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Ultraviolet: What do you like and not like about it? (1 Viewer)

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Joshua Clinard said:
Sam,

He is referring to Disney's new Digital Copy + which includes a iTunes or vudu digital copy. I did indeed get a vudu copy of OZ: The Great and Powerful, because having a vudu copy is almost as good as having a UV copy. The only real downside is I can't share it with my other members, and I won't be able to download the movie in the Common File Format. Still, it's a step in the right direction, and I look forward to what's to come.

Bob Iger has said that Keychest was always intended to be compatible with UltraViolet, and I think Digital Copy + is taking the place of Keychest, so eventually I am sure they will add UV capability to Digital Copy +, I'm just not sure how long it will take. I would guess by the end of 2014 or earlier.

Yes, a step in the right direction. I think Disney is trying to save face while admitting it has become necessary to include something other than just an itunes code now days. Its nice that it will show up with the rest of our movies (for those using vudu) but I'm still on the fence about supporting that by getting OZ. Might have been an easier decision if they hadn't screwed up the normal 3D/blu/dvd/digital release the way they did.
 

Sam Posten

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So you are trading one silo for another and not getting any of the UV benefits. Walmart is surely a terrific custodian of that trust! ;)

Also, so we're now talking 5 years for the full, streamlined everyone is part of it UV, eh?
 

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Sam Posten said:
So you are trading one silo for another and not getting any of the UV benefits. Walmart is surely a terrific custodian of that trust! ;)

Also, so we're now talking 5 years for the full, streamlined everyone is part of it UV, eh?

What other silo? I'm sure itunes would work great as it does for many people, but, and its a big but...itunes doesn't work on any of my devices so its a non starter for me. Amazon might be ok but I really like the way ultraviolet is set up. Add in the fact that studio support for itunes is declining while support for UV is becoming the standard according to this chart, UV is not only the smart choice but for most of us, its about the only choice.


Below are the current standings in the digital copy market..

Note: I couldn't get the chart to copy correctly but the info is there and here is a link....https://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?940021-Why-isn-t-21-amp-Over-UV


elow are the current standings in the digital copy market..

MAJOR STUDIOS DIGITAL COPY METHOD US/CAN MARKET SHARE (2012) Link to Example


Disney Studios DigitalCopy+

Choice of one of the below
EST providers;
1) Amazon
2) iTunes
3) Vudu


14.3%
Sony Pictures/Columbia UltraViolet Only 17.0% Warner Brothers Ultraviolet Only 15.4% CLICK HERE 20th Century Fox Ultraviolet Only 10.6% Paramount Ultraviolet & iTunes 8.5% Lionsgate Ultraviolet & iTunes ~7.5% (near-major) CLICK HERE Universal Ultraviolet & iTunes 13.6%
MINOR STUDIOS DIGITAL COPY METHOD Link to Example Starz/Anchor Bay Ultraviolet Only CLICK HERE Relativity Media iTunes Only Arc Entertainment Vudu Only CLICK HERE The Weinstein Company Ultraviolet & iTunes CLICK HERE



As a recap;

[*]No major studio is offering iTunes exclusive digital copy redemptions as of June 11th `13
[*]43% of the market has Ultraviolet as their exclusive digital copy method
(add to this a few minor studios who too are exclusive UV)
[*]72.6% of the market has Ultraviolet as their primary digital copy method
[*]86.9% of the market is controlled by the major studios and all have Ultraviolet digital copy redemptions
(except for disney studios which is currently back door'ing the UV process via Vudu).
[/list]
 

MattAlbie60

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LINCOLN just came with an iTunes only code a few months ago. I think that was the last major release that I bought that had that.
 

