In a bid to sweeten the consumer appeal of a new digital format that could succeed the DVD, some at the major film studios want to prevent DVD libraries from being rendered obsolete in a format upgrade.
UltraViolet (UV) is the name of
new technology standards expected to debut this summer that Hollywood hopes will help reignite the public's interest in collecting movies and
cauterize the bleeding in their home-video divisions
Typically, when media sectors have changed distribution formats, consumers are forced to shell out more money to update existing libraries. VHS tapes couldn't play on DVD players and CD players were incompatible with vinyl albums.
But even as progressive as this sounds, some studio execs acknowledge that moving the public to a new format now won't be easy. For one thing, UV's launch is coming up fast and important details still need to be hashed out. Insiders say consortium members still can't agree on several important issues regarding security and whether to offer UV in high-def. Some studios involved are worried that some among them will break ranks and offer content to other locker services in addition to UV, which could undermine UV's negotiating power.
Meanwhile, UV's toughest challenge may be selling the new format to Internet-empowered consumers, many of whom are unaccustomed to paying for content following years of downloading pirated music and films at file-sharing services.
Then there's Netflix. The Web's top video-rental service forces DVD collectors to ask the question: why am I buying when Netflix's monthly streaming-subscription fee typically costs less than a single disc? For their money, Netflix subscribers
receive access to thousands of catalog TV shows and films. According to film industry sources, Netflix is the kind of consumer proposition that drives the value of the studios' content down and one reason why they hope to nurture alternative outlets.
