A large group of tech and media companies have come together to create UltraViolet. Designed to be a “digital movie locker” and media management system, UltraViolet aims to allow consumers to view movies they’ve purchased on multiple devices. Though UltraViolet has numerous supporters, a Disney-backed competitor is already on the horizon.
Cloud based upon computing with UltraViolet
With about 60 member companies, the digital consortium that has created UltraViolet is full of heavy hitters. An account at UltraViolet’s site, uvvu.com, will track all media purchases. Multiple devices and services can use the “digital token” assigned to each media purchase. You can watch a movie that you purchased at Best Buy with your Comcast account. Blu-ray DVD purchases could now be played as a digital download. The goal of the UltraViolet account is cross-compatibility between systems.
Competitors and challenges facing UltraViolet
There is already a format war shaping up with UltraViolet as one of the major players. Disney is developing their own digital rights management system codenamed KeyChest. With a huge movie library that contains Marvel Entertainment and Pixar studios, Disney controls a large number of movies. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, also serves as a board member and stockholder of the company. Apple has not signed onto UltraViolet, and it is likely that its iOS technology will not allow app developers to put UltraViolet on their devices.
Will the Digital Management System?
There will be a couple of years where both formats will exist, if we are to use indications of previous format wars. Eventually, whichever format the pornography industry sides with is likely to win. Most comparable music-industry systems have failed because of either customer backlash or corporate support. It will take a lot to win customer support for either KeyChest or UltraViolet – but it can have to do with the library, the support, and also the user interface.
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