Back in 2011, digital movies and TV shows started becoming more prominent in the marketplace. In addition to being able to purchase digital versions of movies, Blu-ray and DVD discs also came with a digital copy of the title being purchased. One of the major players in the digital movie and TV game was UltraViolet. The cloud-based system included content provided by Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Fox, Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate and more, but it’s shutting down for good on July 31. If you want to save your movies and TV shows from being lost in digital oblivion, keep on reading.
Here’s what the official UltraViolet website has to say about the shutdown (which was announced January this year):
As you may be aware, UltraViolet shutdown is planned for July 31, 2019. UltraViolet and participating retailers and content providers are working together to provide you with information on how best to enjoy your movies and TV shows going forward.
If you have an UltraViolet Library, you will be receiving direct updates from us as additional information becomes available.You are also likely to receive information directly from the retailer(s) you use to access your movies and TV shows. For some users, it may be necessary to take proactive steps to continue access to your libraries. You may also refer back to this page, as the information here will be updated as we move through the process. We recognize there could be some disruptions in connection with this process, but please know that we are all working together to develop solutions and information to minimize such instances.
We sincerely thank you for your support over the years and for letting UltraViolet be a part of your home entertainment experience.
If you ever had an UltraViolet account, you should have received several e-mails sent to whichever address you used to sign up for the service. The company has been telling customers how to save their movies from disappearing for a few months now. If you can track down one of those e-mails, it will tell you exactly how many movies/TV shows you have in your library and how to save them. If not, we have the directions below.
In order to save your movies, you’ll need to log into your UltraViolet account. If you don’t remember your e-mail, username, or if you even had an UltraViolet account, you’ll have to go through the proper steps of retrieving your account and password at UltraViolet’s website. After that, you’ll find directions on how to link your UltraViolet account to one of three available retailers that will still allow you to access the movies from your library. Here are those retailers with a link to begin the process of linking UltraViolet to those sites in order to save your movies and TV shows:
- FandangoNow
- Kaleidescape
- Vudu
Keep in mind that UltraViolet has put out this warning:
“In most cases, we anticipate very little impact. Most, and perhaps all, existing rights in UltraViolet Libraries currently available through your linked retailers that are still operating should continue to be available from those retailers. While there could be some disruption, we do not anticipate this on a broad scale and are working diligently to minimize and avoid such instances.”
So we don’t know for sure if certain titles will get lost in this shuffle or if anything will go wrong in the process. If you ask me, that’s just another reason to stick with physical media instead of relying solely on digital libraries.
The good news is that once your UltraViolet account is linked to either FandangoNow or Vudu, almost all of those titles will also be made available across your digital movie libraries in iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Xfinity, Google Play, and Microsoft Movies & TV. Movies Anywhere has inked deals with all those provides, along with FandangoNow and Vudu, and most of those titles will be available in all of those libraries.
If you have any other questions about this process, check out the UltraViolet website to get answers. This should be a pretty easy process for UltraViolet members, and you’ll want to ensure you don’t lose access to your digital movies.
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