Itunes VS UltraViolet

[wozman]

I have a vast BD collection, and in turn it carries some Digital Copies which includes an iTunes library from the earlier releases......Recently noticing that UltraViolet is sticking its ugly head into the equation and was wondering, are they taking over the department of Digital Media from this day forward?

For example I own all 3 Hangover movies, the first 2 are in iTunes format and in my itunes library, the 3rd one is in UltraViolet and puts a dent into my iTunes format.

Is there anyway of getting a redemption "Code" for all my UltraViolet movies going forward to flip them to iTunes or is UltraViolet taking over in this department and it is what it is.....

Is my only option to rip the media myself and convert it to mp4 or m4v files and install it in my iTunes library myself?

Can anyone shed some light on this, greatly appreciated.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by wozman

I have a vast BD collection, and in turn it carries some Digital Copies which includes an iTunes library from the earlier releases......Recently noticing that UltraViolet is sticking its ugly head into the equation and was wondering, are they taking over the department of Digital Media from this day forward?

For example I own all 3 Hangover movies, the first 2 are in iTunes format and in my itunes library, the 3rd one is in UltraViolet and puts a dent into my iTunes format.

Is there anyway of getting a redemption "Code" for all my UltraViolet movies going forward to flip them to iTunes or is UltraViolet taking over in this department and it is what it is.....

Is my only option to rip the media myself and convert it to mp4 or m4v files and install it in my iTunes library myself?

Can anyone shed some light on this, greatly appreciated.

Itunes is being fazed out by a lot of studios, Warner, Sony, and Lionsgate are all UV, while Fox and Disney still use Itunes.

[jgiovanni]

Some recent Fox releases are UV only now as well.

[squatting hen]

The iTunes digital copies always irritated me because the only option I had to watch them was on my PC. I still have 35 or so iTunes Digial copies in my locker/cloud/account. Although I was very interested in digital copies, the iTunes ones were basically unusable to me. I do not have an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, I do however have a PS3, Xbox 360, and Roku’s. Ultraviolet allows providers to access your collection and you can watch them on just about any device, including iPhones and iPads. Apple will not allow this on Apple TV.

Now, thanks to Ultraviolet, I have over 400 movies and 20 TV shows that I am able to watch right on my TV. I can also share my entire collection with my parents, and inlaws. Thanks to Ultraviolet, digital codes are actually worth something to me because I can finally use them. I am extremely happy Ultraviolet decided to rear its head, as it took something millions of people were already buying, and made it more universal.

I wish I could get all of my iTunes digital copies converted to Ultraviolet.

[Tok]

Apple's problem with the iTunes store for movies is that they want to lock you into their ecosystem.

Unless Apple becomes a UV partner I don't see them being a major player in video.

Personally I really don't want either Apple' iTunes or VUDU to succeed. Sure I have redeemed a bunch of codes but than a handful of family films I rarely use my iTunes or UV digital copies.

Now Disney has given the user the option to use iTunes, Amazon or Vudu on some recent titles, but they are not UV copies since if you choose Amazon or Vudu you are locked into that system for that title.

The big issue is that the retailers and service providers want to get paid, but UV scares the service providers because you could use their systems to stream/download content without the user ever giving a red cent to the service provider.

[jbloggs]

I only recently 'discovered' UV digital movies and I'm now building my online library of my favorite movies. Both my TVs have native apps for Vudu and, of coarse, there are my mobile devices and PC/Laptops. Being 'open' is what I like about it. On the other hand I detest iTunes for being so 'closed' environment. You can't even purchase/redeem anything unless you have iTunes installed and in my experience the software is such resource hog that at times the PC just comes to a stand-still.I'd rather support 'open' environments rather than closed ones.

[Clark Kent]

The studios are cutting Apple out of the process, Apple got greedy trying to get a bigger cut. UltraViolet is all about preventing what happened to the music industry, as Apple runs that digital market.

[Adam_ME]

Originally Posted by Tok

Personally I really don't want either Apple' iTunes or VUDU to succeed. Sure I have redeemed a bunch of codes but than a handful of family films I rarely use my iTunes or UV digital copies.

Now Disney has given the user the option to use iTunes, Amazon or Vudu on some recent titles, but they are not UV copies since if you choose Amazon or Vudu you are locked into that system for that title.

But there's an upside. If Disney ever decides to go UV down the road with their titles, then that VUDU copy will become UV-compatible and get linked to any other UV streaming service like Flixster or Cinemanow. So for that reason alone, I'm glad they've expanded their options past only iTunes.

BTW, I like that they also offer Amazon Instant Video copies(in HD to boot). Right now, hardly any other studios do that. Universal does, but most of the time it's SD quality.

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by wormraper

Itunes is being fazed out by a lot of studios, Warner, Sony, and Lionsgate are all UV, while Fox and Disney still use Itunes.

Originally Posted by jgiovanni

Some recent Fox releases are UV only now as well.

