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Is UV access on AppleTV really that far fetched?

A

arbogast777

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2010
240
24
I know the assumption has always been that Apple would never become apart of UltraViolet, but I wonder if that brick wall might be crumbling.

Apple technically has its toes in the water with such things with Disney Movies Anywhere. Obviously there is a relationship between Apple and Disney, but at some point DMA will be on other services like Google Play and Vudu, meaning that a Disney movie purchased from one of those guys will show up in your iTunes without Apple getting the sale. That's the kind of business model Apple would love to avoid but allowing DMA shows that perhaps it's accepted that that's the way content providers want things to be.

I also think Apple recently adding the special features menu on some films might be how they see themselves as the ones to get that sale in the future. If they know that the future is one where a customer can't be as locked into iTunes as it would like them to be, it can differentiate itself through great UI. I mean Vudu also has these special features but it isn't presented in such a slick way that Apple does.

Thoughts?
 
T

twobelowpar

macrumors regular
Dec 7, 2013
107
19
I sure as hell hope so. I have some UV digital copies I absolutely will never use (Hobbit, Dark Knight trilogy, Underworld trilogy, and a few others) and I would love to have them in the iCloud and accessible from my ATV with all my other digital flicks.
 
2

2010mini

macrumors 601
Jun 19, 2013
4,698
4,806
Dunno.... To me UV is still poorly implimented with way too many steps involved across the various studios. Apple and Disney does it the best you buy on one and it shows up on both with nothing else to do.
 
A

arbogast777

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2010
240
24
2010mini said:
Dunno.... To me UV is still poorly implimented with way too many steps involved across the various studios. Apple and Disney does it the best you buy on one and it shows up on both with nothing else to do.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I know when you get one of those UV slips with a DVD/blu it gives you lengthy instructions for each studios site, but just skip all that. You only need to enter your code at the provider you use (in my case Vudu) and it shows up across all providers. It's as simple as iTunes/Disney.
 
Pakaku

Pakaku

macrumors 68040
Aug 29, 2009
3,137
4,447
(...) a Disney movie purchased from one of those guys will show up in your iTunes without Apple getting the sale. That's the kind of business model Apple would love to avoid
Click to expand...

If that was the case, iTunes wouldn't support any of my music I didn't purchase directly through iTunes, because Apple gained no money from those purchases I made.
 
2

2010mini

macrumors 601
Jun 19, 2013
4,698
4,806
Pakaku said:
If that was the case, iTunes wouldn't support any of my music I didn't purchase directly through iTunes, because Apple gained no money from those purchases I made.
Click to expand...

Music is different. There is no DRM for music anymore
 
A

arbogast777

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2010
240
24
Pakaku said:
If that was the case, iTunes wouldn't support any of my music I didn't purchase directly through iTunes, because Apple gained no money from those purchases I made.
Click to expand...

Ah, but they do. $20 a year for iTunes match...

(If we are comparing cloud services to cloud services)
 
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I

iSage

macrumors newbie
Jul 11, 2014
22
0
There's no reason why the studio can't support both UV and iTunes. However, movies studios do not want Apple to have the same control over movies as they did over music. So now they're pushing UV, which is basically just cloud based DRM, quite a concern as the studios hold the keys to content you buy. With a disk based format you're buying for keeps but with UV it's just the temporary right to watch content.

Apple supporting UV? Using a third party DRM system for iTunes? As soon that system went down iTunes would be broken. Apple maintains tight control over their ecosystem so I don't see that ever happening.

EDIT: Thinking on this further: Really the whole thing is a bag of ****. The ideal solution would be to abolish DRM all together.
 
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betman

betman

macrumors 6502
Jan 15, 2013
272
5
Doesn't UV also allow you to get a digital version of old content you already own on physical media (and I don't just mean today's discs with a free UV copy included)?
 
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iSage

macrumors newbie
Jul 11, 2014
22
0
Maybe. But one day physical media won't be sold anymore. Ownership of your own personal library of content will be just an illusion.
 
J

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
betman said:
Doesn't UV also allow you to get a digital version of old content you already own on physical media (and I don't just mean today's discs with a free UV copy included)?
Click to expand...
They are just rolling this out, I haven't tried it, yet. It looked like their available titles are limited.
 
A

arbogast777

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2010
240
24
betman said:
Doesn't UV also allow you to get a digital version of old content you already own on physical media (and I don't just mean today's discs with a free UV copy included)?
Click to expand...

They certainly do, for the past few years actually. Last summer I had 42 iTunes movies and 0 UV movies. This summer, thanks to that program, I have 42 iTunes movies and 726 UV movies. Which is why I would love to be able to access them on an AppleTV. I love it's interface better, but need my Roku to watch my movies.
 
sodapop1

sodapop1

Suspended
Sep 7, 2014
188
1,303
iSage said:
There's no reason why the studio can't support both UV and iTunes. However, movies studios do not want Apple to have the same control over movies as they did over music. So now they're pushing UV, which is basically just cloud based DRM, quite a concern as the studios hold the keys to content you buy. With a disk based format you're buying for keeps but with UV it's just the temporary right to watch content.

Apple supporting UV? Using a third party DRM system for iTunes? As soon that system went down iTunes would be broken. Apple maintains tight control over their ecosystem so I don't see that ever happening.

EDIT: Thinking on this further: Really the whole thing is a bag of ****. The ideal solution would be to abolish DRM all together.
Click to expand...
I don't know who is to blame, the movie studios or Apple, but technically there is no reason why you couldn't link your UV account to your Apple account and be granted access to all the movies you own through each platform regardless of where you originally purchased or redeemed the movie. Apple has already implemented this with Disney, so they already support this kind of functionality where the type of DRM utilized on each platform becomes completely irrelevant.
 
LV426

LV426

macrumors 68000
Jan 22, 2013
1,835
2,262
I'm looking forward to the day when spinning pieces of aluminised plastic are no longer used to play movies. It's so 20th century.
 
charlituna

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
arbogast777 said:
I know the assumption has always been that Apple would never become apart of UltraViolet, but I wonder if that brick wall might be crumbling.
Click to expand...

The current system for UV sucks. No way would Apple latch onto that system in any formal way. The closest we might get is if Apple does switch the ATV over to a fuller version of iOS and creates an app store where any music/video/photoviewer app can be bought/downloaded. Then if there is an Ultraviolet app folks would have it.

But it won't be officially adopted by Apple, not so long as their system is way better functioning for the general user. At this point it is more likely that Apple would buy Netflix than touch Ultraviolet.
 
JuryDuty

JuryDuty

macrumors 6502
Sep 22, 2014
320
31
Texas
I would prefer Vudu on AppleTV, but knowing there's little to no chance of that happening, if Apple allowed UV, that would be second best. While UV isn't perfect, it is the most portable right now in terms of the amount of places offering it. I've ammased quite a collection and would love to get rid of my Roku...but that won't happen as long as Apple holds out.
 
Snoopy4

Snoopy4

macrumors 6502a
Dec 29, 2014
662
2,968
LV426 said:
I'm looking forward to the day when spinning pieces of aluminised plastic are no longer used to play movies. It's so 20th century.
Click to expand...

From a convenience standpoint, streaming is nice. From a picture qualify standpoint, it is far from desirable.
 
D

dhruveonmars

macrumors 6502
Nov 10, 2011
278
78
UK
Surely, now that apple has released the new Apple TV with it's own App Store, companies like blinkbox or flixster could create Apple TV Apps which have access to your UV Collection and allow for streaming on the Apple TV without needing to use Airplay from any other device.
 
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