive because of its lack of DRM (Digital Rights Management), which would allow consumers to do whatever they wanted with it, though a 16-digit code found on the DVD box was needed to watch it.

If the digital copies still make consumers jump through hoops to use them, having the format available doesn't really let consumers do what they want with what they purchased just like with CDs and DVDs.

For movie-watchers who do like being able to carry their movies wherever they go, having movies for sale on iTunes is a good step in allowing movies to become more portable.

For the rest of us, digital copies of movies aren't very popular. Netflix's digital downloads haven't done as well as regular DVD rentals.

This is probably true because of the fact that digital copies from Netflix (and iTunes) don't include the special features included in DVDs.

Amazon.com also has digital downloads available for renting and purchasing under the name "Unbox Video Downloads" for very reasonable prices, though a special video player is needed. Having extra steps might turn some people away who aren't as tech-savvy or don't want to have to adjust very much from traditional ways of buying and renting movies.

iTunes, Netflix and Amazon.com all offer a wide range of titles to choose from, which at least gives the format potential.

There are ways to watch digital copies on TV by connecting an iPod to the TV or transferring Amazon.com Unbox videos to TiVo, but to me that seems like much more of a hassle than just buying a DVD.

Even with the hassle, I see the benefits of making movies more portable and providing new formats to offer alternatives for movie-watching experiences.

With music, I like owning a CD, but I also like the convenience of Amazon.com's MP3 download store because I primarily listen to music on my computer in MP3 format or on an MP3 player because I don't have a CD player in my car.

I think when more outlets become available in the future for watching movies in a digital format and more content is included, downloading digital copies will catch on. For now, making digital copies available is at least a step in the right direction.

Suggest your favorites for her to rent online to start adjusting to the new format at: monique.devoe@asu.edu.


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