What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

[echopulse]

Many reviews about the launch of Disney Movies Anywhere have said how wonderful it is, how easy it is to use, since Disney decided to partner with iTunes. There are very few consumer complaints about the service. It's become common knowledge how easy it is to watch and download titles with iTunes! It has also been reported that iTunes is responsible for 60% of electronic sales. They really know how to run a digital content store and ecosystem. It's so easy to purchase, redeem, and download movies on their system.

That stands in stark contrast to UltraViolet. I have read hundreds of complaints on Amazon forums, Apple Support Forums, Home Video forums, and Tech blogs. Most of them center around the fragmented redemption process, and the lack of a common download format. Vudu customers know that the redemption process on vudu couldn't be easier, in fact it's just as easy as iTunes. But millions of consumers opening physical discs with UV inserts are getting sent to flixster or a studio site for redemption. Their first experience with UltraViolet is with one of these sites, and many of these sites have been criticized as being hard to use. The consumer simply isn't satisfied with the experience. Many people have abandoned UltraViolet because of that. If they knew about alternatives like vudu, then maybe they would continue to use it. That could be helped with better marketing.

Here are some more ideas to help UltraViolet increase its user base, and satisfaction rate.

UltraViolet needs to implement a common redemption website that would redeem directly into a users UV account without going through a retailer. After a title is redeemed, the site should present links to the UltraViolet Retailers. I have heard that this is in the works, but I hope to encourage DECE to make sure that it happens soon!

The second most common complaint I have seen is that people can't download their films and save them to external hard drives, or copy them to other devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other computers. The Common File Format needs to be deployed very soon!

The DECE consortium needs to insist that if content is released with UltraViolet rights, that it will be made available in UV to all UV retailers. Here's looking at you, HBO!

The top four EST vendors, which probably make up for 80% of sales, are not UV compatible. They are iTunes, Amazon, Comcast, and xBox video. They need additional partners if UV wants to be a mainstream format.

Studios that are partnered with UltraViolet need to offer more of their catalog films with UV rights. Lionsgate alone has hundreds of films that aren't UV. MGM also needs to release hundreds of films with UlraViolet.

More TV shows need to have UV rights, and Disc to Digital needs to be available for TV shows.

Apps for IOS and Android tablets and smartphones, need to be enhanced with sorting, searching, parental controls, and HD capabilities.

If these things are addressed, 90% of the complaints will go away. This will in turn cause good reviews, and millions of new customers!

[LuzRinggold]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

In my opinion they already do, at least for this family. We don't use iTunes and I never will use it after my experience trying to use an iPod that I bought and owned for all of 2 weeks. For me, iTunes was too controlling and UltraViolet is a bit more liberating and offers more freedom. iTunes may have changed over the past three years, but I have no use for it.

We use UltraViolet for streaming and I don't have much use for downloading, so that doesn't bother me. The redemption process for UltraViolet isn't really that bad. What is bad is having to create multiple accounts and link them all together. I would rather see the UltraViolet site be the "master" site where you create your account and then have them automatically link our UV account with Vudu, CinemaNow, Flixster, M-Go, Target, WB, Fox, and everyone else for us and allow a SINGLE user ID and password that can be set and changed on the UV site. I wouldn't mind if they also created our account with RedBox and Amazon, even though they are not UV...hopefully they will join UV one day (and Netflix would also be welcome). Of course I would want to see a better UV website also! I also find most of these websites to be VERY SLOW. I don't know how Vudu is able to show me my 1200 UV titles so fast and everyone else seems to take forever.

I think we should be allowed to purchase or rent directly from the UV site and then tell them which provider we want to purchase/rent from. M-Go sort of does that now. The individual retailers would still control their pricing.

I find it extremely easy to purchase and rent movies through UltraViolet. Of course each service provider is different.

Where I think Vudu needs to focus their efforts to offer a "high quality viewing experience" is in the area of allowing us to more easily find our UV titles and easier to shop UV and D2D titles. What I mean is the ability to create and organize collections of movies, better parental controls, ability to find new titles that are added daily, new UV titles, and new D2D titles.

