Can't seem to play videos?

[timmy]

I loaded my digital copy of The Hangover onto my computer, then onto my Droid, but when I try to play it, it says it cannot play the file.

What type of video file must the video be for the Droid to be able to play it? The digital copy was a legitimate version (the one you get when you buy the unrated version of the DVD), and I know of other people who have gotten it onto their phones.

I was an iPhone user for about 3 years prior to my Droid, so I have forgotten some of my knowledge about what files can and cannot be played on phones (which I'm sure has changed a TON since my last phone before I switched to iPhone).

Also is there a file converter I can use to change the files to the type Droid can play back?

Any help or suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks

 

[dvdcatalyst]

For info about why your Digital Copies do not work:

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-audio-video/23784-digital-copy-movies.html#post273444

Most of your non-digitalcopy and non-iTunes bought/rented files that play on your iPhone will play on the Droid though.

 

[FLE]

What you need to do is buy a encoding program like dvd fab or example. That is what I used to put movies on my phone. I tried both the Iphone setting and the Zune setting and both look really awesome. This program will convert your DVD to the correct video for the Droid

 

[LtKen]

DVD Catalyst is a good $10 solution to all of your problems (ripping, reencoding). If you already have a digital copy, then you want to use Any Video Converter or Handbrake to convert to an FFMPEG encoded MP4 file for playback on your Droid.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

digital copy of The Hangover

Handbrake, DVD Fab and DVD Catalyst (thanks for mentioning LtKen ) do not work with "Digital Copy" movies.

Digital Copy movies are the ones that movie studios put on DVDs and Blurays. They understand that people want to put movies on their portable devices, but they are afraid to have people share these movies with their friends and family, so in order to make them play, these movies need to be tied to an account, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player. Only computers and devices ("Plays for Sure"-compatible, Apple iPad/iPod/iPhone-devices) that are tied to the same account used to activate the movie are capable of playback of the file. Devices that do not have this capability, such as devices running Android operating systems, do not have this activation-connectivity, so are not capable to play these files.
Standard conversion tools such as the ones mentioned here are also not capable of accessing these files because they also lack the connectivity to the activation system.

There are so-called DRM-removal tools that claim to remove this activation system from the files though. Some free, some VERY overpriced, but all share a similar technique. They run on the computer you used to activate the file, and basically perform a screen-recording method to record the video while it is being played. The resulting quality differs greatly depending on your computer's specifications, and in most (not all) cases, conversion time takes as long as the actual movie.

In my opinion, while the idea of Digital Copies is a good one, the execution is just terrible. Sure, the 2 methods used (iTunes/Windows Media Player) for activation cover a fair market share of portable devices, a lot of people are fed-up with the limitations these systems bring.

Personally I find it easier to just rent/buy the DVD, and convert it for my own needs.

 

[LtKen]

My bad. When I think digital copy, I think AVI or other rip, as I hate those Digital Copies that come with codes in DVDs and throw them away when I get them.

+1 for renting/ripping. You own the rights to one digital copy, so as far as I'm concerned, how you go about getting that digital copy is up to you.

 

[dvdcatalyst]

My bad. When I think digital copy, I think AVI or other rip, as I hate those Digital Copies that come with codes in DVDs and throw them away when I get them.

+1 for renting/ripping. You own the rights to one digital copy, so as far as I'm concerned, how you go about getting that digital copy is up to you.

Digital Copy is confusing. It doesn't make sense to even call it that way, because DVDs, CDs and Bluray are already digital, so those are actually Digital Copies as well. But for many people it could also apply to a simple avi or mkv rip.

In my opinion, if the movie industry would actually look at how "the scene" works with rips and all rather than fight it, they would be able to accomplish a lot more. Similar as in games, the people who actually pay for their content have to endure DRM, Securom, Persistent Internet Connection (UbiSoft), and the people who download it from the web for free do not have to deal with that.

If we apply this to TV, a few days ago something ticked me off (again). Some TV channel is putting its entire TV catalog online for free, and basically forces people to endure 5 30sec commercials per hour of TV. If I look at my cable subscription bill, and the 5x 4minutes of commercials per hour of TV, I dont believe it is fair. On top of that, I have a TiVo subscription specifically to be able to skip through them, but by the time I get to my remote, fastforward and rewind a little to get to the right point, I have 30 seconds spent as well.