Flixster now to be the only UK Ultraviolet provider, TalkTalk to drop Ultraviolet.

[stargazeruk]

Talktalk is to now drop ultraviolet. Just had the email Today.

14th of January is when it takes effect.

Hmmm. Not good.

[Pineapples101]

Just as a heads up, my Flixster UK and VUDU US account link via UV. My VUDU US account then links to Movies Anywhere which links with Youtube (which doesnt seem to diferentiate between US and UK) and so the vast majority of my UV titles are now playable on Youtube / Google Play.
By signing up to and linking as many services as possible (UK, US etc) all my UV as well as some US iTunes have all sort of imploded into each other.
Its still not perfect, and the loss of TalkTalk is truly annoying (as was Wukai) but with a bit of work, Youtube / Google Play is now my primary UV player.

I just have to log in on my PC via US VPN every so often so that VUDU and iTunes US resync with my UK UV and vice versa.

[Vashetti]

What happens when Flixster inevitably dies? How do us UK folk play our UV content then?

Or is Movies Anywhere going to finally launch here?

[Dunk the Lunk]

Considering how much the studios shoved UV down the throats of UK customers (by not allowing redemption via other services) this really is a joke. Flixster is clearly on its way out so unless we get Movies Anywhere there are going to be some pretty annoyed folk out there. I’m generally on the side of digital but this really does show that unless it’s redeemed or purchased from a well supported system such as iTunes avoid relying on it.

[Bourne1886]

It’s a joke, they say streaming and downloading is the way to go but with all these companies pulling out of UV you never really own anything. Physical media is still the best in my,opinion because you’ve always got it when ever you want to watch it.

If Flixster goes down that will be the end of that in the UK. And all those digital collections will be gone.

[Vashetti]

I note that Flixster requires Adobe Flash to be installed, with no sign of updating to a more modern HTML5 player.

I went to play Spectre last night (which it says I own in HD), yet it will only stream in SD with no way to change the quality.

The macOS Flixster Video app won't let me download it either, just sits on 'Pending' forever with no movement.

Personally I can't see this being updated. What happens when Flixster dies (which it clearly will)? Why is nobody in the industry letting us UK folk know what becomes of our UV titles?

[chip75]

I just noticed that you can't redeem US codes on Flixster anymore if you're in the UK. https://www.myuv.com/redeem no longers redeems in the UK (or the US?) either.

Hopefully Google take over the service for us lot, but they should remove the regional restrictions completely.

If you use a UK service what's the best options now? if you want to redeem a US code?

[Steedeel]

Don’t know why you guys even bother, is it not just a case of drinking the Koolaid? I take it you all love films and good quality? Just stick to Blu-ray, it will be around for years to come despite what some say. Imo, the likes of Flixster is a degrading way to watch films. We were told to drop our CD and Vinyl when MP3 downloads were all the rage, now they are left unloved in people’s accounts while everyone streams on Spotify or Apple music.

[Phil92]

Flixster is shockingly bad. I miss iTunes/Google Play support. Also, none of my smart TVs or devices (apart from the obvious iPhone/Pad) support a Flixster app, so that 'watch it anywhere' is bogus.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Phil92

Flixster is shockingly bad. I miss iTunes/Google Play support. Also, none of my smart TVs or devices (apart from the obvious iPhone/Pad) support a Flixster app, so that 'watch it anywhere' is bogus.

Watch it anywhere except your tv lol. Yeah, it has failed miserably. If you are going to go digital, (why?) it’s best to stick to ITunes, Amazon or Google. Sky Store is the biggest digital retailer in the U.K. but of course they aren’t protected by a digital locker.
I dont think Movies Anywhere will EVER release here by the way. Just can’t see it. If Digital HD was a mega hit with sales up 20-30% YOY, it may have been different but it was only up 5% YOY and seems to have peaked already.

[rammie96]

What exactly is the business model for UV?

If I buy a DVD and redeem the UV code does the provider I redeem it with get some money from somewhere?

And if I watch a UV movie via a provider do they get some money for me watvhing it?

And who pays them all?

