UltraViolet DRM one step closer to market

The UltraViolet technology aimed at allowing consumers to watch their purchased content across major platforms was widely discussed during CES. The so-called "universal DRM" will be available to consumers across multiple platforms, even if they purchase a DVD or Blu-ray movie but want to late stream it.

Led by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) alliance, which is comprised of Microsoft, Sony, Apple and others, is a major push forward to help consumers. Warner and other studios hope the addition of a copy in the cloud will help convince users to purchase legal content and have easier access to it.

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UltraViolet video streaming DRM was promoted in mid-2010, with immediate optimism -- and concern -- related to how it operates.

The platform has been applauded by some movie studios and partners, but casual consumers are only beginning to hear about UltraViolet. After a free account is registered online, users are able to access paid content on any type of UltraViolet device.

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UltraViolet can be implemented on DVDs and Blu-ray movies, digital copies of movies and TV episodes. Interested consumers won't be able to purchase or download UltraViolet content until later this year, with public rollout expected in mid-2011.

Ultimately, I don't think there is any one solution that will suddenly end piracy, though each step forward is important. Piracy is a long-term problem for a number of major industries, with each industry trying to move forward and find solutions to protect revenue.

UltraViolet sounds appealing because of the ability to share content across multiple platforms, but I'm cautious because of the companies involved. Even if consumers want an open platform, I have a hard time believing the movie studios and tech companies suddenly want to embrace this type of technology.

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