Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Disney might've "got" how films purchased digitally and stored on the cloud should work. The Disney Movies Anywhere app itself is okay, but how it connects to one's Disney Movie Rewards and iTunes accounts is where the magic happens.

1. Any film that I redeemed for points on Disney Movie Rewards that included a digital copy, even the digital copies my wife redeemed on her iTunes account instead, now show as purchased under my iTunes account.
2. Any film that I had an standard-definition copy of in iTunes has now been converted to HD alongside the addition of iTunes Extras.
3. It even managed to convert some of the Marvel films that were released prior to Disney taking over the studio (it got Iron Man 2, failed to do the same on Captain America and Thor).

What's also neat is that if you purchase a Disney film on iTunes (most of their entire catalog is now on the service in HD), it will automatically add the points to your DMR account.

I would be okay with each studio having their own respective app that links to my iTunes account rather than the hoops I've had to jump through with Ultaviolet, especially with the added benefits Disney threw in.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I agree. I love Ultraviolet, but the way it works is clunky and confusing. The UV website sucks. And their customer service is awful.

Hopefully, they'll take a look at Disney Movies Anywhere and learn how to build a digital movie locker that's user-friendly.

You can add Captain America and Thor by disconnecting DMA/iTunes, then re-connecting. I posted about it a couple weeks ago here:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/blu-ray-bar...l#post12034161

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

You're the man! :thumbsup:

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I logged back into UltraViolet. It seems they still have not completely closed my account.

They fixed the gaping hole in their security now. The out of region IP no longer causes an error that allows bypassing the password authentication. The login from out of region is the same as you get in region. Maybe they plan to open up Asia.

I checked Flixter. They did close out my account.

I use iTunes from out of region without any problems.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Bought The Office S9 and to my surprise, not all the episodes are available. I'll have to check the packaging to see if it says not all episodes are on UV, but it's odd that they would exclude certain episodes.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Question : does any service allow you to download HD UV titles to an iPad in HD? Best as I can tell, Flixter, Cinema Now and Vudu don't, only an SD copy. It's really weird; I don't understand why they wouldn't unless it's some sort of restriction instituted by Apple to encourage/force you to buy the iTunes digital copy instead.

Then again, I don't think Ultraviolet copies are downloadable in HD on Android either -- at least via Vudu. Certainly that's not Apple's doing.
__________________

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I requested last March that ultraviolet close out my account. They finally did today. I somehow feel a sense of accomplishment.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I had problems dealing with VUDU's customer service. I get the feeling these early streaming services are more interested in messing with their web interfaces than providing customer support.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I think you may be right.

As for me, 64Gb mSD are cheap. I can rip the movies and store them for watching anytime and anyplace. No rules. No login. No invalid or expired codes. No codes that are "already redeemed" right out of the sealed package!

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I just thought of something. When I signed up with Flixter, and UV last October, only one code worked.

Another said "invalid"' and the last one, that i tried said it was "previously redeemed" or something like that.

That was when I tossed the remaining two (never tried to redeem them) in the rubbish, and wrote off the service as useless.

In March I closed Flixter account, and now the UV account.

Lets say those codes (free with purchase) were actually important to me..... Would customer service believe that the "previously redeemed" code came out of a sealed package purchased from "Squal-Mart" only the day before? Somehow I doubt it. What about the "invalid code"?

I know other people have reported "invalid", or "expired" codes on various forums. However, I have never seen anyone report "previously redeemed". Is that one new?

Stop shopping at Wal-Mart, problem solved ;). In all seriousness, no, customer service probably wouldn't believe you at all. Beyond that is the bigger question: what's to stop someone who has no interest in UV from just giving the UV code to someone else and losing them a potential sale? I see people selling the UV sheets on eBay all the time, so if the purpose of digital is to more tightly control the companies selling their products, I don't think it's entirely successful. But I suppose that those codes are a lot more practical than manufacturing discs. If you do disc-to-digital with UV instead of Vudu, does Walmart still get the cash?

