Warner offers iPod digital copy on 10,000 B.C.

First downloadable extra for iTunes on Blu-ray only

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 6/25/2008

JUNE 25 | LAS VEGAS—Warner Home Video has offered its first digital copy for iTunes and iPod playback, with the June 24 release of 10,000 B.C. on Blu-ray Disc.

Due to disc capacity constraints, Warner is offering the copy as an online download. It is not available with the title’s standard-definition version.

At this week’s Home Media Expo here, studios have been rallying around digital copy, whether embedded on disc or accessible online, as a way to improve the convenience of DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

With an included copy, consumers can watch the film on TVs, computers or mobile devices.

Because iPod, with its synced-up iTunes software, is the most popular portable media device, several studios have been working to make copies compatible with Apple's digital rights management.

Recently, Apple has strengthened its partnerships with the studios, as this year all of the major studios signed on to sell movies on iTunes day-and-date with their DVD releases.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment was the first studio to offer iPod-compatible digital copies, followed by Lionsgate. Generally, all studio digital copies can play on Windows Media-based computers and portable devices.