How do I get a "digital copy" of a DVD I bought?

I'm psyched to finally own a copy of the film Inglorious Basterds, a DVD I bought at Target this afternoon. On the box it says "includes free digital copy" and says I can also watch the movie on my iPhone. Perfect. But how do I actually do it?

Dave's Answer:

Ah, another Quentin Tarantino fan. Glad to see it, and thanks for the question. I know exactly what you're talkign about because I too have a copy of Inglorious Basterds, along with a number of other DVDs that say "Great Value! Includes Digital Copy for a Limited Time Only!"

Here's what I find rather confusing about how they've done this: there's some special autorun-type file on the second disc (the one labeled "Bonus Disc") that if you slip it into your computer, causes iTunes to automatically launch and prompt you for a secret code. Enter it correctly and then the digital version of the movie downloads. But why download it when you have a DVD that you just put into your computer? Presumably for data protection, but still, isn't that just a bit weird?

If you have a PC, when you put the DVD into your computer, you'll then want to click on "Transfer Digital Copy", then chose between iTunes and Windows Media Player, depending on what you prefer for your movies. If you're on a Mac, putting in the bonus disc will cause the DVD Player to autoload. Quit it and launch iTunes.

In both cases, you'll then need to enter your secret authorization code, which is printed on a piece of paper included inside the DVD case.

Here's what this all looks like on the Mac side:

Here's where you need to carefully enter your redemption code. Mine looks kinda like this: XRN3MCJ6E4ML. Not so user friendly. :-)

Enter the code, click on "Redeem" and you'll need to log in to your iTunes account:

mac itunes digital copy enter credentials

Once you've entered the you will hopefully see this:

mac itunes digital copy promo code redeemed

A few seconds later the download should start:

As you can see, it's a pretty big file (1.92GB) so it'll take some time even if you're on a good speed connection.

Finally it does download and now you have a new movie in the "Movies" section of iTunes. Click on it and you've got a very clean, highly watchable copy of the film:

Oh, and one more note: you can also copy this file onto your iPhone or iPad with iTunes. Nice and simple. I have it on my iPad and it looks amazing on that bright screen!

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Categorized: Mac OS X Help , Windows PC Help (Article 9396, Written by Dave Taylor)
Tagged: apple itunes, copying movies, dvd copy, movie downloads
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Reader Comments To Date: 7

Baz said, on April 20, 2010 2:42 PM:

Why not use Handbrake to rework your DVD into a nice format to watch on your Mac of ipod?

Dave Taylor said, on April 20, 2010 4:45 PM:

Baz, I thought about that but was curious what quality I'd get from the iTunes Store. Y'know what? It's incredibly clean, it's a very nice copy that I downloaded. Of course, it's twice the size I'd usually rip a DVD too, which no doubt contributes. :-)

Shaelyn said, on April 23, 2010 1:53 PM:

I just got the hangover and i followed the directions to download the file onto my computer and it gave me a portable device file as well but it did not give me the option the download it through itunes. It went straight to windows media player and now i am clueless as to how to put it on my ipod. Help plz?!

Dan said, on April 25, 2010 4:49 PM:

Shaelyn,

Your digital copy of The Hangover is in a format not compatible with iTunes. You have to find a program to convert it or something. Or just scrap it and use Handbrake to make your own iTunes-compatible digital copy.

+1 vote from me to use Handbrake. Although it probably takes at least as long as downloading an official digital copy. On the positive side, you can specify a smaller file size which will still be good enough quality for a small screen.

evan said, on September 30, 2011 2:18 PM:

thats a lot of extra work for nothing. all you need to do is type the digital copy code in the "redeem" area of iTunes. (same place you redeem iTunes gift cards") type it in and it'll download

Bradleyman said, on May 31, 2012 2:45 PM:

Hi, I was wondering if you can help me out? I just opened a gift of the Inglorious Basterds Blue-ray Disc with a Digital download copy for me to be able to put on my iPad through my Mac...It does not have a redemption code for me to redeem my copy????? I live in the "boonies" of Saskatchewan and need that code for me to be able to download it and use it while my son & I go camping! What can I do? Is there a way to get that redemption code on-line?
Thanks

Dave Taylor said, on June 1, 2012 2:33 PM:

Bradleyman, I'm afraid to say that if you opened up your package and there was no redemption code it means someone's probably previously opened the package and stolen it. You could try calling the studio and asking for another, but I'm skeptical they'll be helpful. Sorry.

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!

How do I get a "digital copy" of a DVD I bought?

Reader Comments To Date: 7

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!

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