I've never really understood who (if anyone) is actually earning money from this (or Movies Anywhere for that matter)

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by rammie96

What exactly is the business model for UV?

If I buy a DVD and redeem the UV code does the provider I redeem it with get some money from somewhere?

And if I watch a UV movie via a provider do they get some money for me watvhing it?

And who pays them all?

I've never really understood who (if anyone) is actually earning money from this (or Movies Anywhere for that matter)

No, the studios don't get any extra money or anything, the digital copy included with DVDs and Blu-rays is an additional bonus that allows you to have a portable version of the film. It was no doubt created by studios to drum up interest and switch people over completely to digital, perhaps with the end goal being phasing out physical media altogether.

Movies Anywhere I think has an option where your viewing habits are monitored and recorded, the data might go back to the studios, stuff like that is usually invaluable to them so they are benefitting a little.

In America, there were many more UV providers than the UK, the most popular being VUDU which is a US only service. In the UK and the rest of the world where they have UV, we pretty much just have Flixster and that support on that is rubbish. I think the digital revolution would have gone more smoothly had the studios offered a choice of vendor from whom to redeem from, iTunes, Amazon etc but now you have people with hundreds of UV movies that may disappear of Flixster closes down here (they already have in the US). I would say Movies Anywhere would be the solution as Hollywood wouldn't want pissed off international customers who wouldn't trust digital again if they were to lose their collections. But we'll have to wait and see what happens.

[rammie96]

Yeah, so I get that the UV copy is bundled free with discs - but what’s the incentive for a vendor to offer UV streams or redemptions?

I genuinely don’t understand where any money is being generated in the UV ecosystem - and if money does flow around as users redeem and watch films who actually gets it?

[IronSoldier]

Originally Posted by rammie96

Yeah, so I get that the UV copy is bundled free with discs - but what’s the incentive for a vendor to offer UV streams or redemptions?

I genuinely don’t understand where any money is being generated in the UV ecosystem - and if money does flow around as users redeem and watch films who actually gets it?

DECE created UV. Studios sign up and pay to have their digital content support UV essentially giving it "permanent digital license".. UV then partner with providers who are paid to host said content. Think of it as I make a film, I tell you I want people to be able to watch my film online so give you money to do so and the film, you can then do as you wish in terms of getting providers for that.

[Zu Nim]

UV is not a profit center. It's a cost center. The studios and retailers both chip in to support UV. The hope is that by offering UV content that people will be more confident about digital purchasing, resulting in higher overall revenue for both than if they didn't offer UV as a feature.

Specifically, when a customer buys or redeems a movie at a retailer, they (roughly) pay 12.5 cents to DECE and the studio that distributed the film pays 12.5 cents as well.

[merlin7777777]

I'm well peed off. I've been buying blurays with the offer of a downloadable copy as i new i was due a spell in hospital with poor internet access. I've just come to start 'downloading' the copies and it seems to be impossible in the UK.

[Bourne1886]

That’s why I think streaming,uv etc is a waste of time. The U.K will be UV less soon when Flixster closes down. All those collections lost. Good job they were free. I think they need to bring iTunes U.K into the fold again and Amazon. America has loads of options. The poor cousins of the U.K are on their last legs when it comes to UV.

[kamikazilucas]

talk talk/ rakutan/ my balls is the best but whenever i input the code it never works and whenever i go on the universal site it only gives me the option to use flixster so what am i supposed to do are they uv codes completely worthless or should i just put them on flixster for the sake of it

[Porco Azzurro]

Just so UK folks know, there's the Sony Pictures Store that does UV as well. Good idea to create an account there too and link it to your UV account in light of developments.

Mostly stuff that isn't available for playback in Flixster seems to be on the Sony one, and vice-versa. But you can see your collection on both.

There's also 'Kaleidescape' which seems to require their hardware for an account.

It's all a bit of a shambles. I think they should just give us all iTunes/Amazon/Google codes for our collections and be done with it.

[Porco Azzurro]

Originally Posted by papamarg

Ultraviolet is shutting down, no word on Flixster Video closing yet. You should create a VUDU account and link it to your existing UV one, at least you will save many titles, better be safe than sorry!

VUDU isn't a thing in the UK.