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Disney, Fox, Warner and Universal may team up on downloadable movies
After nearly a decade of battling between movie lockers, Disney may finally have support from other studios. According to a report from Bloomberg, "several major Hollywood film studios" are signed up to participate in a new film service with Disney, including Fox, Warner and Universal. Since 2010, most of the industry has relied on Ultraviolet to enable cross-store digital movie ownership, with the exception of Disney, which launched its own Movies Anywhere service in 2014. Most of us got our first taste of the systems that link purchases across stores like iTunes, or Amazon via digital copy codes included with DVDs and Blu-rays. The studios hope that by finally banding together, they can convince customers to buy more movies instead of relying on subscription services or other avenues to get their flicks. There's no word about what might happen to studio support for Ultraviolet, or stores that support it like Walmart's Vudu, but Disney Movies Anywhere currently links to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, FiOS and not Microsoft. The other major studios, Lionsgate and Paramount, are reportedly "supportive" but aren't joining yet.
Seagate now a DECE member, supporting UltraViolet
The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem -- the consortium of companies attempting to develop an industry standard for digital distribution of entertainment, and the folks behind UltraViolet -- can count another member among its ranks as of this week: digital storage company Seagate. The storage manufacturer announced as much in a press release this week, and threw its support behind UltraViolet. "As a DECE member, Seagate's expertise and perspective on cloud solutions and storage devices will help the organization to evolve those benefits," says UltraViolet GM Mark Teitell. Considering how many major content providers are supporting UltraViolet, it's good to know that one of the largest storage companies isn't standing against our digital futures.
Warner, Redbox agree to 28 day delay on disc rentals, UltraViolet support for Redbox Instant
Redbox and Warner Bros. were at odds in January when Warner wanted to extend the window before discs hit kiosks to 56 days, but now the two have come to an agreement that keeps it at a 28 day delay. When their previous deal expired Redbox said it would find other ways to obtain discs and offer them day and date to its customers, although actually finding them in kiosks could be tough. The new two-year deal covers movies that debut after January 1st, 2013, and claims to improve economics for both Warner (which has apparently seen fit to eliminate the delay entirely for brick & mortar renters) and Redbox. Additionally, Redbox has joined with the DECE team and will support UltraViolet with its upcoming Redbox Instant service. With the new deal, it can offer UltraViolet digital access to Warner movies, and distribute movies through its subscription service. We'll have to wait for Redbox Instant to launch to know more information about that, for now check out the details in the press release after the break.
Walmart in-store disc to digital UltraViolet conversion gets official
In a press event panel that included almost every big studio executive -- sans Disney -- Walmart announced an exclusive in-store disc to digital conversion service. Starting April 16th, in more than 3,500 stores, you'll be able to bring your DVD or Blu-ray discs in and have 'em added to your Vudu movie collection. The privilege of watching movies you already bought on a disc online via Vudu will cost you $2, but if you own the DVD, it'll cost you $5 to upgrade your digital copy to HD. In addition, you can now buy UltraViolet movies via Vudu and watch them via other UV supported sources -- we assume this is a two-way street, but it isn't spelled out that way in the press release (after the break). This is easily the biggest news for the, now beta badged, UltraViolet service but most of our complaints persist until there's single-sign on and the standard downloadable CFF (common file format) is a reality.
WSJ: Walmart to offer in-store disc to digital UltraViolet service
Hollywood's latest digital ecosystem offers lots of promise, but in the five months since its release, it couldn't be further from delivering on it. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Walmart will finally make use of its membership to the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem by offering in-store disc to digital UltraViolet upgrade opportunities, for a small price of course. No doubt UltraViolet can use all the help it can get, but this is far from what we were hoping for when we learned Walmart would be in the mix -- we were hoping for the ability to buy and watch UltraViolet movies via Walmart's Vudu. Beyond our personal wishes, this no where near the big revelation that most consumers would actually find interesting: the release of the Common File Format which promises universal offline playback of our movie collection.
