Transfer ultraviolet digital copy dvd to iTunes, not Flixster?

Well written!

This discussion is now 17 pages long. I have posted similar comments in the past.

Though I have always felt it is the studios right to sell what they choose, I didn't like the concept of UV at first.

I then tried it and guess what? I liked it!

You may try it and dislike it. That is your right. However, give it a REAL try before condemning it. Also if after giving it real try you still condemn it, don't condemn the studios. They have made a business decision that offers digital copies to more people than any other channel.

Also make a point to pressure Apple to get onboard.

“price prohibitive”, where do you get these crazy ideas from?

The movie studios have the ability to offer movies in any digital format that the customer wants. What is the cost overhead that will put the movies studios in the “red” for supporting multiple digital formats? It costs little to convert formats and store them on a server for downloading. You can probably store one master copy and covert on the fly while downloading.

You hate Apple and iTunes; you make this clear in most of your posts. So sell all of your Apple stuff and enjoy UltraViloet and Flixter on the platform of your choice.

You need to do some research about UltraViolet and Flixter and learn what the studios are trying to do with it. It is NOT about compatibility for the end-user it is about control by the studio. It is about DRM!

Yes, the studios can do what they want but I as a consumer do not have to buy their product! Coke made the mistake; I switched to Pepsi and have never gone back.

Apple TV is not a problem. Most of my digital movies are in the iTunes cloud. Some are not. So, I download these movies to my iPad and WiFi it over. Better yet, I will use Netflix to watch the movie.

yes price prohibitive.

There is more on the table here then just what the studio wants to charge and what the studio can give you. There are performance royalties, licensing fees and all of these have been negotiated with the actors, directors and the producers...people that are not just the studios.

if they were to do like you ask an offer multiple copies in multiple formats then the studio would be required to pay the licensing fees for each copy, thus driving up the cost of the movie at which point they would pass on most of if not all of the cost to the consumer.

you are right by saying that the studios want to control the content with DRM and it is unfortunate that the paying customer pays the price for all the piracy with the restricted DRM. it is a necessary evil.

you are wrong I do not hate Apple I just hate the lemmings that Apple creates...people who claim to be forward thinking but who can't seem to use anything other than products that Apple creates despite the fact that they have been shown better products exist.

however, you are right I do hate iTunes. as a music professional iTunes is 1 of the worst programs ever created and it plays to the lowest common denominator. it has also become a bloated piece of crap that tries to do too much and should be cut up into several small pieces so that it better services the consumer and not Apple.

I am neither for or against iTunes, and I am neither for or against UltraViolet. What I AM against, is having my choices restricted.

The argument regarding studios having to pay more for including more digital formats is over my head - I have no way of knowing if that's true or not. Besides, when you entered the redemption code, you were given the choice - do you want the iTunes or Windows Media compatible version? If you could only redeem the code once, why would the studio have to pay extra?

If people want to use UV, good - go ahead. If people want to use iTunes, good - go ahead, and likewise if people want to use neither but still have access to a digital copy - that too should be an option.

Studios such as Warner and Sony who USED to offer a "Digital Copy" which could be redeemed as either an iTunes or Windows Media Library compatible version, have now discarded both of these in favour of UltraViolet - a system which for me personally, does NOT work very well (I live in a rural area with broadband speeds that rarely reach 1.5Mb). True I could "download" a movie for offline playback onto my devices, but I would prefer to be able to have my movie in a central location, and be able to copy it onto my devices without the need to connect to the internet.

Other studios such as Universal and MGM DO indeed offer multiple digital formats which include UltraViolet as well as iTunes, and their movies are no more or less expensive than the movies on offer from any other studio.

Again, for me personally, convenience is the main issue. I have a NAS unit that I use to store all of my movies on. It has a built in DLNA media server, and I can stream movies to any device on my network. I can't use the UltraViolet streaming services on my smart TV or smart Blu-Ray player as I'm in the UK, and the applicances don't yet have support for that and even if they did, as I mentioned above, my broadband is patchy at best.

I understand the need for DRM and the measures taken against piracy, but I ignore that argument, because my opinions are based on my having purchased the movie - not on having downloaded it illegally.

I'd also like to refer to the above comment "Nobody took your choice away from you...either buy it or don't, your CHOICE." - this is an argumentative stance to take. I've ALWAYS had the choice to buy or not, and I've always bought. However, the choices that I once had for digital format, has actually been taken away from me IN SOME RESPECT. The fact is now, that if I want ALL formats of a Sony or Warner movie, I would have to buy the physical version which might come with UV, and then I'd have to pay full price too for the iTunes copy - how is that fair?

Oh, and regarding the comment "Instead of being SELFISH and creating some lame facebook page against the studios" - how is standing up for something, and having a voice, being selfish? In your opinion, do I not have a right to say how I feel, and to invite others to share their views too?

I, too, have wondered why studios don't offer UV + iTunes digital copies. As Roy Bridge pointed out, the code is only redeemable once, so it shouldn't be costing the studios extra. (I assume the studios only pay once a code is redeemed. If that is incorrect, please correct me.) And if it is costing them extra, it doesn't seem to be THAT cost prohibitive since there are studios out there doing it and still making money. (A lot of money, I might add.)

For me, it's the convenience issue as it is for Roy Bridge. Yes, if I want a copy on my iPhone, iPad, Media Center PC, and iMac, I could download a copy to each device. But why should I have to download it to each device? Why can't I have it one place on my own internal network, like I do for the digital copies I currently have in iTunes, and then just transfer or stream them to the other devices on my own internal network?

There are people out there who have metered Internet access. 700MB downloads per movie, per device, is not really a palatable option for those folks.

