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The UltraViolet “Digital Library” film service is launching in the UK after Christmas, giving us yet another way to buy, stream and eventually download films. Only this time, you own the rights to watch them again and again, for life.
According to The Register, which got to play with a near-final version of the system in the UK, the service is arriving here on December 26th, and will launch with one single film available to buy and supporting the system  – Final Destination 5.
DVDs and Blu-ray discs subsequently bought from participating movie studios — Sony, Universal and Warner are already onboard — will come with a redeemable code, entitling the buyer to stream the digital version. Support for downloading copies will come later in 2012, once a decision has been reached on which format to use.
UltraViolet support will also be embedded into the likes of Amazon, LoveFilm and many other sites and their accompanying apps, hopefully seamlessly integrating with any existing digital film service you currently use.
It’s a pretty bold plan. Especially if you’ve been excitedly awaiting the retail release of Final Destination 5. [UVVU via The Register]
The first signs of someone intelligent actually working in these companies and dealing with digital policy. At last.
Hoping this will catch on thoroughly. And that Netflix will be signed on when they show up here.
Is funny that a banned movie poster is being used to promote this though
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16065584
This does seem like a very positive move in the right direction, but will you be able to just purchase a redeemable code for a movie without buying the DVD, will it cost less on its own and what’s the pricing structure? They still have a ways to go until I’m satisfied it’s the best way to consume movies.
Just purchasing the code wouldn’t really fit with the point of the system. The idea is that you can buy the product once and have it available on -all- formats at any time you choose. You can’t really retroactively give users the physical copies (not half as feasibly as giving them a code for a digital copy anyway), so it wouldn’t really work.
As far as I’m aware, it shouldn’t add any more to the cost of a normal Double/Triple Play Blu-Ray, this just means that the digital copies won’t be utterly useless token gestures that are more trouble than they’re worth to cash in on.
Ultra Violet’s website indicates that there will be films available for purchase and download from their website, but there is no indication of when and currently sign up is limited to the US only.
Of course, this will be another account to manage as digital “proof of purchase” will be saved to your account which will no doubt have to be added to whatever device you wish to play this on. The website also describes “all UltraViolet-compatible media players apps and devices” thus not all devices will work, so it’ll be “their” apps and “their” software to play the files too (i’m guessing this though)…