UltraViolet sounded good. “UltraViolet is DVD for the Internet. Just as the DVD logo means that you can buy a DVD from any seller and expect it to play in any player with a DVD logo (DVD players, DVD PCs, DVD entertainment systems in automobiles, and so on), the UltraViolet logo means you can buy UltraViolet movies from any seller, keep track of your ‘online locker’ or ‘virtual collection’ of movies, and expect them to play on anything with the UltraViolet logo (PCs, tablets, smartphones, Blu-ray players, cable set-top boxes, and so on).” Oh well, lots of things sound good at first.

I really liked the idea of having a networked copy of my movies. As it is, I’ve been converting my DVDs to Apple TV MP4 friendly formats with HandBrake. It’s not hard, but it is time-consuming. It would be great if every time I bought a physical DVD I’d also get a digital copy and that’s what UltraViolet seemed to promise.

Alas, my hopes were dashed when I finally looked at UltraViolet’s fine print.

UltraViolet: Another DRM dead-end for Internet video. More >