Blu ray and DVD formats are set to become yesterday’s technology according to a senior Hollywood executive.Speaking at a Morgan Stanley technology conference, Warner Bros’ home entertainment president Kevin Tsujihara said that his studio was planning to steer viewers towards converting their videos from DVD and Blu-ray discs to the UltraViolet format and cloud video access.
The Warner executive acknowledged that problems currently exist with the format, although he didn’t touch on the real incentives to steer users to UltraViolet.
Consumers who access their Warner movie content at kiosks in stores like Woolworths or via a Smart TV will pull the content down from a cloud service.
He said content providers would eventually automate this process and provide digital copies automatically. The discs themselves would eventually provide the option, which he implied would be like ripping a CD and would upload the movie itself.
Tsujihara didn’t have a definitive timeframe or price the LA TImes reported. However he did imply there might be a cost for the process, albeit at “reasonable prices.” Objections have already existed over any fee from some owners, many of whom have argued that they would be paying twice when transcoding and ripping apps often do it for free, without having to tie them to a specific service and limited rights.
While Android and iOS will play the videos through third-party apps like Flixster, the Apple TV, consoles, and other popular hardware can’t see the format.
Some studios have unusually put an expiry date on these digital copies, giving owners of discs little incentive to use UltraViolet when an iTunes or Amazon video will be usable as long as the store exists.
