My feelings regarding UltraViolet

Ever since I bought my smart TV, I have been gradually adding UltraViolet movies to my collection. Overall, I enjoy the platform, but I have a few issues.


Let me start by explaining why I have been so interested in UltraViolet. With rising cable costs, I decided to drop a tier. Since then, I have dropped cable completely. Some of the savings made on cable has gone to other options for entertainment. More specifically, I have been buying copies of movies and TV shows. While I have been buying primarily DVDs due to cost, I have found that streaming doesn't require me to find my disc. More importantly, I have limited physical space to store everything. With a recent move, my space is even more limited. Additionally, I want to get use out of the HD in my HDTV, and I do not trust the Blu-Ray Association.

There are disadvantages to streaming content. Since I have a number of DVDs, I should have no problems living through connectivity problems. Ultimately, the bulk of my problems with UltraViolet relate to pricing.

The typical pricing for UltraViolet movies is too high. I suspect that this will change over time as bandwidth sees some reductions in price. You can cheat a bit to lower the price. In most cases, the cheapest way to buy a high-definition movie through UltraViolet is to buy the DVD and then pay an extra $5 ($2.50 each if at least 10 are done at one time at Vudu) for disc-to-digital conversion. I find it odd that it's cheaper to get both DVD and UltraViolet than just the UltraViolet copy.

I should probably mention that TV shows are not currently supported for disc-to-digital conversion. I hope this will change at some point in the future. If it does, I suspect that we would see the same discount to buy DVDs first.

Another issue I have is with upgrades. As of now, there is no way to upgrade from SD to HD. If you buy a movie that is only available in standard definition, then they add a high-definition version, you essentially have to repurchase the movie. That's another benefit of keeping discs. If they eventually add 4K (just started at Vudu) and you want to upgrade movies, it would probably be cheapest through disc-to-digital (unless they add the much needed upgrade option).

Let me throw in another problem, titles missing from UltraViolet. This is primarily a concern with Disney, but there are other voids from smaller studios and TV shows. If given a choice, I will frequently go with Vudu with non-UltraViolet digital purchases because they can add UltraViolet if your titles are added to the platform in the future. Other streaming services such as Amazon on-demand can also be considered.

Disney is particularly problematic. That is the only major studio that does not support the UltraViolet platform. They created their own scheme, Disney Anywhere. Usually, their movies are more expensive, and they lack some of the UltraViolet features. Disney movies can't be shared, and disc-to-digital conversion is not available. Fortunately, Disney is one of the weakest studios when it comes to the quality of their content.