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Walmart Entertainment’s Disc-to-Digital Service Powered by VUDU

40K views 325 replies 52 participants last post by  dochsale 
#1 ·
Walmart Entertainment's Disc-to-Digital Service Powered by VUDU: How it Works

The process to convert previously-purchased DVD/Blu-ray movies to digital copies is quick and simple:


Bring your movie collections from the participating studio partners - Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. - to your local Walmart Photo Center.

A Walmart associate will help you create a free VUDU account.

Tell the associate how you'd like your movies converted:

◦Convert a standard DVD or Blu-ray movie for $2; or,

◦Upgrade a standard DVD to an HD digital copy for $5.

Walmart will authorize the digital copies and place them in your VUDU account. No upload is necessary, and you get to keep your physical discs.

Log onto VUDU.com from more than 300 Internet-connected devices to view movies any time, any place.


Walmart Entertainment supports UltraViolet, the movie industry's initiative currently in its beta phase that allows consumers to put their purchased movies into a cloud-based digital library and keep track of them safely and securely. Walmart is able to offer customers the ability to watch and purchase UltraViolet-enabled titles directly from VUDU.


Press Release:
http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/10824.aspx


Video Press Release:
http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/10835.aspx
 
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#154 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bt12483 /forum/post/21898194


~4000 as of now.
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/dig...tal-title-list


...

Good news, but I have a couple of questions I've asked in the Vudu forums that no one has provided an answer to so far:


1. If the movies ARE available through Vudu (but are listed as only available to WATCH in SD) and ARE one of the studios participating, can you convert to HD quality from SD (DVD)?

2. If the movies ARE available through Vudu (but are listed as only available to OWN in SD) and ARE one of the studios participating, can you convert to HD quality from SD (DVD)?
 
#155 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by lujan /forum/post/21898829


Good news, but I have a couple of questions I've asked in the Vudu forums that no one has provided an answer to so far:


1. If the movies ARE available through Vudu (but are listed as only available to WATCH in SD) and ARE one of the studios participating, can you convert to HD quality from SD (DVD)?

2. If the movies ARE available through Vudu (but are listed as only available to OWN in SD) and ARE one of the studios participating, can you convert to HD quality from SD (DVD)?

I'm interested in the answers to these questions as well.


I asked Vudu support but didn't get a sufficient answer. The example I gave was The Dark Knight. It's available to rent in HDX but only available to own in SD. Does that mean that disc-to-digital service will only offer SD quality?
 
#156 ·
#157 ·
What's everyone's guess on how long it will be before the VUDU copy is included for free (with Blu-ray purchase). And finally how long before they won't bother to throw in the disc.
I see this as Alpha .001 to something useful. Not so much to boost retail sells (discs) rather as a path to go against Netflix's subscription model. Where you get online access to your purchases and eventually converting to strictly a rental model (per viewing). Say $2.50 for a 24-hour window... once the disc is gone that's your only option.
 
#161 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles R /forum/post/21899385


What's everyone's guess on how long it will be before the VUDU copy is included for free (with Blu-ray purchase). And finally how long before they won't bother to throw in the disc.
I see this as Alpha .001 to something useful. Not so much to boost retail sells (discs) rather as a path to go against Netflix's subscription model. Where you get online access to your purchases and eventually converting to strictly a rental model (per viewing). Say $2.50 for a 24-hour window... once the disc is gone that's your only option.

6 months ago. All of your Ultraviolet movies will be playable in Vudu once you link your account and all UV movies going forward that you redeem will be playable in Vudu.
 
#162 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by moviegeek /forum/post/21898343


That Walmart stamp will come off easily with rubbing alcohol, I use it all the time when I use a Sharpie and make a mistake. I'm not saying to do it though.




Good point, it's mentioned in VUDU's TOS:

http://www.vudu.com/termsofservice.html

Titles won't vanish but will be in your Ultraviolet locker perpetually. Even if Vudu quit you would still have the rights to the movie through Ultraviolet and would be able to play it through other retailers or download it.
 
#163 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkenator /forum/post/21900634


Titles won't vanish but will be in your Ultraviolet locker perpetually. Even if Vudu quit you would still have the rights to the movie through Ultraviolet and would be able to play it through other retailers or download it.

Yes, I don't know how the Wal-mart/Vudu connection works but with the Fincher Dragon Tattoo Blu-ray release it comes with Ultraviolet access and while you initially start at the Sony site it is ultimately the Ultraviolet site where you gain access/view the content. You even have a different ID/login although I just used the same as I set up for the Sony site.
 
#164 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkenator /forum/post/21900594


6 months ago. All of your Ultraviolet movies will be playable in Vudu once you link your account and all UV movies going forward that you redeem will be playable in Vudu.

