By Marc Saltzman
MOVIE LOVERS, YOU might not have
heard about UltraViolet just yet, but you’ll
likely want a front-row seat for the action.
This new entertainment platform was
built with one purpose in mind—
convenience—as it lets you access all your movies
anytime, anywhere and on many devices.
Here’s what you need to know to get going.
What is it?
UltraViolet (UV) is a free online service
that lets you collect, store and access your
movie collection from anywhere.
You may hear UV referred to as a “cloud”
service, as your films are stored online in a
digital collection or libary. Once movies are in
your UV collection, they won’t take up valuable storage on your devices. You can stream
whatever is in your library to supported
Internet-enabled devices such as personal
computers, smart TVs, game consoles, tablets
and smartphones.
Your movies (TV shows, too) are pass-word-protected, so you’re the only one with
access to them—unless you choose to share
your content. UV collections can be shared
with up to five friends or family members. Up
to three people can stream movies from the
same UV library at the same time (perhaps
one on a TV, a second on a computer and a
third on a tablet).
Also, if you know you’re going to be somewhere without an Internet connection, such as
a family cottage or airplane—you can choose
to download your movies for offline viewing.
No discs necessary.
How do I start?
There are two ways to build your UV
library: through a redemption code on a specially marked Blu-ray Disc or DVD (the code
comes in the case), or through the code that
comes with a film you’ve bought digitally.
The first step is to create a UV account.
You can do this through the site you might
already use to watch movies, such as Flixster
(
www.flixster.com) or CinemaNow (
www.cine
manow.com). It doesn’t take long, and it’s free.
After you set up your account, you enter
the redemption code for the movie to unlock
the UV version. Once a movie has been added
to your UV collection, you can access it and
watch it as much as you like.
to 25 minutes of Man
of Steel bonus content: the featurette
Strong Characters, Legendary Roles.
On November 12, the full-length theatrical version of Man of Steel in Digital
HD will be automatically added to your
UltraViolet collection, viewable on most
devices, including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles,
Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players. (HD playback is not available on all
devices. Consult Flixster.com for a list of
HD-compatible devices.)
It’s a new way to beef up your movie
collection.—Steve Fisher
Up in the cloud
MAN OF STEEL, the epic reimagining of
the story of the boy from Krypton who
grew up to be the superhero known as
Superman, is coming to Blu-ray this
month. But there’s another way to get
the movie, without the disc, with exclusive early access to bonus content, with
a Digital HD pre-order movie card. Members will find displays of Man of Steel
cards in Costco warehouses starting
October 29. Here’s how it works:
; Pick up a Digital HD pre-order
movie card.
; Take it to a cashier. The cashier
rings it up and you get another card.
; On your device, go to www.flixster.
com/costco and enter the redemption
code from the card.
; Follow the steps to create or log in
to your free Flixster and UltraViolet
accounts.
Once done, you get immediate access
What about my existing discs?
Many older DVDs and Blu-ray Discs can
be added to your UV collection through Disc
to Digital for a one-time fee: $2 to $3 for standard definition; or $5 for high-definition.
To take advantage of Disc to Digital, simply launch the free Flixster desktop app, pop
the disc in your optical (disc) drive and if it’s
UV-compatible—about 5,000 titles now are—
you can choose to add it to your UV library.
Best of all, you don’t need to copy the disc to
a computer and then upload the movie. Once
you pay the small fee, the film will be placed
in your digital locker. Neat, huh?
As you can see, UltraViolet is a smart,
easy and convenient way for families to
access their favorite flicks, whenever and
wherever, and on countless screens. The
future is here, and it looks sharp. C
Marc Saltzman is one of North America’s
most recognized and trusted tech experts.
Follow him on Twitter, @marc_saltzman.
Tablet or smartphone?
Scan or click here for a quick
tutorial on UltraViolet. (See
page 5 for scanning details.)
cn
The Costco Connection
Blu-ray titles at Costco with
this symbol include Digital HD
UltraViolet copies.
Moving movies
Access wherever you go, thanks to UltraViolet
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