It's my understanding that if content is UltraViolet then it is UltraViolet to all UV retailers. That is sort of the point to all this! The freedom to watch it wherever you want. I could be wrong, but think the issue here is that retailers simply can't keep up...perhaps their staffing level is too low to keep up with everything. If UV titles were sent to the UV website and it controlled if a movie was UV and/or D2D that would offer more consistency.

I totally agree that more TV shows need to have UV rights, and Disc to Digital needs to be available for TV shows. I also think we need more TV content available. We watch far more TV than we do movies.

I know that many people do care, but we don't care a lot about the apps for iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. We prefer to watch TV shows and movies on an actual screen that we can see. I have yet to own a smartphone that can actually stream from any service and I have never had a Vudu app avilable for my phones or tablets either. But I suppose having something that is mobile is cool, but we wouldn't use that feature very often.

The biggest complaints are that it needs to be easier. Easier to sign up, easier to redeem UV codes, and easier to search for movies to purchase or movies that you already own.

[MaxH]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

I decided to try DMA just to check out the free movie, and after a couple of weeks it still hasn't shown up on any of my authorized iTunes computers. It took DMA over a week to respond to a support request only to give me useless advice like "[p]ress the ?Home? button on your device...to return to the home screen", then "Re-launch the Disney Movies Anywhere app".

[BlakkMajik3000]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

A couple of people have already hit on it, but just to reiterate. There are two important things UV needs:

1. A single place to redeem movies. I usually redeem mine on Vudu anyway, but I'm not the average UV customer. Someone that is new, as already mentioned, will just go to where the insert tells them. All inserts should point to a single redemption site.

2. Cross-platform downloads. The CFF has been promised for what feels like forever, yet here we are with still no CFF files and no news about it. Streaming is all fine and good, but with ISPs getting more and more restrictive on bandwidth caps, having the option to download a movie once and watch it on any device as much as I want is invaluable.

Also, this kind of ties into number 2, but all UV titles should be available at all UV retailers, period. I assume (hope) that when the CFF files are finally released, all retailers will have the same files and there won't be a case where a title shows up on one provider but not another.

[Joefiore1976]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

Ultraviolet is so superior to iTunes that it's ridiculous. I can watch ultraviolet on my tv (thanks to vudu). That makes it far superior. iTunes can only be watched on the computer or ipad. Eff that S.

The question is, how will iTunes try to compete with ultraviolet , the preferred format that has been embraced by all studios except Disney?

[echopulse]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

Ultraviolet is so superior to iTunes that it's ridiculous. I can watch ultraviolet on my tv (thanks to vudu). That makes it far superior. iTunes can only be watched on the computer or ipad. Eff that S.

The question is, how will iTunes try to compete with ultraviolet , the preferred format that has been embraced by all studios except Disney?

You can also watch iTunes on AppleTV's, and Disney Movies Anywhere can be watched on any web browser enabled TV. and about 15 million of those have been sold. Also, It doesn't matter what studio's are doing, it matters what consumers are doing, and iTunes has 60% of digital movie sales. That's quite significant. Hopefully it has changed since that report, which was in 2012.

[lujan]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

I decided to try DMA just to check out the free movie, and after a couple of weeks it still hasn't shown up on any of my authorized iTunes computers. It took DMA over a week to respond to a support request only to give me useless advice like "[p]ress the ?Home? button on your device...to return to the home screen", then "Re-launch the Disney Movies Anywhere app".

That's strange? I registered on DMA and got the free movie (The Incredibles) and have watched it on Apple TV and didn't have any problems.

[Joefiore1976]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

You can also watch iTunes on AppleTV's, and Disney Movies Anywhere can be watched on any web browser enabled TV. and about 15 million of those have been sold. Also, It doesn't matter what studio's are doing, it matters what consumers are doing, and iTunes has 60% of digital movie sales. That's quite significant. Hopefully it has changed since that report, which was in 2012.

But how many have AppleTV?? I know one guy. Vudu is on PS3, and almost every blu-Ray player. iTunes was practically the only game in town back in 2012. It's almost inconceivable that anyone would choose a movie on iTunes today.

(Not saying no one would, but why choose the less convenient option?)

[echopulse]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

But how many have AppleTV?? I know one guy. Vudu is on PS3, and almost every blu-Ray player. iTunes was practically the only game in town back in 2012. It's almost inconceivable that anyone would choose a movie on iTunes today.