And even Disney has been cutting back on iTunes digital copies. Some releases last year only had Vudu and Amazon as options (with Google Play being added later in the year).

[Jumpman]

I'm sticking with Apple because to me, the download option is vastly superior than what UV offers.

I'm never going to leave Apple's ecosystem. I just enjoy the UI far more than anything else I've experienced so far.

[punking]

Originally Posted by Jumpman

I'm sticking with Apple because to me, the download option is vastly superior than what UV offers..

Hopefully that will change when CFF is fully implemented, and UV films will be downloadable to anywhere.

[Jumpman]

Originally Posted by punking

hopefully that will change when cff is fully implemented, and uv films will be downloadable to anywhere.

cff?

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by Jumpman

cff?

Common file format for UV. If fully adopted, it would allow a UV download to be played in any UV player on pretty much any authorized device. Kind of like how an iTunes digital copy you download on your computer can be transferred to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod that you own...except you'd be able to use it on a lot more devices than just a single ecosystem.

That said, I basically only use Vudu for UV, and downloading digital copies isn't all that different than with iTunes. iTunes digital copies can only be played in iTunes or on Apple devices, so it's a propriety format just like the one used with Vudu. The biggest differences are not being able to transfer between devices (which isn't a big deal because I download directly to the devices I want the movie/show on) and the lack of a HD option on mobile devices (and on mobile devices, I'm usually looking for a smaller file size anyway).

[Kingclothier]

I have built up over 70 itunes digital copies now UV has come along and taken over here in the UK, I hate this for two reasons:
1 UV doesn't actually give you a digital copy it gives you streaming rights for so long, on laptops and desktops it gives you the option to view offline but once again this is only for a limited period, I just want the option instead of being forced onto one platform, GIVE US OPTIONS

[apecliffe]

Originally Posted by Kingclothier

1 UV doesn't actually give you a digital copy it gives you streaming rights for so long, on laptops and desktops it gives you the option to view offline but once again this is only for a limited period

Can you please verify this point!

I have not seen anywhere where it says that there is a life expectancy on a UV (once redeemed), also I am from the UK and I can watch my UV's on my phone/laptop/xbox/tablet, what other options do you mean?

[wozman]

Unbelievable thread I started this morning, busy at work all day and never got a chance to reply, excellent feedback fom everyone thank you

I agree with you all that apple is a "dominating" company but I just wish the movie producers would give all formats available to the consumer, but then again it's all about the mighty dollar.

Does anyone here know if its possible to rip your own BD to mp4 or m4v format so I can then put into iTunes and cover art and Movie will appear? Or is this only possible with downloaded media from iTunes Store? I would be using programs such as DVDFabs and Vidcoder and Handbrake

Thnx

[mike568]

Originally Posted by wozman

Unbelievable thread I started this morning, busy at work all day and never got a chance to reply, excellent feedback fom everyone thank you

I agree with you all that apple is a "dominating" company but I just wish the movie producers would give all formats available to the consumer, but then again it's all about the mighty dollar.

Does anyone here know if its possible to rip your own BD to mp4 or m4v format so I can then put into iTunes and cover art and Movie will appear? Or is this only possible with downloaded media from iTunes Store? I would be using programs such as DVDFabs and Vidcoder and Handbrake

Thnx

I would use the DVD not the Blu-ray if it is for a mobile device since it would be way faster. Use DVDFab then use Handbrake.

[Rob9874]

I heard someone say that iDentify from the Mac app store works well. I have never used it. I gave up on ripping my own blu rays after I realized how time consuming it was.

I too am immersed in the Apple ecosystem too, with MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Apple TV, and was iTunes-exclusive. That is until I realized how many DCs from blu-rays are SD. So I've switched to UV/VUDU. I love the D2D, where I can get HD digital copies of my blu-rays for $1, even if they didn't come with a code. I can stream them from my blu-ray player's VUDU app just the same as from my Apple TV. I can download to my iOS devices too. Granted in SD, but A) I expect that to change soon, and B) no worse than my SD iTunes copies.

[AZBrowncoat]

Originally Posted by Rob9874

I heard someone say that iDentify from the Mac app store works well.

Thanks for that...will have to check that out!

For reasons of my own I prefer iTunes...I have yet to watch more than a few episodes of Eureka via UV despite having some 200+ titles in UV format.

One of my primary complaints with UV so far is how it is implemented, or lack thereof, by it's partners - this code only redeems at VuDu and is not UV, another title only redeems on CinemaNow and is not UV, make a purchase at Target Ticket and you had better check the logo to make sure it is UV enabled. From a customer standpoint if I am going to jump onto a platform I expect it to work and be universal. To me this would be like buying a Blu-Ray at Target and taking it home only to find out that it won't play on your Blu-Ray player because you bought it at Wal-mart. Again, this is my personal opinion...

[huskerbear]

At this point it would make little sense to do anything but UV unless you were already heavily invested in itunes. Glad I wasn't.