Buying content

[Wolverine626]

Let's say you have a film/TV series you want buy but it's not available on Blu-Ray but you can buy an HD version of said title from from VUDU, Amazon Instant, etc. Now if you buy the film/TV series do you own it forever like a DVD/Blu-Ray, or can it be taken away from you as if you were using a rental service like Netflix?

[OfficialPG]

Originally Posted by Wolverine626

Let's say you have a film/TV series you want buy but it's not available on Blu-Ray but you can buy an HD version of said title from from VUDU, Amazon Instant, etc. Now if you buy the film/TV series do you own it forever like a DVD/Blu-Ray, or can it be taken away from you as if you were using a rental service like Netflix?

On vudu you own it forever not sure about amazon but I'd say it would be the same.

[rdodolak]

You own it as long as the company continues to provide the service.

[Wolverine626]

Originally Posted by OfficialPG

On vudu you own it forever not sure about amazon but I'd say it would be the same.

That would be nice because I'd hate to pay X amount of money for content just for it to disappear and maybe reappear at the drop of a hat.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

You own it as long as the company continues to provide the service.

This is the biggest weakness going forward to the digital services where you have to rely on the company's servers for the movie. As I have said elsewhere, I do not expect CinemaNow or Flixster to be around in a few years. Vudu is better financed as a division of Walmart, but they have pulled the plug before on digital services (their MP3 debacle) when Walmart didn't immediately dominate the category.

The only providers I can guarantee will be around in 10 years still providing services are Amazon and Apple. This is why digital "ownership" with the other download services is quite risky in the long run. I still own DVDs I bought in 1996, but there is little reason to expect digital services to have that level of permanence.

[Wolverine626]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

You own it as long as the company continues to provide the service.

Well, that goes without saying, obviously. Unless the Company is the film studio and the Service is, say, VUDU.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Wolverine626

Well, that goes without saying, obviously. Unless the Company is the film studio and the Service is, say, VUDU.

Even a studio could decide to discontinue providing their own service. This is a bit different but look at Disney as they discontinued their Disney Movies Online service. Plus according to the T&Cs for UV they only guarantee your digital copy for two years. UV provides better protection, not solely dependent on one company, but it's quite feasible that one day UV could be discontinued as well.

[Blackshield]

The way I look at it is that I was Paying 4-6$ a few years a go renting at blockbuster. Now I can get a redbox at walmart for $2 on bluray and have to return it within a day. I won't buy a uv code for more than $4 max and that has to be a new title otherwise $2 is the average. Even if I watch it once and were to loose it at some point I've still only paid around or less than the rental cost and had the convenience of rewatching it on my schedule. Even If I lost a hundred streaming titles I wouldn't be overly upset.

Originally Posted by Wolverine626

That would be nice because I'd hate to pay X amount of money for content just for it to disappear and maybe reappear at the drop of a hat.

[Wolverine626]

Originally Posted by Blackshield

Even If I lost a hundred streaming titles I wouldn't be overly upset.

Nor would I if I had the title(s) on BD or at least DVD, then again if a title with an HD transfer was on Blu-Ray, I'd have no need to buy a digital version.

[Blackshield]

That's true.

Originally Posted by Wolverine626

Nor would I if I had the title(s) on BD or at least DVD, then again if a title with an HD transfer was on Blu-Ray, I'd have no need to buy a digital version.

[seregloth]

So UV says you may lose the rights to STREAM it in a couple years (and possible redownload it), but you retain your digital rights to it. As long as there are services that are DECE compatible, then they'll be able to see you have the rights to watch a movie (the streaming rights are up to the partners, the rights in UV don't themselves expire)- if I understand it aright.
And then there is the option of downloading to your own hard drives etc. In fact (haven't looked into it) but Cinemanow will in some way provide physical backups of the digital copies you have the rights to if you go into a Best Buy...
My plan is to pay to have the rights to all the movies I want, and if the streams go away, I plan to just obtain them elsehow... and sit pretty with my digital rights to the movies.

[Clark Kent]

There seems to be a lot of speculation that VUDU will start charging users some sort of convenience fee in the future, for the ability to stream your existing collection.

My belief is that VUDU is receiving some sort of subsidy at the moment from the studios, for providing free streaming to customers. When that well runs dry, you can bet that VUDU will start implementing fees to access your current collection.

[seregloth]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

There seems to be a lot of speculation that VUDU will start charging users some sort of convenience fee in the future, for the ability to stream your existing collection.

My belief is that VUDU is receiving some sort of subsidy at the moment from the studios, for providing free streaming to customers. When that well runs dry, you can bet that VUDU will start implementing fees to access your current collection.

UV has always said that was possible, but VUDU has been around for 6 years already with basically the same business model (the same other than Walmart buying them 3 years ago).

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

This is the biggest weakness going forward to the digital services where you have to rely on the company's servers for the movie. As I have said elsewhere, I do not expect CinemaNow or Flixster to be around in a few years. Vudu is better financed as a division of Walmart, but they have pulled the plug before on digital services (their MP3 debacle) when Walmart didn't immediately dominate the category.

The only providers I can guarantee will be around in 10 years still providing services are Amazon and Apple. This is why digital "ownership" with the other download services is quite risky in the long run. I still own DVDs I bought in 1996, but there is little reason to expect digital services to have that level of permanence.

If you buy a title as the commercials say "Own it on Blu Ray, DVD or Ultraviolet" then yes when you download it its yours. VUDU may not be around but its part of Ultraviolet and your titles would still be yours as long as you downloaded the files and your machines still work. This is according to the UV Demystified website.
Im waiting for one of the larger digital sellers to go under and trigger a consumer backlash and calls to state attorney generals. Many states are already working on Digital Bill or Rights for e commerce laws that include digital purchases of movies tv, music and software over the internet. The studios dont want to go there as attorneys will eat them up.

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

There seems to be a lot of speculation that VUDU will start charging users some sort of convenience fee in the future, for the ability to stream your existing collection.

My belief is that VUDU is receiving some sort of subsidy at the moment from the studios, for providing free streaming to customers. When that well runs dry, you can bet that VUDU will start implementing fees to access your current collection.

The UV Common file format is almost complete. Download your movies then you dont have to worry about that. BTW... UV CFF is home server compatible so stream them from your home server. Dont have one? Then buy one or a NAS.

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by seregloth

So UV says you may lose the rights to STREAM it in a couple years (and possible redownload it), but you retain your digital rights to it. As long as there are services that are DECE compatible, then they'll be able to see you have the rights to watch a movie (the streaming rights are up to the partners, the rights in UV don't themselves expire)- if I understand it aright.
And then there is the option of downloading to your own hard drives etc. In fact (haven't looked into it) but Cinemanow will in some way provide physical backups of the digital copies you have the rights to if you go into a Best Buy...
My plan is to pay to have the rights to all the movies I want, and if the streams go away, I plan to just obtain them elsehow... and sit pretty with my digital rights to the movies.

Your rights if purchased from UV are lifetime digital rights to the movies or shows you purchased.