Sam Posten

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What other silo? I'm sure itunes would work great as it does for many people, but, and its a big but...itunes doesn't work on any of my devices so its a non starter for me. Amazon might be ok but I really like the way ultraviolet is set up. Add in the fact that studio support for itunes is declining while support for UV is becoming the standard according to this chart, UV is not only the smart choice but for most of us, its about the only choice.
Trading the iTunes silo for Vudu's. Clearly Vudu is available for more devices than iTunes (and this is why I believe Apple will make a web player for iTunes sooner than later, but i digress) but you are still locked in to one vendor. The promise of UV was that your locker would transcend these one off relationships. And that hasn't happened, in fact it's more cumbersome because of it,with 5 different logins still and multiple caveats about what works on it and what doesn't and the rules about how you can use them, and in this case the Vudu exclusivity is working against the principle point of UV.
 

MattAlbie60

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For the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS code, I literally had to sign up for a new Paramount UV account and that's the only place you could redeem/view. It wouldn't work anywhere else. I think it's on Vudu now, but you couldn't even do it through Flixter on release day.
 

Joshua Clinard

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Lincoln was a Disney release, so it came with iTunes. But Disney is now releasing new titles with both. I'm fine with that, never advocated for studio's to offer UV only. Choice is good for the consumer. And whoever said anything about 5 years? I think Disney will begin to offer UV by 2014.
 

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Sam Posten said:
Trading the iTunes silo for Vudu's. Clearly Vudu is available for more devices than iTunes (and this is why I believe Apple will make a web player for iTunes sooner than later, but i digress) but you are still locked in to one vendor. The promise of UV was that your locker would transcend these one off relationships. And that hasn't happened, in fact it's more cumbersome because of it,with 5 different logins still and multiple caveats about what works on it and what doesn't and the rules about how you can use them, and in this case the Vudu exclusivity is working against the principle point of UV.

I agree, without UV support, just giving a Vudu code is really lacking.....but it is a step in the right direction. There are 8-9 places to access your UV movies right now, Vudu is just the most popular right now because they have more of the bugs worked out.

On the multiple log ins, I don't even see that as a factor. Sure you have to get it all set up initially, but after that its very simple, heck I'm a tech idiot compared to many and had no trouble.
I guess the hope is these Vudu codes will become UV enabled when Disney gets onboard.
 

Everett S.

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Jesse Skeen said:
I prefer my content on discs, including porn- porn in HD is good :) However, I've set up an Ultraviolet account recently because I've found that UV copies are also added to my library on Vudu (which had porn before Wal-Mart took it over!) Since I have Vudu on my TV and Blu-Ray player and use it for rentals, I figured I might as well add these UV movies to it since it doesn't cost me extra. I've noticed my Paramount and Sony movies gave me the HDX versions (I can only stream up to HD quality due to my internet service), but apparently the people at Warner are cheap because their movies only give me the lowest-quality SD versions! I still don't see the logical reason for having these movies on Vudu anyways when I have them on Blu-Ray. The quality even at its highest can't match Blu-Ray, and I don't like the idea of someone being able to take the movie offline whenever they see fit. I don't have an iPod or any portable device, and if I did I would not spend any money to watch movies on it.
Yes, I paid for Blu-ray the UV copy should be HDX!
 

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Everett Stallings said:
Yes, I paid for Blu-ray the UV copy should be HDX!
Your not getting HDX codes from bluray purchases? I have only been doing Ultraviolet for a short time but, I have about 90 movies so far and almost every code from a bluray is redeeming HDX. Anyone looking for porn should try a Roku box.
 

cinemaparker

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Ultraviolet has got to be the single worst service I've ever used for anything. It is completely unintuitive and so badly laid out in terms of account management that it baffles me that this has yet to be resolved. What's even crazier about the whole setup is that if you sign on through the official site, it asks you for a user name. If you sign on through the Sony Pictures Store however, you use the email address associated with the account to sign in. I already have a hard enough time managing the glut of usernames/passwords/emails associated with every other account I use but the UV setup frazzles me every single time. Unlinking accounts from Flixster is a whole other nightmare as well. Merging two UV accounts? Forget it.

I honestly believe that this service is made difficult to manage to deter people from... well, I don't know what (maybe just enjoying life in general) but seriously, this has to be one of the absolute worst experiences I have ever had with a service. Digital copies should NOT be restricted to just Ultraviolet and should allow you the option to download via iTunes if it's going to be made this frustrating.
 

