Both Samsung Australia and a major Australia retailer are looking to launch a brand new movie service that allows a consumers to store their DVD and movie collections and then deliver the content to multiple devices via a cloud based service.
The service is being considered as JB Hi Fi rolls out their new Music Now subscription service and later next year a movie service.
How the retail based cloud service works is that consumer sign up to a content delivery service which is linked to instore kiosks. Consumers then visit the store to load their movies into a machine that recognises the content. The DVD’s are then removed allowing one to take the movies home.
You are then given the rights to watch the movies on multiple devices. In the future users will be able to browse content in store, buy the rights to the content and via the new service have access to the content on any internet linked device that you own.
The process doesn’t actually upload the content of the disc, it just authorises the title to be placed into a cloud locker. Prior authorised content is rejected.
ChannelNews is aware that one major Australian retailer is interested in the service and has already approached Walmart about the service.
Walmart, in conjunction with Vudu a Company that the mass retailer aquired last year, will launch their new in-store cloud program across serveral major stores in April in what is seen as a brand new trial of how content can be accessed.
Users of the Walmart service pay $2 for a standard definition movie or $5 for a high-def version.
Walmart, has the support from major movie studios such as Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.
To access the service users simply log onto their account from their Internet-connected device and watch the movies they have added to the cloud locker. Walmart says there are over 300 compatible devices for their service including gaming machines.
The system uses UltraViolet technology, but it’s considerably cheaper than buying a new UltaViolet title. Some new Blu-ray releases come with a free UltraViolet authorization included, but this appears to be an easy way to take advantage of older movies purchased before the UltraViolet system was in place.
At the recent CES 2012, SmartHouse was shown a Samsung Blu-ray player that does the same thing, the big difference is that you don’t have to go to a store to load your content but you do have to own a Samsung product.
With the Samsung model which is being considered for Australia a consumers cloud locker will reside ona service called Flixter similar to the Vudu service.
With the Samsung model will not have to pay to register, and you can upgrade to an HD version for a fee. The Samsung product hasn’t launched yet, but we could see a version of it soon.
Zane Vella, chief executive of Related Content Databases at Flixster said at CES “Flixster and Samsung are helping consumers transition disc-based content to a more flexible and convenient digital format. Consumers will be able store their movie collections in the cloud. This is a big step forward in our mission to help content owners unlock the potential of their digital content libraries.”
When asked whether the service would be available in Australia he said “I see no reason why not”.
