JB Hi-Fi NOW Video is closing (Australian UV provider)

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by BlakkMajik3000

I'm starting to believe more and more that UV is going to die without support from some of the bigger EST providers (iTunes and Amazon first and foremost). Right now, DMA is the only one supported by all storefronts that matter in digital, so UV needs to figure out what DMA is doing to get these deals and do the same.

I have said that for a long time. Not because of my love of Bluray rather because I believe it to be true.

[p w]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I have said that for a long time. Not because of my love of Bluray rather because I believe it to be true.

the at&t 85 billion dollar purchase of warner content is going to have the biggest deciding factor on digital content delivery going forward. at&t is not spending 85 billion to share, they are spending that to create a locked walled garden of warner streaming content on at&t phones. it will probably mean all the deals with hbo steaming content will die after those existing contracts are up (amazon prime). and flixster will be shuttered in 2018. leaving all the 4 remaining studios in UV to try and salvage digital streaming going forward. UV is hanging on by vudu, as long as walmart is making cash on it, there is a future for it. physical disc sales are down, the younger generation is more in streaming or ripping. the movie studios can continue to force physical media and ignore digital, but it will turn out like mp3s vs cd in 90s to 00s.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by p w

the at&t 85 billion dollar purchase of warner content is going to have the biggest deciding factor on digital content delivery going forward. at&t is not spending 85 billion to share, they are spending that to create a locked walled garden of warner streaming content on at&t phones. it will probably mean all the deals with hbo steaming content will die after those existing contracts are up (amazon prime).

Warner has lots of valuable content, but I doubt there's any big shifts in digital distribution, at least in the near-term. There was a lot of hoopla when Comcast bought NBC/Universal, but nothing has really changed there from what I can see. No service provider wants to be a dumb pipe (which is what the future is for them), so I expect a few more of these deals in the forseeable future (i.e. Verizon may try to buy something like Paramount or Lionsgate). No one provider has enough content to create a walled garden just for that content, and that includes Disney. If they start pulling content from digital storefronts, people will either buy a disc or "acquire" the movies elsewhere.

Originally Posted by p w

and flixster will be shuttered in 2018. leaving all the 4 remaining studios in UV to try and salvage digital streaming going forward. UV is hanging on by vudu, as long as walmart is making cash on it, there is a future for it.

A digital locker, which claims to be universal, cannot survive hanging on to a single retailer (or e-tailer in this case). I think we are living HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray all over again. All it takes is for 1 or 2 other big studios (I can see Fox, at least) to support DMA, and it's lights out for UV. At some point, we must have a single locker that both contains our licenses and is supported by the major EST platforms.

Originally Posted by p w

physical disc sales are down, the younger generation is more in streaming or ripping. the movie studios can continue to force physical media and ignore digital, but it will turn out like mp3s vs cd in 90s to 00s.

I think it's the opposite. More studios are trying to force digital, but they can't go all-out yet because a large (read: most) portion of their revenue still comes from physical disc.

The mp3 vs CD scenario does not support a case for an all digital future. Over a decade after it was supposed to be "dead" (by many tech blogs/sites), CD is still here. This is even with a multitude of services that serve "all you can eat" subscriptions that INCLUDE new releases.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by BlakkMajik3000

Warner has lots of valuable content, but I doubt there's any big shifts in digital distribution, at least in the near-term. There was a lot of hoopla when Comcast bought NBC/Universal, but nothing has really changed there from what I can see. No service provider wants to be a dumb pipe (which is what the future is for them), so I expect a few more of these deals in the forseeable future (i.e. Verizon may try to buy something like Paramount or Lionsgate). No one provider has enough content to create a walled garden just for that content, and that includes Disney. If they start pulling content from digital storefronts, people will either buy a disc or "acquire" the movies elsewhere.


A digital locker, which claims to be universal, cannot survive hanging on to a single retailer (or e-tailer in this case). I think we are living HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray all over again. All it takes is for 1 or 2 other big studios (I can see Fox, at least) to support DMA, and it's lights out for UV. At some point, we must have a single locker that both contains our licenses and is supported by the major EST platforms.


I think it's the opposite. More studios are trying to force digital, but they can't go all-out yet because a large (read: most) portion of their revenue still comes from physical disc.

The mp3 vs CD scenario does not support a case for an all digital future. Over a decade after it was supposed to be "dead" (by many tech blogs/sites), CD is still here. This is even with a multitude of services that serve "all you can eat" subscriptions that INCLUDE new releases.

Well said. All those are points I have made in several posts going back many many pages lol. So, obviously I agree with you. The problem is, when I make this point people assume I am using it as cannon fodder for my disc based media hopes.. people are starting to realise UV is doomed.

[p w]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Well said. All those are points I have made in several posts going back many many pages lol. So, obviously I agree with you. The problem is, when I make this point people assume I am using it as cannon fodder for my disc based media hopes.. people are starting to realise UV is doomed.

i love digital and fully have bought into UV. if the studios dump UV, i'll just dump the studios and go with my own digital server.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by p w

i love digital and fully have bought into UV. if the studios dump UV, i'll just dump the studios and go with my own digital server.

I think this is a worst-case scenario. The studios can't afford to move backwards on digital distribution. For all of it's shortcomings, UV is probably the best digital system you can expect from studio executives.

Ultimately, what we'll likely see is a unified UV/DMA locker, possibly under an entirely new name. All it will take is one or two providers to switch. Fox and Warner Bros. have already shown they don't have 100% investment in UV, since they went off and started the SCSA/Vidity. Problem is, that service is only supported by FandangoNow (formerly M-Go), and on a very limited amount of hardware.

The potential PR nightmare alone will keep studios from dropping UV without some kind of migration plan in place.

[BlakkMajik3000]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Well said. All those are points I have made in several posts going back many many pages lol. So, obviously I agree with you. The problem is, when I make this point people assume I am using it as cannon fodder for my disc based media hopes.. people are starting to realise UV is doomed.

To be fair, you tend to make pretty inflammatory statements, with either no or flimsy evidence to back up those claims. Your posts involve a lot of "doomsday scenarios", which generally aren't warranted. You also seem to imply that digital users are lazy and don't care about quality. Such a sweeping generalization isn't exactly going to ingratiate you to that crowd.

In short, your tone/delivery is what causes others to combat your opinions. I get it, you love home cinema and you feel an all-digital future threatens that, specifically from a quality perspective. I agree with you, at least technically, that it's not possible for streaming to match disc, unless the stream is the same bitrate. However, what's "acceptable" is very subjective, and varies from person to person. If a digital stream looks good to someone, you cannot accuse them of settling for less or being ok with inferior quality.

It might help if you lighten up a bit, and not make assumptions about people that prefer digital.