Towergrove

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cinemaparker said:
Ultraviolet has got to be the single worst service I've ever used for anything. It is completely unintuitive and so badly laid out in terms of account management that it baffles me that this has yet to be resolved. What's even crazier about the whole setup is that if you sign on through the official site, it asks you for a user name. If you sign on through the Sony Pictures Store however, you use the email address associated with the account to sign in. I already have a hard enough time managing the glut of usernames/passwords/emails associated with every other account I use but the UV setup frazzles me every single time. Unlinking accounts from Flixster is a whole other nightmare as well. Merging two UV accounts? Forget it. I honestly believe that this service is made difficult to manage to deter people from... well, I don't know what (maybe just enjoying life in general) but seriously, this has to be one of the absolute worst experiences I have ever had with a service. Digital copies should NOT be restricted to just Ultraviolet and should allow you the option to download via iTunes if it's going to be made this frustrating.
Happy Ultraviolet user here purchasing many films on the VUDU UV supported site I HDX. I'm glad for UV and can play my films on Apple, Android, Roku, PC, samsung, LG TVS whereas my iTunes purchases are stuck to apple only products in their walled garden.
 

Jason Charlton

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Towergrove said:
whereas my iTunes purchases are stuck to apple only products in their walled garden.
I have iTunes on my PC at home and can happily watch movies there if I want to. I use that to sync movies via iTunes with my iPad. I store all my iTunes digital copies (I don't have many nor have I redeemed very many) on a large-capacity external hard drive on my PC and swap them out on my iPad as I deem necessary (only have a 16GB model iPad, so storage is limited).

I don't find the iTunes approach limiting at all.
 

Joshua Clinard

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I'm pretty happy with the vudu service, so if Disney disc's include a vudu copy, then I will take it. Sure, there are a few drawbacks because they aren't UV, but as long as I can watch the movie on all my vudu devices, and in HD, then that is good enough, for now. Of course I still hope for UV in the future.

On another note, yesterday, Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood was released with a vudu or Amazon digital copy. No iTunes copy was offered. DIdn't see that coming, but I like it! I think iTunes should be forced out of the market until they join UV.
 

cinemaparker

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FInally gave up on Flixster and signed up for Vudu, all so I can link my UV account to it with no problems. I kept getting an error message from Flixster when I tried to link the two together and I've gotten no kind of tech support from either side after multiple contact attempts.
 

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Jason Charlton said:
I have iTunes on my PC at home and can happily watch movies there if I want to. I use that to sync movies via iTunes with my iPad. I store all my iTunes digital copies (I don't have many nor have I redeemed very many) on a large-capacity external hard drive on my PC and swap them out on my iPad as I deem necessary (only have a 16GB model iPad, so storage is limited).

I don't find the iTunes approach limiting at all.


Depends on how your trying to use it. For me, Can I watch my itunes on my TV thru my Roku? How about my android tablet? or my Samsung phones......

Not only limiting......impossible.....however with UV I can watch on all my devices and yours too!
 

Towergrove

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and it looks like the UV train is picking up steam: Blu-ray, UltraViolet Sales Jump in First Half of 2013
Digital distribution provided additional growth in the first half of the year due to a healthy consumer reaction to EST, which led to a 50 percent increase in EST consumer spending compared to mid-year 2012. The overall consumer spend on digital product was up more than 24 percent versus a year ago.With more than 10,000 film and TV titles available to watch on an array of devices, UltraViolet has grown to 13 million accounts. The digital viewing experience is now available to consumers through major retailers in six countries, the latest being Australia and New Zealand.
http://www.cepro.com/article/blu_ray_ultraviolet_sales_jump_in_first_half_of_2013/Its great that UV is making inroads.
 

Neil S. Bulk

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The Muppet Movie came with a digital copy code. When I entered it in I was asked if I wanted it unlocked on Vudu or Amazon. I chose Vudu as that works on my tablet and phone as well as Roku. I didn't realize there was a deal in place with Amazon.
 

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