UltraViolet Will Let Film Lovers Buy Viewing Rights

An UltraViolet platform for letting people buy lifetime viewing rights to films is poised to launch in the United States.

The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) alliance said Friday that it is licensing the technology to retail businesses and that UltraViolet offerings should be available by October.

Giants from Hollywood, technology and retail are out to rev up digital film sales by letting people buy lifetime rights to watch movies on whichever devices suit their fancies.

DECE members including Warner Brothers, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Sony, Walmart and Fox are working to break down walls between gadgets and services to catalyze demand for films.

UltraViolet lets people create free accounts in the Internet "cloud" where versions of movies they buy in DVD or digital formats are stored in online "lockers."

People will then be able to watch the works on televisions, smart phones, tablets or other devices registered to accounts. Registered devices can be changed as technology evolves.

"If you buy a movie, it comes with a copy in the cloud," Warner Brothers Digital Distribution president Thomas Gewecke said during a DECE panel discussion at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early this year.

"You don't have to worry about your hard drive filling up or crashing, or if the device you buy isn't compatible."

The only major studio reportedly not on board with UltraViolet is Disney.

Apple was also said to be a hold-out, but UltraViolet films will be viewable on iPhones, iPads, and iPods using applications made by third-parties, such as video rental giant Netflix or cable provider Comcast.

DECE said that it planned to spread UltraViolet to Britain and Canada soon after products launch in the United States.