Paramount Movies lets you stream UltraViolet films from the cloud, for a price
Paramount became the first studio to offer digital versions of UltraViolet-based movies this week, with the launch of Paramount Movies. With this new service, users can purchase a film in either digital or physical form, and automatically store a copy of it within Paramount's cloud-based digital locker. This effectively allows you to stream a film to any iOS device, though support for Android and Windows Phone remains unavailable (as does compatibility with most set-top boxes). It's all part of DECE's "buy once, play anywhere" ethos, though it should be noted that the studio's UV offerings are somewhat limited. At the moment, Paramount Movies boasts about 60 titles, all of which are available at comparatively steep prices: $20 for HD quality movies, and $13 for SD versions. Check it out for yourself at the source link below.
Amazon, Rovi, Flixster and Samsung highlight UltraViolet's CES press event
The launch of UltraViolet earlier this year was very much the same as we've come to expect from Hollywood. In the case of DVD and Blu-ray, they eventually manage to get it right. Time will tell if UltraViolet ends up successful or another DRM story like PlaysForSure, but studio execs like Ron Sanders of Warner Brothers said "a year ago this was just a concept... we have a bright future" while participating in a panel at the UltraViolet press event at CES today. There are plenty of reasons he might feel that way, but announcements from Panasonic and Samsung to add Flixster app to its HDTVs and Blu-ray players is surely one of them -- Flixster is owned by Warner and evidently one of the most downloaded apps of all time from the iTunes store. In addition to the success of Flixster, the DECE claims to already have 750k UltraViolet households signed up in less than three months. The current state of UltraViolet and much more after the break.
UltraViolet 'digital locker' opens for business. Lets you buy once, play anywhere... eventually
The first UltraViolet-enabled disks wont actually appear on shelves till tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you can't get a head start on migrating to DECE's buy once, play anywhere platform. The digital locker is now open for business (sort of) and consumers can go sign up for an account right now. Sadly, there isn't much you can do just yet. Though the Flixster app for PCs and iOS was updated to add UltraViolet support, there doesn't appear to be anyway to link your various accounts (like iTunes or Netflix) with the service just yet. An account can have up to six different users associated with it, and you can control what content they will have access too -- a feature sure to be welcome by families with children. If you want to be able to purchase your flicks once and take them anywhere, right now your only hope is UltraViolet and Blu-ray discs bearing its logo -- a slow trickle of titles which begins October 11th with Horrible Bosses.
Six major studios to distribute UltraViolet titles by mid year, hardware to come later
Some days our dream of being able to watch anything, anywhere, anytime, and on any screen seems like it'll never happen, but other days are like today. Yes, today every major studio, except Disney, announced that it would start distributing movies that will work with any UltraViolet devices, software or services. We learned on the Engadget HD podcast that this means that if you buy a movie one way (DVD, VOD, hotel PPV, whatever) you can view it on just about any other without paying again. PC software and updates for existing devices are expected to start rolling out later this year -- so much for launching in 2010 -- but we'll have to wait for CES next year to learn about all our gadgets that can't, or won't, be updated. Of course the dream will only come true if everyone and everything agrees to play, and while we're a long way away from finding out if our media consumption fantasy will ever come true, the list of 60 companies that have already pledged their allegiance is a who's who among media and electronics giants.
Engadget HD Podcast 219: Ultraviolet edition - 10.15.2010
We're always chancing the dream of watching whatever content, whenever and wherever we want so we couldn't stop pestering the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem for more details about its Ultraviolet product. Basically it holds the promise to let us watch any movie or TV show we buy, anywhere we want. So we sit down and talk to Mitch Singer, President of DECE, about his vision for Ultraviolet and we have to say it sounds too good to be true. It isn't expected to hit the streets until next year, but if you want an idea of what it might bring have a listen.Get the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace[MP3] Download the show (MP3).Host: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw)Producer: Trent WolbeHear the podcast LISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (OGG)LISTEN (AAC)
DECE's 'digital locker' take-anywhere DRM dubbed UltraViolet, launches later this year
We're still not sure if we believe in the promises made by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) yet -- buy a piece of content once in physical or digital format, and gain access across all formats and devices via a cloud based account -- but we're closer to finding out for ourselves now that it has a new name, UltraViolet. In case you haven't been paying attention over the last couple of years, the DECE group is already home to most of the biggest names on both the content and consumer electronics sides of the business, with the most notable holdouts being Apple and Disney, which is backing its own competing system, Keychest. The latest additions to the UltraViolet team are LG, LOVEFiLM and Marvell, while key members like Comcast, Microsoft, Intel and Best Buy are quoted in this morning's press release. Check it out for yourself after the break and keep an eye out for that grey and purple logo on movies and players later this year when it begins testing.
