Unlike the six-movie Star Wars saga on Blu-ray, Disney is throwing in a free digital copy when you buy The Force Awakens on disc.
Apr 1, 2016 - Customers who purchase Star Wars: The Force Awakens in digital HD will be. Of the film also includes a DVD and a digital download voucher. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-ray and Digital Download Release Date. According to Blu-Ray.com, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens blu-ray is set to.
The Force Awakens is finally coming to Blu-ray and DVD on Wednesday, hitting Australia's physical shelves two weeks after it landed in iTunes, Google Play, Dendy Direct and the other digital stores. The $25 digital HD download is $5 cheaper than the Blu-ray disc, but in return fans who hold out for the disc can enjoy the best of both worlds with Disney throwing in a digital download for free.
The Star Wars franchise was a long-time digital holdout – the first six movies were only released as digital downloads for the first time last year. These days you'll find the six-movie high-def bundle for sale in the iTunes store for $120, which is more expensive than the $99 six-movie Blu-ray box set. These movies are still not available to rent online, or in subscription services like Netflix, you're expected to buy them.
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What Is The Force
The six-movie Blu-ray collection was originally released in 2011, but even when Disney reissued this box set just before The Force Awakens hit the cinemas it refused to include digital download codes. In countries like Australia where you're permitted to rip your music discs but not your movie discs, we're expected to pay twice if we want to watch those movies on disc and on our handheld gadgets.
Thankfully with The Force Awakens Disney has snubbed the lacklustre UltraViolet digital download format which is a big of hurt in Australia and lost one of its champions in EzyFlix. Instead the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga on disc comes with 'Digital Copy Plus', which gives you the choice of downloading the movie from the iTunes Store or Google Play. If you buy the movie on DVD you're only entitled to an SD digital download.
Apples throws in a few iTunes Extras special features if you buy the HD movie from the iTunes Store rather than redeem the free code supplied with the The Force Awakens Blu-ray disc. Most of those special features will also be on the disc but they usually reserve something minor for online-only so they can claim 'exclusive content'.
If you're planning to watch The Force Awakens in your lounge room then it's worth investing a few extra dollars in the disc, which is going to look better on a big screen than the digital download. There's more to picture quality than simply resolution – if you've got a big television and an eye for detail you'll appreciate the difference, especially in the dimly lit scenes.
Have you been waiting for the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga to reach your lounge room? How will you watch it?
Adam Turner is an award-winning Australian technology journalist and co-host of weekly podcast Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News.
Star Wars fans living in the UK have been left outraged after discovering the DVD release of The Force Awakens doesn’t include the film’s long-awaited deleted scenes. Disney also failed to include a download code in the package, whereas many films now include this option.
The DVD, priced at £9.99, includes the film and little else, whereas the more expensive Blu-ray release - which cost £15 - includes deleted scenes and the documentary Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey.
“I was really looking forward to this: I don’t have a Blu-ray player, so was intending to use the digital download key provided to get the movie online,” one fan told The Mirror.
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“But [there is] no digital download with the UK version: the US version has this. Completely unacceptable and I can’t think of a better way of driving people who WANT to buy a legitimate version to piracy sites. Idiots.”
Another wrote on Amazon: “My children have just learned of another facet of the cinema business: that some studios care for one thing, and one thing only. A cynical and money-grubbing release.”
Most outlets have yet to explicitly state the DVD release doesn’t feature the bonus material, with many fans feeling misled after all the promotion surrounding the bonus scenes.
Speaking to the Guardian about the complaints, a Disney spokesperson explained: “As a company we are committed to seeking out the best ways to provide audiences with access to Disney content. Each territory is different, and we evaluate and enact distribution strategies on a market-by-market basis. In the UK this means we do not include extras across our DVD products.
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Lego Star Wars The Force Awakens Digital Download
“Our Blu-ray and digital download offerings for The Force Awakens are providing audiences with a wealth of extras including a special documentary, behind-the-scenes looks and much more that are now being enjoyed by thousands.”
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If you’re wondering exactly what happens in the deleted scenes, we have descriptions of all six here.