No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

[lowlights]

It appears the service included data for discs up through 2012, and then basically - stopped.

New titles are added, which can allegedly be done in-store (often a nightmare with an undertrained employee)

Why does not a single title from 2014-2015 work with the in-home D2D app? I've asked 3rd Tier Support, and they've been able to get no answer.

We submit SO much information about which discs we try to the app - where is all that data going?

[MattO]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I'm not sure what you expect to hear. It's pretty clear that it's a barely supported, low priority program that gets very few resources and it's been that way for 2-3 years now.

I'm not knocking anyone, either, that's just literally the business reality here.

[dsk_daniel]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

Why'd they even bother to update the app last month? Last time this happened it at least seemed to me to fix problems with some previously problematic discs. This time I don't think it did anything.

[kipford]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I was under the impression that the in-home D2D app was designed to cover movies released prior to the time when UV codes began to be typically included with the purchase of a disc. I wondered if maybe as digital codes expired those movies would start working with the in-home D2D app, but haven't tested this.

That said, my stated logic couldn't be it completely since you can do the in-store D2D for movies that came with codes.

[lowlights]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I suppose - I'm just expecting them to ... follow-through.

Nothing about the in-home D2D service says "only 2012-and-before titles"

They include a link to their Disc to Digital service on the front page of Vudu, they update the app - someone must do something, but it's not enough. We would like further explanation. Not that "it's in Beta" (for 3+ years?)

They request we submit data about non-working discs, they have added new titles to the list of D2D-eligible titles, including new titles that include codes.

In fact, through huge Google+ communities, it is known that even of the 2012-and-before titles, only approximately 5,800 working titles exist - that's 1,800 titles listed that have never found a working disc that the app accepts!

Some of the discs the app accepts are PAL discs! For a U.S. service?

The Walmart employees who perform the in-store are woefully undertrained (often telling customers they "don't know how to do it" or "we've stopped doing that", which isn't true).

It's mad - and I'm sure it shoots them in the foot. Ultraviolet and Vudu are both great services - but they're half-assing so much of it.

[lowlights]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I'm not sure what you expect to hear ... I'm not knocking anyone, either, that's just literally the business reality here.

I'm suggesting they update the service - they've had plenty of time.

After all - on their own page for In-Home Disc to Digital (via the app), it says:

"The list of movies available for Disc to Digital conversion is comprised of titles that have been legally cleared for digital distribution from studios participating in the UltraViolet program. We expect the number of titles available for Disc to Digital conversion to grow over time."

[diamond204]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I'm suggesting they update the service - they've had plenty of time.

After all - on their own page for In-Home Disc to Digital (via the app), it says:

"The list of movies available for Disc to Digital conversion is comprised of titles that have been legally cleared for digital distribution from studios participating in the UltraViolet program. We expect the number of titles available for Disc to Digital conversion to grow over time."

I believe there are several factors behind this.

The big one: The studios have little motivation to have their newer titles with D2d (and they never originally really intended new release titles to be D2d). The purpose of D2D initially was to appease collectors who didn't want to spend a gazillion dollars upgrading to digital. Not that they ever would. D2D was actually intended as a "bridge" to motivate those customers to crossover to digital.

Since the launch of D2D physical media has had the pack-in UV slips. This is also intended as a bridge.

Of course when people buy a new release, if they D2D it, they can in theory easily sell off their physical copy and still 'own' the title. In theory again, creating a glut of used physical media sales which hurts new media sales. This is why there is little to no motivation to have new releases work with D2d.

I am sure D2D is not a big revenue generator for the studios (or for Vudu) so it probably is very very low on the priority list.

The pack-in UV slips are starting to become more and more rare. DVDs now rarely come with any, and even some Blu Rays are skipping Digital HD now.

So don't be surprised when the slips start vanishing from all Blurays (and stay with UHD). And also it won't be shocking if D2D is shut down, either by the studios or by Vudu.

From what I know these are considered bridge products and were not intended to be permanent. So enjoy them while they last

[lowlights]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I believe there are several factors behind this.

The pack-in UV slips are starting to become more and more rare. DVDs now rarely come with any, and even some Blu Rays are skipping Digital HD now.

So don't be surprised when the slips start vanishing from all Blurays (and stay with UHD). And also it won't be shocking if D2D is shut down, either by the studios or by Vudu.

