Leak reveals iPod-ready videos on Fox DVDs

Apple's previously rumored DVD/iPod movie combo discs have been confirmed, thanks to a contributor providing a tip to TUAW. After receiving a copy of the Fox-produced Family Guy spoof of Star Wars a week ahead of its January 15th release, one customer noted that the box backing makes reference to an iPod-resolution file included on the disc, described by the packaging as a Fox Digital Copy. Inserting the disc tells the viewer that transferring the file requires the as-yet unreleased iTunes 7.6 or later, according to the report. A serial number from the case is needed to authenicate the movie.

Fox has already been including protected Windows Media versions of movies along with titles in recent months but has not announced any plans to release versions that would be compatible with iTunes and iPods.

The leak all but confirms a New York Times source, which is now known to have accurately supplied information about Fox DVD shipping with versions of movies encoded in a format friendly to Apple's software and devices. That same tip also pointed to multi-studio iTunes movie rentals; while not mentioning names beyond Fox, later claims have pointed to Lionsgate, Paramount, and Warner as potential companions for a rental project that would offer rentals for $4 each.

Filed under: iPod, Apple
Other story tags: iTunes, Fox