UltraViolet in NZ

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steve98

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#128698 20-Aug-2013 16:39

Hi gang

Have noticed that where DVDs and Blu-Rays used to come with a free Digital Copy via iTunes, most studios are now providing digital copies via UltraViolet instead.

iTunes copies were at least semi-useful in NZ as most people have iTunes and many have iOS devices / Apple TV where these copies can be downloaded or streamed, but it seems like UltraViolet has been launched here with a big lack of device support. In the US, UltraViolet is part of the Vudu service and is available on almost all Smart TVs, Blu Ray players etc., but I am not seeing any apps on such devices in NZ that support UltraViolet. Anybody else know of any? I am all for cloud-based digital copies of movies... but only if I can access them!

Luckily for me I can access Vudu via unblock-us which means I can view on PS3 etc., but what about the non tech-savvy masses? How are they supposed to view their digital copies? Even if the studios don't want to launch the full-fledged Vudu service here, they could at least launch an UltraViolet-only app and start rolling it out to NZ profiles on PS3, Blu-Ray players etc. Are they serious about wanting to combat piracy or not?

Just a rant. Any thoughts?

Steve

trig42

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#881656 20-Aug-2013 16:44

I think:
http://video.jbhifi.co.nz/ works. I haven't purchased an UltraViolet Movie, but I have seen that address on the boxes of them.

steve98

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#881691 20-Aug-2013 18:12

Yeah but this is just a web-based solution. Where are the apps for smart tv etc? As I said, they have them for the States so why not for NZ if they're serious about stopping piracy?

lyonrouge

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#941501 27-Nov-2013 09:37

My interpretation of this approach is more about decoupling from Apple for user content than it is about piracy (although this would be a significant contributor). Previously the "Digital Copy" allowed for WMV or MOV. If you chose MOV it would be linked to your iTunes account and that way you could have multiple copies (managed by Apple). If you chose MOV, the activation was bound the machine you activated from and that could (via Media Player) provide multiple copies on other devices, however, if that activated machine was lost or wiped, the content was lost forever.

Ultraviolet should provide cross platform support. The iOS and Android clients are rudimentary (iOS AirPlay does not work) and Silverlight on Windows is not a great choice, and crashed on Win 8.1, however, if they get good coverage I hope the device support will improve accordingly.

Klipspringer

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#941570 27-Nov-2013 10:29

I have an ultraviolet account linked to my Vudu account.

Yes it works here in NZ via unblock-us.com.
I have used it a few times on my PS3 and the Roku. Dont see the point of an Ultraviolet only app when Vudu already does it.

Never uploaded a DVD though