Do all Blu-ray releases feature Ultraviolet... I don't think so?
 
#165 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles R /forum/post/21900764


Do all Blu-ray releases feature Ultraviolet... I don't think so?

Warners do, but what I was saying was that most of the new titles released in the last few months from participating studios include an Ultraviolet copy and these copies will be playable through Vudu even though it was not purchased on Vudu. Your Ultraviolet titles sync with your Vudu titles. Basically a movie that comes with an Ultraviolet copy is the same as if it comes with a Vudu copy.
 
#166 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkenator /forum/post/21900802


Warners do, but what I was saying was that most of the new titles released in the last few months from participating studios include an Ultraviolet copy and these copies will be playable through Vudu even though it was not purchased on Vudu. Your Ultraviolet titles sync with your Vudu titles.

I understand. My gist was until all purchases come with an online version they can't start replacing/dropping the disc (to a large degree).
 
#167 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles R /forum/post/21900830


I understand. My gist was until all purchases come with an online version they can't start replacing/dropping the disc (to a large degree).

Yeah I remember several months ago Walmart was selling new releases on Vudu in store as a piece of cardboard with a code on it to redeem the movie online. Obviously was not popular because they quit but I could see them doing that again. In the meantime they will probably keep offering Vudu movie pack ins with the discs and promote the fact that Ultraviolet titles can instantly be streamed on Vudu.
 
#169 ·
I'm going to stick this here because I'm not sure where else to put it.


This whole disc to digital thing has me thinking - what is the future of online content?


When iTunes first made music available online, they were forced to wrap the songs in DRM and lock it to particular devices. Apple pushed back and now we can finally buy music with no DRM and no restrictions on what devices we can play it on. You can stick your songs on your iPod, I can stick them onto my BlackBerry, John Doe can stick them into whatever music jukebox/library software he wants and everything will play.


Because of the flexibility of iTunes songs sans DRM, I'm certain many more songs are now being purchased.


So, this begs the question: Will movies eventually end up like songs? Buy one, download it and play it on any device via any piece of software? Are consumers going to embrace this current model of low-quality, proprietary formats locked to certain devices, only accessible when online and have your original disc vandalized in the process?


Are consumers going to simply become frustrated with the restrictions on their purchases and frustrated with inconsistent availability across various services?


Just a thought.
 
#170 ·
It won't happen as long as the movie studios have a say in it. They are trying to avoid what happened with the music industry. The last thing they want is content without DRM.
 
#171 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by sebberry /forum/post/21901235


I'm going to stick this here because I'm not sure where else to put it.


This whole disc to digital thing has me thinking - what is the future of online content?


When iTunes first made music available online, they were forced to wrap the songs in DRM and lock it to particular devices. Apple pushed back and now we can finally buy music with no DRM and no restrictions on what devices we can play it on. You can stick your songs on your iPod, I can stick them onto my BlackBerry, John Doe can stick them into whatever music jukebox/library software he wants and everything will play.


Because of the flexibility of iTunes songs sans DRM, I'm certain many more songs are now being purchased.


So, this begs the question: Will movies eventually end up like songs? Buy one, download it and play it on any device via any piece of software? Are consumers going to embrace this current model of low-quality, proprietary formats locked to certain devices, only accessible when online and have your original disc vandalized in the process?


Are consumers going to simply become frustrated with the restrictions on their purchases and frustrated with inconsistent availability across various services?



Just a thought.

All real concerns, which to this day have no real answer.


The foreseeable future is what we have now - scattered and non-universal/non-standardized content.


Amazon vs. Apple vs. UltraViolet vs. xbox live vs. PSN vs. Netflix vs Hulu vs. CinemaNow, etc.


Each have varying audio and video quality and varying pricing. Each have redundant content. Content can be removed or restricted based on deals struck by huge content corporations or expiring digital rights.


True ownership in the sense that we've become accustomed to with discs will likely be eliminated, as they seemingly prefer to lease it to you instead, depending in part on whether or not you have an always-on high-speed internet connection.


At this point I think I'll just stick to Redbox for $1 and change.
 
#172 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bt12483 /forum/post/21901765


All real concerns, which to this day have no real answer.


The foreseeable future is what we have now - scattered and non-universal/non-standardized content.


Amazon vs. Apple vs. UltraViolet vs. xbox live vs. PSN vs. Netflix vs Hulu vs. CinemaNow, etc.


Each have varying audio and video quality and varying pricing. Each have redundant content. Content can be removed or restricted based on deals struck by huge content corporations or expiring digital rights.