DECE & Keychest both laying claim to friendly DRM of the future title
The quest for a DRM solution that works for consumers instead of against them continues, with the forces behind the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (48 companies now) and Keychest (so far, just Disney) trading announcements. While the DECE has added 21 new members to its fold, agreed on a common file format, selected a vendor for the authentication service that ideally will keep you viewing legitimately purchased content at your leisure and approval of several DRM systems, without full specs available or any hardware or content specifically mentioned, it's still just so much vapor. Meanwhile Disney promises additional content partnerships are "coming soon" and that it's negotiating with content distributors, cable and telco companies, but we suspect until the promise of a "DVD collection in the cloud" is reality and not just a spec, most users will stay close to their torrents and disc ripping programs to get play-anywhere ease right now.
Best Buy partnering with CinemaNow to stream first-run DVDs to 'all web-connected devices sold'
Can you live without physical media? Are you ready to buy into owning a license without any physical property to show for your purchase? We hope so 'cause that's the future. Today Best Buy will announce confirmation of its rumored partnership with CinemaNow in a deal that will stream first-run DVDs directly to consumers. Better yet, according to an AP report, the software required to access CinemaNow's video library "will be included on all the Web-connected devices sold in Best Buy's more than 1,000 U.S. stores." If taken literally then wow, just wow... that's a lot of devices. However, since Best Buy sells Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, and there's no way that Apple's going to let a retailer tamper with its devices, we think the AP's wording is a bit ambitious. The idea here is simple: pay once for a DVD then eventually be able to play it on any device be it a television, Blu-ray player, PC, smartphone or some other connected device. The new Best Buy-branded service will launch "early next year" according to Chris Homeister (yes, that's his real surname), as Best Buy gets "into this business in a big way." Remember, Best Buy already announced a streaming Netflix deal and partnerships with TiVo and Napster that will be launching early next year as well. And we've already seen Sonic Solutions, CinemaNow's owner since last year, bunging its 1080p-capable CinemaNow service into every connected-device imaginable -- even 3D content for 3D Vision-ready displays. The whole concept sounds very much like Disney's Keychest which already sounded very much like the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (or DECE) consortium. Hopefully Best Buy will clear up the details later today when this gets really official. The future is now -- too bad US broadband is so yesterday. Update: It's official. The agreement will allow customers to "buy or rent" from CinemaNow's library of content on "connected consumer electronics" sold through Best Buy retail stores or BestBuy.com. New titles will "often" (note the qualification) be made available day and date of the DVD release. The service will also leverage digital copies to bridge the physical and digital stream worlds. See the full press release for all the detail. Show full PR text Best Buy Co., Inc (NYSE:BBY) and Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ:SNIC) today announced a strategic relationship that will result in a new Best Buy customer offering in its growing line-up of digital entertainment products. The new on-demand movie and entertainment service will be powered by Sonic's Roxio CinemaNow™ and will allow consumers to have access to buy or rent a vast library of premium content. To power this offering, Best Buy has entered into a multi-year agreement in which Best Buy plans to license and deploy Sonic's Roxio CinemaNow™ technology and services platform to make on-demand digital content delivery a standard feature on connected consumer electronics devices sold throughout U.S. Best Buy retail stores and BestBuy.com. Under the terms of the agreement, Best Buy acquired warrants enabling it to purchase shares of Sonic Solutions common stock. Best Buy, one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in the world, has a strong track record of bringing innovative technologies to a broad audience through its consumer-focused marketing, education, and Geek Squad services. To foster the consumer appetite for obtaining on-demand premium content electronically, Best Buy intends to embed the Roxio CinemaNow technology on a wide array of devices - web-connected television sets, portable media players, PCs, Blu-ray Disc players, set-top boxes, and mobile phones - from a variety of manufacturers. Best Buy expects to undertake a marketing program to educate consumers about the increased convenience, flexibility, and choice digital content delivery affords. With the new Best Buy service, consumers will have access to buy or rent an extensive library of premium content including new movies, TV shows, independent films, and older catalog movies, which they will be able to access on devices in the broad ecosystem. It is anticipated that new titles will often be available on the same day they become