Sure, before you head to the beach, it’s imperative to slather on the sunblock. (Note: as far as I know, this is the first time I’ve used “slather” in a written sentence.) Everyone knows that too many UV rays are bad for you, and that SPF is the remedy. But what about another kind of ultraviolet?
This particular UltraViolet is a new cloud format for movies that is almost ready to make its consumer debut. UltraViolet has almost all of the major movie studios and many electronics manufacturers onboard, as well as many other supporting technology companies. But — and it’s a big but — Disney and Apple have not signed on yet.
UltraViolet seems pretty cool. When you buy a movie on Blu-ray, you’ll get access to a cloud version that you can stream to your various devices. And, it’s “free,” because the cost of the rights to stream the movie will be included in the price of the Blu-ray disc.
It’s hard to say exactly what studios will do, but I imagine that major movie releases will contain a Blu-ray disc, a DVD disc, and a UV cloud copy that can be accessed on a phone or tablet or whatever (the standard supports up to 12 devices). The whole digital copy download thing, always awkward to use, will probably disappear. Another UltraViolet option is to dispense with the disc altogether and simply sell the cloud version of the movie. In other words, UltraViolet is a bridge to the all-cloud future.
The question is, is that a future that we really want? Will the cloud picture and sound quality be equal to or better than Blu-ray? And what about the bonus material? Will an all-cloud UltraViolet delivery system do to movie quality what MP3 did to CD music quality? Sure, not having to pay for disc pressing will mean more profit for studios, but what about us consumers?
You mention that the digital copy is going away according to the UV advertising and the meetings on UV that I have attended that is incorrect. Ultraviolet includes stream as well as a digital copy. Taking a look at the recent Green Lantern release I believe the digital copy portion starts December 20th. The digital copy is mentioned in all the advertising for UV and will become a big feature when devices are released and older ones can be upgraded to play them. Expect more on this at CES.
Many people who purchase films want to own a copy of what they are purchasing. Remember that around half of all income to the home video industry is because of people who are purchasing, not renting.
I do like streaming but you suggest in many of your articles like its a all or nothing proposition (physical leaves us while streaming will remain). Heck in the latest issue of the magazine you even write an article that sounds like a Blu Ray Obituary except sales of BD are on the increase? Looking at the lead streamins service, Netflix is wonderful but its not a everything at your fingertips at all times service. Streaming on Netflix is limited to the length of rights that Netflix purchased from the studio. Once that right expires the stream vanished from the service. Netflix is spending Billions on streaming rights and currently losing customers. Will they be around in a few years?