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

It probably depends on the service. I've had no trouble getting replacement codes from Warner.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

They've turned a blind eye so far to the trading and selling of UV digital copies. The powers that be have certainly allowed it, one word from them and Blu-ray.com would shut it down in an instant. It's against the terms of service but it looks like they are willing to lose a little money in the beginning to build market acceptance. I suspect as soon as the UV and streaming market is a much bigger factor, individual trading will be banned by legitimate sites.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

The codes were a "gift", or "perk" built into the purchase the way i see it. I guess they feel no obligation to make good on something they gave away for free.

Ok, i do not know that they are free as such. I did not take the time to check for movies that did not come with the code, so I do not know if there is a difference in the price. I just grabbed them because I saw "Digital Copy" proudly on the package. I had never heard about Ultraviolet before i went on a shopping rampage two days before i left the USA for home. Blu ray cost about $30 here in Singapore. When I see a blu ray for $15 or so it is hard to pass up.

I could never lower myself to selling the code. That is sort of like selling influenza eh? Sorry I really enjoyed making that statement! :)

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Anyway, I am now done with Ultraviolet. The journey has been an entertaining one, and not in the movie kind of way. If I have further convinced anyone not to use their service then I have scored a small "point" for the people.

The "powers that be" did not want us Linux users to watch DVDs. They made that demand in the name of stopping piracy. It seems there was not a person among them that was smart enough to know that making a pirate clone of a DVD has nothing to do with Linux. They did not want the decryption algorithm made public. Again nobody among them seem to know that making a bit for bit pirate clone of a DVD did not require decryption of its content. I guess the same "powers that be" do not use Ultraviolet, so they cannot see that it is not very functional.

They lost the DVD battle on both fronts. Many of us are already playing Blu ray movies on Linux. They are about to loose that battle. So long we can rip our movies we can watch on our phones, they cannot win. We also have iTunes, Amazon, and Google. I do not see Ultraviolet growing much beyond were it is today (Four years old and still in beta.... Pathetic).

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

People use Linux? Couldn't fork over the amount for Windows or Mac OSX?

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

You are missing the point. Linux is not "free" as in free beer. Linux is "free of viruses", "free of crashes", "free of restrictive licenses" etc.

Corporations pay Linux admins a lot more than they pay Windows admins. Linux is hardly free from a price point of view.

85% of the internet is hosted by Linux. All DVR run Linux. Android, iOS, and MacOS are all from the same family tree.

I am a Linux professional.

While it'll suck to have the rug pulled once the market hits full steam as will surely happen, it does seem like the industry learned a bit from getting burned by using draconian measures previously and it looks like they're wise enough to ease people into things this time. Sounds like it's smart business sense for once.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I've heard Ebay policies state that selling Ultraviolet codes is not 'allowed', but I've still seem them there. There's a bunch of groups on Facebook trading codes, so I've been saving my codes to trade there for movies I don't already have- just traded 7 of them today. Don't see how the studios could enforce any rules against doing this, as you could just as well be trading random phrases from the back covers instead.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Ummm, the codes expire. Some come "pre-expired" in the shrink wrap (personal experience). How can you sell?

I am visiting LA (from Singapore). I did a casual scan of the DVD/Bluray section at Target. I was not specifically looking for packages proclaiming Ultraviolet codes in violet print. I did not note any. Maybe the "push" has slowed.

Just sell them before they expire :shrug:.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Most UltraViolet codes do not expire, the studios keep pushing back dates well past the listed expiration date. Most of the expiration dates printed on UV code sheets are meaningless, over 90% of the codes still work past the listed date. They are starting to winnow down the possibilities, however. Universal's site will now invalidate the other half of their UV/iTunes codes, so if you are going to split them up, bypass Universal's site.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Interesting. I want to say the code that said expired was Universal, but my memory is not that good. It happened Oct 2013.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

For me, if a BD comes with the DVD and UV/Digital Code, I'll sell the DVD and UV/Digital code on Ebay. I listed a code once by itself but got flagged for it. I sell the DVD with a "bonus" digital code and that seems to be ok.

