Shop Talk: The Ultraviolet Test
By BOP Staff
January 14, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
If that's the future, I'm all in.
I've been wary of cloud storage as a viable format for the future because 1) it's a new technology and I'm always hesitant to be an early adopter and 2) I still like the idea of my media having a tangible form. Don't get me wrong. I haven't purchased a CD in nearly ten years and my iPhone is essentially my stereo, but at least I know the music is stored on my computer and at the worst I can always burn it to a disc, thereby ensuring I still have a physical copy of it. But for it to just be out there, in whatever exactly this whole "cloud" thing is? I was skeptical. Couldn't it all just go poof one day? What's to stop somebody from just pulling the plug tomorrow?
Following David's instructions, the process of registering with UltraViolet and Vudu was fairly painless as these things go, and even connecting the brand new account to the Vudu app on the Xbox 360 was surprisingly smooth and moments after entering the code on my computer I was able to begin playing The Hunger Games instantly. I found that pretty darned impressive. The app's interface is somewhat clunky and busy, which is to be expected when wielding a controller, but I like the fact that whenever we get the inevitable Xbox 720 or whatever Microsoft is going to end up calling it, the movie will still be there. (Oh, and the code also worked in iTunes so I do have a "physical" copy back up if I so desire.)
Despite streaming over the wireless internet connection via my Xbox 360, there was zero interruption in the stream at any point and the quality never suffered. It looked better than a few things I've watched over Netflix, even in SD. I can only imagine how amazing HD would look.
Browsing the Vudu store, the selection is fine. It's certainly not everything but it hits most of the big titles. In the era of 99-cent and $1.29 song downloads, the idea of spending about 20 bucks to "own" a movie in the cloud seems a little strange to me. The option to rent is fine too, but that's anywhere from three to five times the cost of something at Redbox (and I'd argue the selection is similar).
Ultraviolet technology is still in its relative infancy, and trying to explain it to some people may be difficult ("The movies are out there! In the cloud! In cyberspace!"), but it's going to be a serious and viable option going forward, and one I would recommend checking out for anyone with a gaming console, a high end television or someone who doesn't want any more discs in their movie collection.
Edwin Davies: The whole process has been very smooth and efficient, with the only real issues coming at the very beginning. Having to set up accounts with different websites, whilst not too difficult, is time-consuming. Also, had I not known about the need to create those accounts beforehand I'm not sure how I would have found that out. Also, for some reason Ultraviolet set up two accounts for me under different names, which was confusing. I'm not sure how much of that was my fault, probably more than I'd care to admit, but it came about through just following the basic steps of setting up an account.
Once those steps were out of the way, though, I've found using Ultraviolet to he pretty hassle free. I've had no issues redeeming codes and the streaming has been good, generally. There have been some instances of long-buffering times, but on the five times I've used it so far I've only encountered that problem once.
In summation, the worst part of the whole process is getting everything set up, but once that's out the way it's been pretty painless.
Max Braden: Here's why Ultraviolet doesn't interest me. I watch three to four movies a week on average. Hollywood releases six movies a week every year. If I want to keep up with new titles, there simply isn't enough time for me to go back and re-watch movies I've already seen, including my favorite movies, unless there's a special event like my friends or family being together and I want to show them a favorite movie they've never seen. Paying to own digital copies of movies doesn't make a lot of sense for someone like me.
Now put it into rental terms - is it worth it to me to rent streaming movies? I currently use Netflix and Redbox physical discs as my primary source of viewing. I go through enough movies that my cost per view is under $2. Unless Vudu or any other service can beat that price, I have no reason to leave Netflix/Redbox unless the quality of the new service or experience is astoundingly superior. With Netflix I go to one Web site, type a title, and click just once to rent or stream the movie. With Vudu, I had to spend an hour setting up multiple Web sites, and it appears that I would have to continue to visit multiple studio Web sites and then type in codes before going back my console, interrupting whatever I was doing and commit to watching the movie.
It's just too much effort for too much cost for too little advantage.
Kim Hollis: My experience with Ultraviolet and Vudu has been somewhat different that others who have contributed here. I didn’t have to go through any of the set-up hassles because it was already done for me, so I can’t really speak to that point. I do know that it appears as though it might be somewhat cumbersome, which I admit is normally the type of thing that turns me off from services like this. If it’s too difficult to use, I lose interest quickly.
With that said, since that issue wasn’t present for me, I have to say that I pretty much love the easy accessibility that digital streaming from Ultraviolet/Vudu provides. There’s something quite glorious about having such easy access to a great library of titles. Yes, I realize that this is something I can get from other places, but there’s something much more elegant about not having to pay a monthly fee but instead simply view movies on demand. I had some frustrations with Netflix’s library anyway, and my feeling is that as Ultraviolet is embraced more and more by providers of technology/content, it’s going to be the way that most of us view movies.
Perhaps the only issue with the service so far is some slight issues with buffering that can occasionally come up. Generally these are no big deal – lasting for only a couple of seconds, but there have also been occasions where switching to Standard Definition (as opposed to High Def) is the only way to watch a film. That did seem to be more of an issue early in the process, though. Lately, it’s mostly been smooth sailing.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason to be intimidated by this service. I think that’s the biggest mental hurdle to face, because it’s somewhat foreign and on the surface might seem challenging to get started. I feel pretty confident that over time, those issues will be cleared up to the point that it’s just a couple of clicks to open an account and start watching movies, whether they’re rentals or movies owned in a personal library.