(Not saying no one would, but why choose the less convenient option?)

It's more convenient if you have iPhones, iPads, and an Apple TV. To date they have sold 28 million units. Most consumers are choosing Apple TV's. It's now their fastest growing product. UV really needs to step up their game if they want to get anywhere.


http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/...owing-hardware

[huskerbear]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

The biggest problem is that itunes had a several year head start on digital movie downloads and everybody that was interested jumped on board. Many, including myself didn't even know what a digital movie code was for until a couple years ago, so I avoided the whole itunes thing and am happily using UV now (750 movies) and couldn't be happier although I do agree UV needs to keep improving. The bulk of the bad press and bad reviews came from itunes users that were going to have a negative spin on it anyway unless it worked with what they were used too. If Ultraviolet and itunes had started at the same time, it would have been a different story.

UV needs to hang in there and keep improving, its a great idea that I think will really catch fire over time.

[MoWeb]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

I'll repeat a couple of things again that have been said. Kill the fragmentation!!!!

1. UV codes should be redeemed only at Ultraviolet. They handle your movies rights so this should be the logical place to redeem the codes. Redeeming at different streaming providers causes confusion and unnecessary fragmentation.

2. Since it's multi-partnered come to an agreement to allow all UV streaming providers rights to stream all UV content.

3. Release the CFF already.

4. Fix the problem not being able to load large libraries of UV content. Currently only Vudu (and one other) can actually do this. Ultraviolet can't even do this.

5. UV only content owners (Sony, Warner, etc.) need to release all of their content to UV and quit holding out.

6. Encode all content to HD at all providers. It's absolutely ridiculous to have content in SD only when HD encodes exist at some streaming providers (but not others).

7. If D2D continues to exist fix the issues so all discs are recognized. This is frustrating to the users.

8. Add extras as part of the movie just like a blu ray.

9. For Vudu, fix the subtitle timing and positioning. The delay and placement (in some cases) is terrible and a complete distraction making it useless to use.

This is my $0.02

[Squatting Hen]

Re: What do Vudu and Ultraviolet Need to do to compete with Itunes?

The biggest problem is that itunes had a several year head start on digital movie downloads and everybody that was interested jumped on board. Many, including myself didn't even know what a digital movie code was for until a couple years ago, so I avoided the whole itunes thing and am happily using UV now (750 movies) and couldn't be happier although I do agree UV needs to keep improving. The bulk of the bad press and bad reviews came from itunes users that were going to have a negative spin on it anyway unless it worked with what they were used too. If Ultraviolet and itunes had started at the same time, it would have been a different story.

UV needs to hang in there and keep improving, its a great idea that I think will really catch fire over time.

^ A lot of this.

What Disney has done, with the introcuction of their DMA service, has not benefited me whatsoever. I don't have any idevices, as I have a Windows Phone 8. I use my Roku 3's to watch my collection. I watch 99.99% of my UV movies on my TV, and never have the need to use my phone to watch a movie. I do have a ton of DMR points, and now movies, as we buy a lot of Disney films. I still though, have no way to watch them on my TV. (I am not going to run a cable from my pc to my TV)

The thing is, if Disney did the same thing with Vudu, there would be a huge uproar from the ifolks of how it is silly, stupid, and makes no sense for Disney to release something like this. Since it has a benefit to the iusers, they arrive in flocks to rave how wonderful it is. From my expereince, to a lot of isuers, Apple can do no wrong. If someone else does the same thing or does it better, the same users ignore it, or simply say it's not great.

Apple, Disney, Vudu, UV, whomever, can do whatever they want. I am just tired of companies triying to do their own thing, which normally does not benefit us, the customers. I despised Sony for a few years because they were big on stuff like this. I wish they would just play nice, join up, and develop something great that everyone can use.

I addition, a central place to redeem codes would be a plus. Since I understand the process, my central place has become Vudu. There have only been a handful of titles, (mainly collections/series) that Vudu did not get the redemption link for. For a general customer though, they would follow the directions on the insert.

I never watch special features so I personally don't care about that. For the title of this thread though, I guess to compete, and to quiet the other group, you will have to at least have what they have.

Marketing is key. Who the eff is Vudu?