UltraViolet promises to free your media, teams with 58 huge tech and Hollywood names

Get used to seeing this logo on your DVDs and Blu-Ray discs starting in the near future. The logo belongs to UltraViolet, a service that will provide a cloud-based digital media locker by allowing consumers to watch purchased movies and TV shows on a number of supported devices, starting later this year. In a nutshell, consumers will be able to purchase UltraViolet-supported titles in physical or digital format from a number of retailers, then add the titled to their UV account. From there, the media will be accessible from any UV-enabled device, including TV, PC, and even mobile devices. The service hopes to give consumers “freedom of entertainment,” allowing them to watch their movies and TV shows on several devices without being restricted by format.

UltraViolet will only be available for TV shows and movies at first, but hopes to expand to include other media, such as eBooks or music as the service picks up. And UltraViolet will pick up; almost 60 huge names Hollywood studios and tech companies have already got on board with the service. Supporters of UltraViolet include Sony, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Microsoft, HP, LG, Samsung, and Netflix, making UltraViolet’s future look very promising.

However, there are two major holdouts. Both Apple and Disney have refused to join the UltraViolet alliance; Apple’s own iTunes DRM allows TV shows and movies on up to five authorized Apple devices, and Disney has a similar service, called KeyChest, currently in the works. Even without the blessing of Apple and Disney, though, UltraViolet has enough support to bring it into the mainstream by the end of this year. It’s safe to say that UltraViolet with definitely be worth keeping an eye on in the next coming months.

(via UltraViolet)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Tagged as: digital locker, digital media, DRM, Ultraviolet