The Walmart clerk had no idea what I was talking about. She had DVDs and Blu-Rays aplenty, but what the heck was an UltraViolet movie?
An online service, UltraViolet lets you create an Internet-based library of movies that you can watch on any connected device. It’s a new solution an old problem: How can you watch your movies whenever and wherever you choose?
UltraViolet, established by a consortium of about 75 movie studios, retailers, and technology companies, is going to be very popular with the sort of consumer who’d rather buy a movie than rent access to it. And Hollywood is hoping to increase the number of such consumers by letting them view their purchases on up to a dozen digital gadgets.
Six major movie companies have signed up to offer their movies through UltraViolet, and since it launched in the fall, about 750,000 Americans have begun using the service. I recently became one of them. And although I found the signup process unpleasantly complicated, it ultimately worked.
UltraViolet reflects the movie industry’s carrot-and-stick approach to video piracy. The stick was applied last week, when the Justice Department shut down Megaupload.com, a popular site for swapping illegal movie files. But one reason why illegal downloaders break the law is that there’s no cheap, simple, legitimate way to copy movies to their laptops for those long plane rides.
Hence the UltraViolet carrot: Buy a legal DVD or Blu-Ray disk, and we’ll give you an easy way to play it on your laptop, desktop, or smartphone. One Sony exec told me UltraViolet is better than free, because it gives you viewing options that are superior to what you’d get from a stolen video.
The Walmart clerk and I eventually tracked down a Blu-Ray of last year’s disaster movie “Contagion,’’ one of a handful of UltraViolet-compatible releases presently for sale. Inside the box was a pamphlet that walked through the setup process. Because “Contagion’’ is a Warner Bros. release, I was directed to Flixster.com, the online movie service owned by that Hollywood studio. First I signed up for a Flixster account and then for a separate account with the UltraViolet service.
Next, I added the Flixster app to my iPhone, my Android smartphone, and my Google TV set-top box. By logging into Flixster, I got access to “Contagion’’ on each of these devices. I was not limited to streaming it; UltraViolet allows the user to download a copy of the film for viewing in places where Internet access is unavailable. Eventually, an UltraViolet user will be allowed to copy a film to 12 different devices: desktop or laptop computers, phones, or tablets. Feel free to delete the movie when you’re done. You own it and can download it again whenever you please.
Also, you can share your movies with up to five other UltraViolet users. Just add them to your personal queue, and they can see what you’re seeing. Parental controls are included, so if you add your 10-year-old daughter to the queue, she won’t get access to “The Hangover Part II.’’
In all, UltraViolet is a fine idea, but it is hobbled by clumsy execution. Each participating movie studio has a separate UltraViolet website where you register your purchases. So when I tried a couple of recent Sony releases - “Moneyball’’ and “Courageous’’ - I went through a second sign-up process. Along the way, I accidentally created a second UltraViolet account, so my Sony movies are disconnected from the Warner Bros. library. Oops.
It was surely my mistake, but the signup process is too easily botched. A Sony guy assured me that they are working toward a simpler sign-up method to prevent such blunders.
Besides, UltraViolet will add play-anywhere technology to the movies we already own. Samsung Corp. is making a Blu-Ray player that will let you insert your old Bogart or James Bond movie disks and purchase UltraViolet setup codes for them.
UltraViolet won’t stop movie piracy. But it will keep many consumers honest by providing better value for their money. By this time next year, UltraViolet movies will be a lot easier to find, because smart film buffs will be looking for them.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.