The concept of UV is fantastic. But with Apple and Disney both remaining far away from UV, that makes it difficult to realize the full potential of UV. And whether we like it or not, Apple has a lot of clout when it comes to digital media, both on the software and hardware side. And Disney, well, is Disney, and kinda marches to the beat of their own drum. I don't think they have much influence as they used to, but they're still a major player.

Yes, I did notice that. Previously it would read iTunes or uv. I have some in iTunes and ultra violet and flixster. Has anyone dealt with iTunes rejecting new codes for you digital download saying they were invalid with expiration dates in 2014? And you have to send a trouble report? I would love to have all items in iTunes since I have a pod, pad and now phone but my biggest problem with them all is space. The cloud thing get me because you cannot put movies or music there. I brought an extra 20gigaBits to have more space and with the thousands of songs fm purchases and Cd music add in cloud. I find myself having to delete a lot of apps and its content in order to get some items to enjoy on the move and I know it's retrievable, I would like it all available at once. Not streaming but hard copy at will, can anyone here advise me. You all sound like experts and I need help. I'm frustrated to no end are there any solutions for extra space? Most of myWB stuff is in flixster/ UV

It looks like when you get an ultraviolet copy either free or purchased that they're only available for 1 to 5 years 😕 unless the studio decides to allow an extension... if not, you'll have to rebuy it.

I guess it's time to stop moving my collection to vudu and just buy a larger external hard drive.

No, that's not the case. Your UV rights do not expire. The code itself may expire if you don't redeem it but once it's redeemed your UV rights are indefinite. See the FAQ:

http://www.uvvu.com/faqs.php#question-4

AtomXL wrote:

No, that's not the case. Your UV rights do not expire. The code itself may expire if you don't redeem it but once it's redeemed your UV rights are indefinite.

However...

-> Ultraviolet Offer Details

"Streaming

UltraViolet Rights include streaming from the selling UltraViolet Retailer, at no extra charge above the original content purchase price, for at least one year after purchase. This no-extra-charge streaming will be offered to specific apps/devices, and via streaming means, to be determined by the selling UltraViolet Retailer. Streaming of a given title from the selling UltraViolet Retailer more than a year after its purchase, or at any time via Streaming Services other than the selling UltraViolet Retailer, may incur fees and if so any such fees would be presented to the consumer in advance of streaming titles, with the consumer having the option to accept the fees or not use that Streaming Service. Members of an Account may stream up to three titles at the same time. Streaming availability may be subject to territorial restrictions if an Account Member is seeking to stream in a territory that is different from where content was purchased. Streaming availability may also be subject to restrictions that exist for certain periods of time, for certain titles.

Physical copy option

When consumers make online purchases of UltraViolet-enabled content for digital use (i.e. not buying a disc via e-commerce, but rather buying download/streaming rights), they may also be offered the opportunity to buy a version of that UltraViolet-enabled title that allows them to have a single physical-media copy (e.g. the title copied onto a DVD or flash memory). Whether this option is available, and the details of how it works to obtain this copy, may vary by retailer and by title. If the consumer chooses to purchase a version of an UltraViolet-enabled title that does include this option for a physical media copy, they will have one year from the date of purchase during which the selling UltraViolet Retailer must facilitate them obtaining the copy, at no charge above the original content purchase price."

(emphasis mine)

Also this...

-> Ultraviolet FAQ #55

"If my retailer or streaming provider stops participating in UltraViolet, what will happen to my rights?

Your rights with respect to the movies and TV shows in your UltraViolet Collection will NOT be affected. UltraViolet Files that you have downloaded to your UltraViolet Players will still be available to you. Other UltraViolet retailers and UltraViolet streaming providers may provide options for future downloads and streaming."

(emphasis mine)

If you have not downloaded the movie, it's gone.

Others may step up (but I highly doubt it and if they do, I bet they will charge a fee).

Others already have stepped up. UV movies can be streamed and donwloaded from Flixster, VUDU and CinemaNow. You'd only lose the ability to stream if all of those stopped it (AND no other services were available) and you'd never lose the ability to use your downloaded copies as the UV rights remain.

The point about physical copies relates only to digital purchases which allow you to request a physical copy whereas the topic of this thread relates to digital copies included with Blu-Ray.

AtomXL wrote:

You'd only lose the ability to stream if all of those stopped it (AND no other services were available) and you'd never lose the ability to use your downloaded copies as the UV rights remain.

Exactly.

It is legalese so that the consumers can't file a class action lawsuit if all the companies stopped the streaming service.

The owners of the ill fated DIVX lost their rights to play their physical media when the authentication servers were shutdown. (DIVX not DivX http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Video_Express)

Nothing last forever so companies protect themselves from lawsuits.

When, not if, they stop making blu-ray players, in time yours will break and you can no longer access your discs. That will be decades from now. The point is nothing is forever. Yes your physical media maybe safer than streaming media. Then again, in the long run streaming may be safer as long as the companies stay in business.

Hi All,

now I haven't read all 18+ pages of this post so ignore this if its been touched on or is not relavant but I have just entered the UV code from my Bourne Legacy Blu Ray straight into the iTunes store through the Redeem link and it started downloading no problem in iTunes. Whether or not this works for every UV code I cant say but I dont see why not.

So if this is the case, there is a choice, they just dont tell you!

*** ok just seen in the small print that it is also iTunes compatible for this download, this isnt the case for my copy of The Dark Knight Rises***

Message was edited by: mclinch82

Ripped 5 DVDs onto my Mac last night using HandBrake, and although it takes forever (over 1 hour per DVD), it works nicely!

Videos went straight into iTunes and straight onto my iPad. Perfect!

Ah, before I saw your update, Mclinch, I tried my Dark Knight Rises UV code in iTunes and alas, no luck. :-( Thanks for the clarification that your Bourne BR did specifically mention iTunes as well as UV. I wish Warner Bros. would do the same!