From what I know these are considered bridge products and were not intended to be permanent. So enjoy them while they last

That is all fine - but I suspect you are merely guessing or rationalizing; because if anything, I've seen as many codes, in as many movies as ever. I have even seen DVD's including Digital HD codes. Disney includes codes; almost every new major release includes codes. No, they are not going away.

Even Vudu's own "Instawatch" isn't available on as many movies as come with digital codes. They will include codes, because ... they cannot be certain which provider you will prefer to use. iTunes, Vudu, MGO, whatever comes next or joins the ranks.

If D2D is meant as a bridge, that is not stated anywhere, except in some opinions. Is it a big moneymaker - I do not know, maybe not; but what is the actual "cost" of Vudu to allow D2D - nearly nothing. The studio requires a very small fee of Vudu - the maximum of which is capped each year. All they are doing is flipping a switch, effectively, giving you access to a digital file on a server.

And how long will it take to phase out physical discs ... if that is what they are bridging. It could take a decade ... or more.

I'm just saying - if the reason the service is poorly-managed ... is because it's poorly-managed, please take it up a notch Vudu. If it's a bridge program - please state that clearly and tell us for how long. Just ... communicate. Don't give us a half-assed program, because some of us WANT to invest in a digital media library.

[MattO]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

In your mind, what's going to happen to made Walmart want to train its employees thoroughly, and Vudu fix all of the D2D problems that have been piling up for a few years now? It hasn't happened, and it won't happen. When I do in-store D2D, I'm told that usage of the program is getting increasingly rare. The momentum is moving away from it and there's already a track record of program neglect going back a few years that is getting worse.

But, it kind of works. I use it a lot and know how to work around many of the problems, so I'm glad it's there.

So please consider this - there is no real world situation in which they do a major overhaul of this program. If it didn't happen 2-3 years ago when the program still had momentum, it's not going to happen now. What is going to happen if they get a lot of complaints and unhappy users? They'll shut it down. 100% guaranteed. That's not to say that we shouldn't politely report problems - there is a minimal crew working on this stuff, but please consider that a shutdown is the only realistic outcome if a critical mass of users complain loudly about the problems. None of Vudu's larger competitors even do D2D, so it can hardly be considered an essential part of the service.

[Gnatevil]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

The In-Home program was (imho) a great way for me to get about 85% of my old DVDs and Blu-rays into the "cloud". Pretty much any new title I buy, I make sure it has a code. For ones I buy at Wal-Mart (mostly older titles), if they instawatch I'm happy, if not, then oh well. I'll try them at home to see if they work In-Home. If not, then I'll check if I can D2D them at Wal-Mart.

I just purchased 2 movie sets (Mimic 1, 2, 3) and a Jake Gyllenhaal 3 movie collection. Neither showed Instawatch and neither included codes, however, I got all 6 movies via Instawatch. If that hadn't worked, I would have tried the other methods.

I have very few movies that I need to convert, but all of those are not eligible as of right now. I would love it if all the studios would participate and make all their movies available but it's not going to happen. It may not cost much for them to make a digital copy of a movie but it does take some. They need to weigh the cost vs return for their efforts. Just because 1 person wants a title doesn't mean that enough people will purchase (or convert) that title to make it feasible for the studio to create the digital file. Also, the back catalog of some studios is huge so picking what movies to bring over is really difficult. Bottom line...money. If they can make it, they will do it, if not, they won't.

I don't see In-Home going away, or code slips for that matter, anytime soon. I know I will never do direct digital purchases if there is a physical copy I can own. Biggest reason, I prefer the higher quality of the discs over digital. The digital is more for my kids to use so they can watch my movies without borrowing the physical copy. UV sharing is great for that. (Except with Disney movies). I'm still hoping that they will make TV shows D2D eligible, but that's kinda like spitting into the wind...

[MovieLover500]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I'm loving D2D. I've managed to convert maybe 15-20% of my dvd collection (about 500 movies converted). Despite the need for improvements in Vudu's search/filtering, it's still easier and quicker to find movies on Vudu than physically locate the disc (I've put all the ones I've "converted" in a box, which I won't have to search through, except for that rare occasion when I want to watch an extra). The video quality is usually, for me, as good or better (since I upgrade when I can) with a few rare exceptions. And having UV on most of my titles is great, since the greatest fear I have with the cloud is a company going under and losing my movies.

