UltraViolet to close down, your digital film library is in danger of deletion

chaparral · 31 Jan 2019 at 13:36

https://www.pocket-lint.com/tv/news...digital-film-library-is-in-danger-of-deletion

UltraViolet, the digital film service set up by a majority of the major movie studios, is to shut down. You will soon lose your digital library of films unless you link them to a retailer in the US or download them through Flixster in the UK.

According to Variety, the company that runs UV for the studios, The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), will inform users that it plans to close the service completely on 31 July 2019.

Users will be told to link their accounts to a retailer that supports UltraViolet films or download them.

Just a heads up for anyone that uses this..

I never used this myself

Glanza · 31 Jan 2019 at 13:46

Never redeemed the codes when I was buying disc versions. Can't imagine they'll be that many people who have a stacked library.

Poneros · 31 Jan 2019 at 14:20

Glanza said:
Never redeemed the codes when I was buying disc versions. Can't imagine they'll be that many people who have a stacked library.

You'd be surprised, check the Blu-Ray forums.

This is just another example of why local storage is KING. Forget giving these dumb services money & just host your collection yourself. Same thing happened with FilmStruck.

dowie · 31 Jan 2019 at 15:16

Poneros said:
You'd be surprised, check the Blu-Ray forums.

This is just another example of why local storage is KING. Forget giving these dumb services money & just host your collection yourself. Same thing happened with FilmStruck.

What services offer that though? Aside from buying physical media or time limited downloads via specific apps?

I've just been sticking with physical media for purchases of films/boxed sets at the moment. (ditto to music too generally since it is often the same price if not cheaper and when bought via amazon you get it added to your digital library anyway)

TALON1973 · 31 Jan 2019 at 15:40

dowie said:
I've just been sticking with physical media for purchases of films/boxed sets at the moment. (ditto to music too generally since it is often the same price if not cheaper and when bought via amazon you get it added to your digital library anyway)

I rarely see the free digital copy available anymore. In fact I can't remember last time I saw it. Do Amazon still do that ? Can't see why they would seeing as they have a streaming service now. My old stuff is still available tho

dowie · 31 Jan 2019 at 15:44

TALON1973 said:
I rarely see the free digital copy available anymore. In fact I can't remember last time I saw it. Do Amazon still do that ? Can't see why they would seeing as they have a streaming service now. My old stuff is still available tho

They seemingly do still offer it. You can select "autorip" in the search filter.

TALON1973 · 31 Jan 2019 at 15:49

dowie said:
They seemingly do still offer it. You can select "autorip" in the search filter.

Well it might show in the Search filter , but I clicked on 6 different albums with Amazon supplying it and none of them offered autorip

V F · 31 Jan 2019 at 16:00

Glanza said:
Never redeemed the codes when I was buying disc versions. Can't imagine they'll be that many people who have a stacked library.

I remember the files back in the day being too big to download. That was why I never used the codes.

Poneros · 31 Jan 2019 at 16:20

dowie said:
What services offer that though? Aside from buying physical media or time limited downloads via specific apps?

I've just been sticking with physical media for purchases of films/boxed sets at the moment. (ditto to music too generally since it is often the same price if not cheaper and when bought via amazon you get it added to your digital library anyway)

Physical discs count as local storage. Ripping a friend's discs is also an option.

dowie · 31 Jan 2019 at 16:27

Poneros said:
Physical discs count as local storage.

Ah fair enough, I just thought you might be talking about digital downloads of some sort re: "hosting" them yourself.

Though I guess I am tempted to, at some point, rip/back up all my DVDs/blue rays, stick them on some NAS drive and then just stash away all the disks/case in a box somewhere.

varkanoid · 31 Jan 2019 at 22:39

Probably stopping it due to all the people who sold the codes. Of which there were many!

Grimley · 1 Feb 2019 at 17:47

I've only ever bothered with Ultraviolet once, that was a year ago with BR2049 just to see what it was like. I wasnt impressed. Talk about grind to a halt enough times. It buffered more than a steam train. I had to sign up with a Sony site & all its DRM CPU intensive/bandwidth hogging nonsense, I won't miss it that's for certain.

5punk3monk3y · 3 Feb 2019 at 15:23

Movies Anywhere in the US is the reason, most studios are moving over to that service. UV in the UK is so limited that I guess most won't see it as an issue.

silvagti · 3 Feb 2019 at 15:32

This is what will push everything to a subscription model. When people realise that a DRM'd digital copy of media you've "purchased to own" can be taken away from you at a moment's notice they'll realise it's pointless to pay for digital media as anything other than a subscription.

5punk3monk3y · 3 Feb 2019 at 16:23

silvagti said:
This is what will push everything to a subscription model. When people realise that a DRM'd digital copy of media you've "purchased to own" can be taken away from you at a moment's notice they'll realise it's pointless to pay for digital media as anything other than a subscription.

The UV input system is closing not the platform to view as I said in the US most studios are moving to MA, UV just can't keep going with no backers. MA links to Google, amazon, iTunes and more. You can even link your UV collection to MA in the US securing it

vila · 4 Feb 2019 at 23:40

You can transfer most UK UV codes to movies anywhere (and hence into Youtube / Google Play / iTunes) quite easily.

Brummies · 5 Feb 2019 at 15:05

Yup. Vudu/iTunes linked via MA. Your UV library is still there as it’s linked to Vudu. If anything this is a good move.

MattyH · 6 Feb 2019 at 16:25

vila said:
You can transfer most UK UV codes to movies anywhere (and hence into Youtube / Google Play / iTunes) quite easily.

how do i do this i have a lot of redeemed movies already that i can access through flixter would these transfer

vila · 6 Feb 2019 at 17:25

MattyH said:
how do i do this i have a lot of redeemed movies already that i can access through flixter would these transfer

Use a VPN set to US to open accounts with VUDU and Movies Anywhere, then link Vudu to My UV and Movies anywhere.

Lastly to can add google play / iTunes etc to movies anywhere so those films show up on those services.

5punk3monk3y · 6 Feb 2019 at 20:04

vila said:
Use a VPN set to US to open accounts with VUDU and Movies Anywhere, then link Vudu to My UV and Movies anywhere.

Lastly to can add google play / iTunes etc to movies anywhere so those films show up on those services.

And by adding Google that means anything that can run youtube