I think the way they introduced UV was smart; I didn't have to pay anything extra and it made met set up a UV and Flixster/Vudu account and learn how everything worked. Of course it also made me more inclined to dip into digital, causing me to have a completely argument with my friend about how they can "unown" my stuff that I have digitally, a argument in which I played devil's advocate just win like a moron when I didn't entirely agree with my own point :p. As a result, I now redeem the UV codes I get and occasionally find them useful, so it was smart marketing. I wasn't smart making an idiot of myself, but hey, can't sue the UV consortium for that ;).

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I was in Walmart today. I happened across the $5 DVD bargain bin.

There are some titles with labels that mention UV. They have a redemption code for a discount off VUDU or some other service (not sure because I did not look that close).

Walmart evidently adds UV codes as defacto store exclusives for their products to incentivize customers towards Vudu. I still refuse to spend a dime there, but it's a damn smart move on their part.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

Last week I bought the anniversary edition of Big with the musical slipcover for $7.99 at Best Buy. Walmart put it in their bins this week for $7.88 with an exclusive VUDU copy found nowhere else.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

We have driven the much of California over the last two weeks. We got married last week. I took her to Disney, Lake Tahoe, etc. She went shopping crazy. We return to Singapore this weekend.

We have been in many "super" petrol stations. Most have a rack of DVD near the checkout. I did not note even one offering a digital copy or UV.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I do not blame you. But my new wife has never seen such a huge store, so I had to show her Walmart, JC Penny, and Macy's. She loves Macy's.

She is Burmese. She has never been to the USA.

To each their own, of course. I've gone on rants about Walmart's unscrupulous business practices to my friends, but they simply shrug and tell me they like the prices. Those exclusive UV codes are damn good way of getting some business too, it's very smart. Though if they want me to embrace the digital future, they need to do it in such a fashion that my cash isn't going to Walmart when I buy a digital copy.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I only usually buy batteries, vitamins, and shampoo at Wal-Mart.

I usually shop elsewhere for two reasons:
1. I do not like how they do business.
2. I do not like children racing with shopping carts.

I work at Meijer, and I'm perfectly willing to shop at some of our competitors (Kroger, Target, etc.) but I don't do business Walmart in spite of the advantages because of their notoriously unscrupulous business practices. It's certainly not a quandary for friends of mine who simply shrug and go because the like prices though. But like I said, those exclusive UV codes are a damn smart idea they'll probably incentivize many customers. It's definitely smart of them.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

^---I highly doubt that that is much, if any, of a draw.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

In Singapore they have a few places that sell overstock merchandise. A lot of it comes from the USA. I have seen DVD for sale. I am not sure why, because only a region free player will play them. I am curious. I should look to see if any have UV codes.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

It's the only reason I even check out Walmart's BD section these days. I just came across a copy of The 300 Spartans with an exclusive VUDU digital copy in the bin.

Does UV have a disc-to-digital that doesn't go into Walmart's pocket, or are they tied together?

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I think Flixster has a disc-to-digital option, though VUDU has most of the marketshare for disc-to-digital.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I think I can count the amount of times I've been to a Walmart in the past five years on one hand. Two of the times have been related to Vudu/UV.

Re: The Ultraviolet (UV) Thread
 

I guess file this as YMMV.

So in getting The Sopranos and The Wire sets during the sales, I realized that Entourage The Complete Series didn't come with a code. I decided to email about this, disclosing that I bought it in 2013. And as far as I know, there isn't a code on any existing copy. But I did ask them why it didn't come with a code. They responded asking for basically proof of life and a receipt. Pictures of the set, UPC, discs, and a piece of paper with my email address with the set. Lo and behold, I get a response, and a UV code for the series.

Anyone else tried this? I wonder if it's worth it to do the same with Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Treme, and some others. Either way, I'm happy they accommodated, rather than saying I would have to buy the code separately.