Skip to main content

Hollywood studios pledge support for UltraViolet

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Last summer the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) announced a project dubbed UltraViolet, intended to serve as a digital media locker for consumers, enabling users to pull up any digital media they owned—DVDs, Blu-ray discs, digital video downloads, whatever—on any computer, device, or platform they liked, without having to have the physical media onhand, and regardless of technology or format. UltraViolet wanted to have licensing details all worked out by the end of this year, and while UltraViolet media and compatible devices are still over the horizon, the initiative does have some news: six major Hollywood studios are now on board, with content due to hit the streets “this year.”

Recommended Videos

Studios pledging to support UltraViolet include Lionsgate Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

“These six major Hollywood studios were a driving force in creating UltraViolet, and their plans to make films and television shows available through the UltraViolet ecosystem cements a milestone union among the content, technology, and retail services industries,” said DECE general manager Mark Teitell, in a statement. “In 2011, UltraViolet will substantially raise the bar on the electronic home entertainment experiences in-market today.”

DECE says individual UltraViolet-compatible titles will be announced by studios as they become available; titles compatible with the system will feature the UltraViolet logo.

UltraViolet works by requiring users to set up and individual account, then register authorized devices to access media associated with that account. DECE now says consumers will be able to register up to 12 devices for use with UltraViolet content (including things like Blu-ray players, Internet-connected TVs, set-top boxes, computers, smartphones, and tablets), and retailers will be able to give consumers physical copies of media, like on DVD or flash memory, of content in their UltraViolet account.

Companies such as LG, Intel, Nokia, Samsung, HP, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic, retailers like Best Buy, as well as streaming media providers like Netflix and Comcast have all pledged support for UltraViolet. The major player missing from UltraViolet’s studio lineup is Disney. Another major digital media player that hasn’t weighed in on UltraViolet: Apple.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
This dorm-sized TV is on sale for only $120 today
A family plays in a living room with an Amazon Fire TV on the wall.

Amazon has been in the TV game for several years now, and we’ve had the opportunity to take a look at a few of these LEDs. Amazon TVs deliver solid picture quality and a host of smart TV features, and they’re affordable, too.

While vetting through TV deals, we came across this Amazon TV offer: For a limited time, the Amazon 32-inch Fire TV 2-Series HD LED is discounted to $120 from its $150 MSRP.

Read more
Get the original Sonos Arc soundbar while it’s only $600
Sonos Arc on a media unit.

If you’ve been looking for a great soundbar that performs more like a surround sound system than a stereo upgrade for your TV speakers, look no further than the Sonos Arc. Well, these days, you should consider the Sonos Arc Ultra successor, but there’s never been a better time to save on the O.G. model.

As a matter of fact, the original Sonos Arc Soundbar is on sale this week for $600. That’s a $300 markdown, friends! 

Read more
The Nothing Ear wireless earbuds with ChatGPT integration are 28% off
The Nothing Ear wireless earbuds on a white background.

If you're searching for true wireless earbuds deals, you may want to consider the Nothing Ear. They're available with a 28% discount from Amazon, which slashes their price from $159 to a more affordable $114. This is a limited-time offer though, so you're risking missing out on the $45 in savings the longer you delay your purchase. If you're interested in these wireless earbuds, you should proceed with your transaction for them as soon as possible to get them for a much lower price than usual.

Why you should buy the Nothing Ear wireless earbuds

Read more