Ultraviolet cloud streaming digital copy. Those five simple words draw criticism and angry comments with nearly every single news piece, review or column that includes them. It would seem that many people have a distinct distaste for Ultraviolet.
What exactly is Ultraviolet? Simply put, it's a new way to watch a piece of entertainment, be it film or TV, through a digital medium. The format offers users the opportunity to download the film to their computer, tablet or smartphone, or stream the movie directly from a cloud server, to their mobile device. In theory, it's a great idea. But theory is one thing; execution is another.
In order to best express how the Ultraviolet process works, it seemed logical to test a few discs that feature this new format.
Test 1: Friends With Benefits (Sony)
This was one of the first Sony titles to host an Ultraviolet cloud streaming copy. There's a nice little insert for the format inside the case, touting UV's many benefits, but oddly no redemption code for the streaming copy. Perhaps it's on the disc? The movie is popped into a BD-ROM. Nothing in the special features menu. How about BD-Live? Connected. Nothing. So it looks like Friends with Benefits won't be making a premiere on our mobile device. Annoying.
Test 2: Drive (Sony)
Right inside the box is the redemption code and a web address. That was easy. Unfortunately, once on Sony's UV site, a slew of forms must be filled out using the site's mercilessly slow interface, which doesn't allow for quick form submissions. 10 minutes later and everything's good to go … kind of. A piece of software is required in order to play the Ultraviolet copy. Ten more minutes of downloading and installing, and finally the UV copy of Drive is playing. Love that opening prologue! But what about a mobile device? The same web address is typed in from the disc insert, all the appropriate username and password info is entered and – simple enough – Drive starts right up. The film is tested on both wifi and 3G and it works somewhat smoothly with both, although quality was less than stellar on either version.
Test 3: Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Limited 3D Edition (Paramount)
Yet another signup process is required here. There is quick submission capability, but no ability to sign in with Twitter or Facebook, not unlike Sony. More forms. More time. Finally, a new account is created, but in order to watch the film, another program is required. That's two programs for one format. Following this, the Ultraviolet copy is tested on a mobile device. It's slow going, but Michael Bay's "masterpiece" is rolling in a matter of minutes, and it looks pretty good, though nowhere near the quality of a standard Digital Copy.
Test: 4: Tower Heist (Universal)
Shock of shocks, there's another signup window requiring a new account. After filling out more forms, confirming a few details and downloading another piece software (that's three now), Tower Heist is ready to be played. Lovely. The film is then tested on a mobile device, and again it's clunky, but at least Universal uses pocketBlu, so the Ultraviolet option gets ditched in favor of the Digital Copy available through that app. Much easier.
Test 5: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner)
The UV flier inside the box guides users to Flixster, where one is asked to sign up for a new account, or sign in though their Facebook account. In just a few minutes Harry Potter's final film journey is playing. Warner even has the option to pre-emptively download a copy to your mobile device so that the film can be watched at a later date, when offline. Nifty. Alas, a fourth program is needed to watch the film on a desktop or laptop.
While clunky, Ultraviolet is a great idea and an innovative way to watch movies on the go. Unfortunately, the execution is often frustrating, time-consuming and problematic. Having to manage multiple accounts, fill out several forms, sign in, download a slew of programs (which will inevitably require updates) – it's a chore to get UV to work with certain discs. Naturally, in an age of ever-increasing piracy, it's logical that companies are cautious about digital rights management, hence the multitude of sign-in menus and content control. But why can't all Ultraviolet content run through one simple location, and one simple program that manages all those grimy details?
Of all the studios working with Ultraviolet, Warner seems to have the best idea, tying their version of Ultraviolet through Flixster – a program that's easy to use and offers connectivity through a social media account. Even better, with this service a consumer doesn't need to use their 3G/4G data plan on the go, which saves money. After all, movies aren't exactly small-sized and could prove costly to your data service.
Many have complained about the lack of true portability of Ultraviolet, and that's understandable. If a consumer is, for example, on a plane, none of these services would immediately work unless they paid the airline an ungodly amount of money for their tepid wifi services. Warner, at least, offers disc owners the ability to download a movie beforehand, that is, if one has the foresight that they're going to want to watch an Ultraviolet copy on a flight.
Still, some mobile devices, tablets and media players don't have data services, locking users down to home wifi, or wifi hotspots only. So if a UV user is, say, on the bus and has a hankering to watch Drive, well, Ultraviolet just isn't going to work. Without a data service, or a wifi hot zone, there's no way to watch an Ultraviolet copy of the film one has purchased with most discs.
In reality, while the format is getting better, there aren't that many inherent benefits with Ultraviolet to general users right now. Unless a simpler, streamlined method, like the Warner/Flixster collaboration, is adopted to get UV to work, the format is never really going to take off. It's simply too clunky, cluttered and hard to use, especially when considering older consumers who might not be as tech savvy. With countless forms, programs and various websites to go to for each film, the word simple is all but lost. And not all UV copies are created equal, either. Some of the copies sampled here looked less than impressive.
And simplicity is key here. That's why Digital Copy works, especially for those with Apple devices. Users open iTunes, enter the appropriate code and the movie downloads to their mobile device and their computer. And now, with the recent iOS update, Apple TV, iPad and iPhone owners can stream and download these Digital Copies straight from iCloud, thus eliminating a need for the UV format altogether. This works with all your Digital Copies, even older titles that arrived before the update. Simplicity.
Ultraviolet is not a bad idea, nor does it "suck" as many claim. But the kinks need to be worked out sooner rather than later, especially considering the money being poured into marketing this new format from retailers like Wal-Mart, and the recent opposition from Apple and Digital Copy. If not, expect to see further frustrations in user forums, hateful emails, angry tweets and more columns just like this one. All eyes are focused on getting this format up and running, so in the immortal words of Kenan Thompson's Oscar Rogers, "Fix it!"
R.L. Shaffer is a writer for IGN Blu-ray and IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter @rlshafferIGN or subscribe to his Facebook updates.
What truly makes a great Blu-ray disc? Or 25 of them? We thi...