Mr. Cinema

Got an email recently with instructions on how to convert my dvds to HD digital versions. And unlike Walmart's system where you have to driver there and get them to convert, you do the conversion at home. It's currently in Beta form, but I could see this catching on, particularly on smaller titles that may never hit Blu-ray. But I don't see anywhere that mentions what the quality is for the HD version.

Once you link your Ultraviolet account with CinemaNow, your new conversions will show up in your library to watch anywhere.

Here's the list of titles available to convert: Title List

Doctorossi

Does anyone have any Ultraviolet titles that are DVD-only, in the first place?

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Is this going to be like other titles where they're available for streaming at first but then they lose whatever agreement they had with the studio and then you can't stream it anymore? I have a few from them like that already.

Drexl

I don't think it matters if the title even has Ultraviolet. The way I understand it, you just insert the DVD of a title on that list, and then that title gets entered into your online "library" and you can download or stream it.

It sounds a bit like retail PC games that use Steam, except that there appears to be no code to make sure one digital copy gets activated per disc. It seems ripe for abuse, as they would have no way of knowing if you actually own the disc or have just borrowed/rented it.

emachine12

Vudu has yet to lose any tiltles I paid or bought for even the free previews that are no longer up for "purchase" still show up in my library. I can watch them whenever I want.

CinemaNow though does not have this protection. I got a credit for a free movie, chose Contagion, and now I can't watch it because it was pulled from CinemaNow. More annoying, titles you rented and longer have still show in my lbrary.

It is for those reasons, I hate CinemaNow and will always choose Vudu over them.

PhantomStranger

Vudu simply has more bargaining power with Hollywood, it's backed by Walmart. Hollywood is loathe to piss off the biggest retailer of their product. CinemaNow is backed by Best Buy and with that chain's troubled financial problems, it could go under at any moment.

PopcornTreeCt

Do I have to pay for this?

Mr. Cinema

Of course. By comparison, Walmart's service is DVD or BD to Digital $2. DVD to HD Digital is $5.

Gizmo

That was a good one.

PopcornTreeCt

Ugh. Unless its DLC I never pay for anything that is digital only.

louie1424

Have any of you guys tried to do this through CinemaNow? I'm not too concerned about losing $25 by converting five movies if Best Buy/CinemaNow goes under. But honestly, who cares what happens down the road. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot.

I definitely will choose VUDU over CinemaNow, however, the idea of being able to upgrade right from your home is pretty awesome. I give them credit for that but I wonder if it's a patent created by BestBuy/CinemaNow. Could VUDU implement something like this? Never know.

However, the conversion to HD means you're going to receive the HDX version of it on VUDU. With their D2D, I converted The Frighteners and Field of Dreams and even though their DD 5.1, my Denon 3311ci pumps it out at Dolby D + PLIIc 7.1 or Audyssey DSX and the sound is pretty crisp. And I'm watching them through VUDU since the ultraviolet account is linked.

Any complaints about it for now, none at all. I have no problem taking any blu rays that aren't UVVU to walmart to convert but with all the DVDs I own, this process is seamless.

Let me know what you think if you have tried it!!

Louie1424

Mr. Cinema

Looks like Vudu is now offering the same service.

PhantomStranger

Flixster is also now offering the same service. If you install their app, most are getting 5 free credits to convert their movies.

darkside

I tried the beta and converted MST3K the movie to HD for $5 and was pretty happy with how easy it is to do on the home PC and with the quality of the streaming on the Vudu app on my TV. I don't know how many DVDs I will get a digital copy for, but its pretty easy to just do it at home on your own PC. I have no Blu-ray drive to test that part.

Mr. Cinema

I've traded in so many DVDs to Best Buy that I don't have many left to try. But I may do it for some of my favorites like A Simple Plan, that I'm not sure is going to reach BD status anytime soon. Vudu's HDX quality is good. I have a 30+mbps connection, so I'm always getting HDX quality on my streams. I just wish their sound was better. Every rental I've done with them, I have to really crank up the volume on my receiver, despite getting DD+ or higher audio.

Mr. Cinema

Did you get to pick the HD quality? HD or HDX? Or was their only 1 default option?

emachine12

You either can pick SD or HDX. There is no choice for HD but the Vudu service will downshift automatically if you choose HDX and your ISP isn't fast enough.

darkside

I checked it out on a couple of apps and noticed it did HDX on the PS3 and Roku, but would only stream HD on the Xbox 360. I guess that it a limitation of the app on the 360.

Travis McClain

I paid the $2 to unlock the CinemaNow Digital Copy of Doc Hollywood, since that's only had a pan & scan, bare-bones DVD release and the DC of it is in its OAR. I haven't watched it yet, but it's nice to know that when I do, I'll be seeing it as it should have been seen. I won't be paying to do that with many titles, but for those that have yet to have a proper OAR release, it's worth $2 to me or maybe even $5 for the HD/HDX version depending on the movie.

Also, I think you can choose to download a file of the movie to your computer that you'll have regardless of whatever happens with the streaming rights. I saw something about that when I bought Doc Hollywood but I didn't look at it very closely.

One major drawback: To install the CinemaNow player, you have to agree to give the player access to your entire computer. I have no idea what that's about and it made me uncomfortable, to be honest. All it takes is one particularly bored member of Anonymous to figure out how to use that to do God only knows what to your computer. After I purchased my movie and saw it added to my UV library, I removed the CinemaNow player. Paranoid, maybe, but since I'm never going to use the CinemaNow player to watch anything anyway, it didn't seem like there was any advantage to keeping it.

Alan Smithee

I have CinemaNow on my TV, but the user interface and overall quality aren't as good as Vudu. I'd still rather play a VHS tape from my VCR than watch a movie played off my computer!

Travis McClain

That's saying something because the Vudu interface is terrible. As for me, I don't watch virtually anything on my computer if I can help it. I do, however, have a Sony streaming player that lets me access my UltraViolet library via Vudu. Since CinemaNow participates in UV, I don't have to have a CinemaNow app to access any purchases I may make from there. I really do like the studio-and-retailers-all-sharing infrastructure of UV.