These days, I'll pretty much only buy physical media if it's unavailable on streaming, or if its really, really cheap or has some extra I really want (usually the first, though). Since most new movies and TV shows get released on streaming, I'm less likely to need D2D for movies made in the last few years and going forward.

OTOH, I do have a preference for older movies (Maybe 30+% of my Vudu movie collection have a release date prior to 1960). My hope would be that the studios add more and more older movies to streaming, add more of the older movies available to streaming to Ultraviolet, and that more of those ultraviolet movies get added to the D2D program. But given that the spreadsheet of D2D titles (linked to in one of the threads) has seen very, very few older (eg, pre-mid-90s) movies added to the program in the last couple of years, even as newer titles were added, makes me think the last one is unlikely. (It would be nice if there were a db or spreadsheet to look at to see what movies got added to ultraviolet, to at least see if more older movies are getting added to it)

[lowlights]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

... In your mind, what's going to happen ....

... when I do in-store D2D, I'm told that usage of the program is getting increasingly rare....

... So please consider this - there is no real world situation in which they do a major overhaul of this program.

... They'll shut it down. 100% guaranteed.

In my mind - I ask a question and hope someone at Vudu sees it. Possibly even explains, or is caused to look into it further.

I assume that's why the forum is here. So I'm asking - why is there this "stall" in a fine program, that works quite well ... when it works. But there are some large gaps in its data, and I'm asking ... why?

I'm sure people aren't using in-store much ... as it's hard to find employees trained well. It's a regular complaint - I would certainly not send newbies to a store for their D2D.

You seem to believe only a "major overhaul" will fix this. I doubt it requires a major overhaul. We're talking about updating a database of working discs/titles. That's not a major overhaul. That's updating a database.

Nobody has to rewrite the app - the app works. Just, please - add in the new titles so they also work. Not MAJOR. An update, sure - but with data that must be available to them.

So - while you fear me crashing everything by asking a question, I do not fear that. I would just like to know what's what. And so far, nobody at VUDU has responded (my fingers remain crossed).

[MovieLover500]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

I'm fairly sure the issue with dual-sided discs is a bug rather than a DB issue (given the rate of problems with dual vs single sided discs is so dramatically different).

That said, a support page linked to from the D2D page explaining several of the troubleshooting techniques that can be used resolve some of the problems people have (in terms of the software not recognizing any discs) would be very helpful, instead of being buried in an old thread in this forum where most users probably wouldn't find it. That wouldn't require a bug fix or a database fix, but would be very helpful.

Does Vudu have write access to the database they use? (I remember reading in some thread that they use a third party database, but that may have just been speculation) Of course, even if they do, I'm not sure it's so trivial to update - I would guess they would need some verification that the discs we say are the right discs are indeed the right discs (eg, metadata from some other source to corroborate it, or copies of those versions of the discs, themselves)

I'm more interested in why the number of titles being added seems to be fairly small (are companies satisfied where things are so they aren't licensing more movies? Or are they willing to, but vudu not bothering to put in the resources to expand it?)

[lowlights]

Re: No In-Home D2D Title from 2013 (mostly), 2014 and 2015

Does Vudu have write access to the database they use? ... even if they do, I'm not sure it's so trivial to update - I would guess they would need some verification that the discs we say are the right discs are indeed the right discs (eg, metadata from some other source to corroborate it, or copies of those versions of the discs, themselves)

I'm more interested in why the number of titles being added seems to be fairly small (are companies satisfied where things are so they aren't licensing more movies? Or are they willing to, but vudu not bothering to put in the resources to expand it?)

I suspect the program is merely neglected. Even if they have a third-party database they get some of their data from - it's not difficult to search a second "in-house" database as well (Look at A first, then look at B next)

Surely thousands of people have inserted discs that need to be "manually verified" and indicated - if the program actually gathers that data - if you've got more than 3-4 hits on a particular disc metadata; you likely have a good disc.

I'm not saying it's not a great program - it is. But it seems if someone woke up and turned on the lights - it could be even better. Make it less frustrating, especially for a new users - who tries one eligible disc title after another and gets "we can't recognize this disc" - that's frustrating when you're new. Random seeming.