With news this week of Crunchyroll getting themselves set up on the Apple TV, it brought to mind something that I’ve always advocated for but has been difficult for a number of reasons to get done. One of the things promoted when Blu-ray was a new format was that there would be all sorts of digital copy options, though most of it never panned out once the format war itself was won and a lot of it was just pie in the sky stuff. What did happen though is that studios hooked onto iTunes and its digital copy options since it would drive business in a few ways and give consumers the legal option of getting a portable version of their favorite show or movie wherever they wanted to go. While not everyone signed on to it and it has fragmented since due to UltraViolet and its streaming copy version, there’s still a lot of digital copy material out there for popular films.
Over the last year, we’ve slowly been adding Apple TV units to various rooms in the house and have quite a few shows and films in a library that’s been built up, both from physical media purchases that come with a copy included or direct purchases from iTunes itself. And the more we use it, the more we like it, especially when you have a large library of titles like myself and it gets to be annoying hauling discs out of the storage area whenever someone wants to watch something older than a couple of months.
Unfortunately, largely for reasons owing to the fact that the Japanese companies distrust digital copy, the anime companies have not been able to pursue this much. But with so many shows coming out, it’s hard to imagine it not being a selling point, especially for replay value for the fans that like to keep revisiting shows or those of the younger generation that live very much on a portable lifestyle and want to watch the shows they’ve bought wherever they want. They’re likely already ripping their purchases and doing it, but wouldn’t it be better to offer a direct copy?
Would you be interested in seeing digital copy inclusion for your anime purchases? Would it be worth an additional premium on top of the existing price for DVD and Blu-ray releases? Or would the pricing have to remain the same? What’s your interest level in this?
Sound off in our comments section below or drop in to our forum for the subject and let us know. No registration is required for that particular section, though you can certainly register and you can connect via Facebook as well to post.
Questioning Fandom appears on irregularly with different topics where we want to know where the fans stand on them. Check the forum for past topics and join in the conversation. You can also suggest topics in there as well!
And as much as I’m not trying to pick on any particular console, the Internet has been brutal with the conference in terms of how it unfolded between the two big companies and how they feel about it. There’s just not been a lot of images in reverse – though we’er looking forward to the abridged PS4 video when it hits. Here’s some choice representations.