available on DVDs in retail outlets. Together with their Studio partners, Best Buy and Sonic plan to also collaborate on new service and content offerings, including those that leverage digital copies to bridge physical disc sales and electronic sell through. "Best Buy is in a great position to expand the market for on-demand home entertainment," said Thomas Gewecke, president, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "The combination of Sonic's platform with Best Buy's expertise in selling consumer electronics, video content and technical services creates an opportunity for a wide variety of exciting new consumer offerings." "Our relationship with Sonic Solutions allows Best Buy to quickly establish a strong position in the digital delivery of video entertainment," said Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy. "It also enables us to make deeper and more meaningful connections with our customers and expand our relationships with content owners and hardware vendors to create compelling new home entertainment solutions." "With Best Buy's ability to drive in-store promotion and education, consumers will come to quickly understand and appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and control that digitally-delivered video entertainment affords them," said Dave Habiger, president and CEO, Sonic Solutions. "With Best Buy's focus, we expect on-demand entertainment to quickly grow into a mass market activity, with digital sell-through and rental becoming a significant new revenue stream for content owners." Roxio CinemaNow includes Hollywood-approved digital rights management, encoding and adaptive delivery technologies, and secure device-optimized playback of premium entertainment. Roxio CinemaNow's cloud-based media services power devices which consumers can use to seamlessly enjoy video entertainment anytime and anywhere across the broadest range of devices. The Roxio CinemaNow ecosystem includes PCs, connected TVs, set top DVRs, Blu-ray Disc and mobile media players from leading manufacturers such as Archos, Dell, HP, LG, Microsoft, Nintendo, Pioneer and TiVo and is powering internet movie delivery for Blockbuster. Read -- AP report Read -- New York Times
Disney Keychest to make buy-once view-anywhere movies a reality with Apple's help?
You know who's missing from the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (or DECE) consortium? A group bent on redefining the way we buy, access, and play digital content with a membership roster that includes Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox, HP, Intel, Lions Gate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign, and Warner Bros? Right, Apple and Disney, the latter landing a lengthy piece in the Wall Street Journal describing Disney's own distributed content ownership scheme that goes by the code-name, "Keychest;" a DRM solution that instantly provides access to content on any participating service (digital download store, mobile-phone provider, or on-demand cable for example) when a purchase is made. Keychest does this though a system of unique keys that are issued when a movie is purchased. The keys are then stored in a central repository (aka, chest) that participants would query. In this scenario, the movies would reside with each delivery company on their respective systems -- movies would not be downloaded. On the bright side, if a content provider went out of business you would still have access to your films elsewhere. The proposed solution would work with Blu-ray disc purchases too, since BD players are internet-enabled by design -- DVD keys would have to be manually typed in by the user. So in effect, you'd now be paying once for ownership rights to the film, not to the physical media. If it sounds similar to DECE it is, but Disney claims that its approach is more streamlined and you know, better. Disney has been quietly courting other movie studios with Keychest and intends to go public with its technology next month. Of course, with Steve Jobs listed as Disney's largest stockholder and the rumored Apple tablet being a media-redefining device that will single-handedly save newspapers while ridding the world of hunger and ignorance, well, you can see where the speculation is headed. [Thanks, Demopublican]
Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, the DRM of the future?
We've heard this about this dream so many times before, DRM that will make digital media as easy to use and as consumer friendly as a physical medium like DVD. We'd normally be quick to disregard this as yet another DRM "ecosystem" for digital media, but the list of players backing the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (or DECE) has us taking notice. As impossible as this seems, if anyone could make it happen, it'd be a group composed of: Best Buy, Cisco, Comcast, Fox, HP, Intel, Lions Gate, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Sony, Toshiba, VeriSign, and Warner Bros -- yes, we also find it hard to believe that all these companies are working together. We'll have to wait until January at CES for the ins and outs of how this would actually work, but we do know it'll be based around a "rights locker" which will amount to a website where digital purchases will be stored -- we assume this is where VeriSign fits in. Oh, and Apple is noticeably absent from the list