True ownership in the sense that we've become accustomed to with discs will likely be eliminated, as they seemingly prefer to lease it to you instead, depending in part on whether or not you have an always-on high-speed internet connection.


At this point I think I'll just stick to Redbox for $1 and change.

Good points but I wouldn't lump them together as you did as it will be more like Ultraviolet (which includes Flixster and Vudu with Amazon part way there and will likely include PSN, Xbox, & Cinema Now) vs Apple vs subsciption based services like Netflix & Hulu. Flixster is currently the only Ultraviolet enabled playback service with Vudu joining next week. Amazon has already made a deal to sell Ultraviolet movies from one studio, likely Warner, and Sony, Microsoft, and Best Buy are all members of the Ultraviolet Alliance and will likely announce their Ultraviolet integration plans with their respective services this year. The thing most people don't seem to understand about Ultraviolet is that it is not a service like iTunes but is a format like DVD/Blu-ray. So no matter where you buy the Ultraviolet movie you will be able to play it through any other Ultraviolet service or device that has signed up for the content deals with the studios. Granted there are and will be growing pains with the format such as the fact that Paramount movies will not play on Flixster currently but these will be ironed out eventually. Apple is likely the only major electronic content delivery system that will not sell Ultraviolet enabled movies as they are not a member of the consortium. The studios set it up in this way so there would competition among retailers and would give consumers a sense of confidence in purchasing content that it would not be locked down to one service. From comments I have heard from Disney Executives along with the fact that they keep pushing back Disney Studio All Access I think they will also join Ultraviolet before long. I know many do not like Ultraviolet, mostly because they don't understand it, and want to stick to their physical media but I think we need to give the studios some credit for being forward thinking and not trying to stick to the status quo. I personally will stick to physical media for the most part but I love the fact that when I buy the disc I also get a cloud based version included. It does not have to be Ultraviolet versus physical media as you can have both.
 
#173 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkenator /forum/post/21900634


Titles won't vanish but will be in your Ultraviolet locker perpetually. Even if Vudu quit you would still have the rights to the movie through Ultraviolet and would be able to play it through other retailers or download it.

The last two words are of primary interest to me......I am waiting to see, if downloading will be allowed to media players with hard drives and NAS setups.....THAT would bring me into the fold big time....Elliminate all the ripping, muxing, transcoding, etc......Downloading to PC is a non-starter for me...


Cloud is nice, but download is better.....
 
#175 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starkenator /forum/post/21902088


Good points but I wouldn't lump them together as you did as it will be more like Ultraviolet (which includes Flixster and Vudu with Amazon part way there and will likely include PSN, Xbox, & Cinema Now) vs Apple vs subsciption based services like Netflix & Hulu. Flixster is currently the only Ultraviolet enabled playback service with Vudu joining next week. Amazon has already made a deal to sell Ultraviolet movies from one studio, likely Warner, and Sony, Microsoft, and Best Buy are all members of the Ultraviolet Alliance and will likely announce their Ultraviolet integration plans with their respective services this year. The thing most people don't seem to understand about Ultraviolet is that it is not a service like iTunes but is a format like DVD/Blu-ray. So no matter where you buy the Ultraviolet movie you will be able to play it through any other Ultraviolet service or device that has signed up for the content deals with the studios. Granted there are and will be growing pains with the format such as the fact that Paramount movies will not play on Flixster currently but these will be ironed out eventually. Apple is likely the only major electronic content delivery system that will not sell Ultraviolet enabled movies as they are not a member of the consortium. The studios set it up in this way so there would competition among retailers and would give consumers a sense of confidence in purchasing content that it would not be locked down to one service. From comments I have heard from Disney Executives along with the fact that they keep pushing back Disney Studio All Access I think they will also join Ultraviolet before long. I know many do not like Ultraviolet, mostly because they don't understand it, and want to stick to their physical media but I think we need to give the studios some credit for being forward thinking and not trying to stick to the status quo. I personally will stick to physical media for the most part but I love the fact that when I buy the disc I also get a cloud based version included. It does not have to be Ultraviolet versus physical media as you can have both.

I, for one, think UV has a lot of potential if the studios do it RIGHT!! As for the idea of leasing being the main goal of UV, I have read many times the studios are interested in boosting SALES of their content....I currently have over 300 movies on VUDU and never had a problem watching them at any time I wanted....The ecosystem has the ability to provide high quality video AND audio, HD audio formats are in the spec...TrueHD, DTS-HD and DTS Master Audio are included.....


My requirements are simple, give me high-quality video and audio, ala VUDU, allow me to download my purchases to local storage to feed my home cinema, and I'm a happy camper...I don't watch my films on a smaller screen........


One fly in the ointment though, the economy will have a lot to say about the success of this project going forward....
 
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