8 ms·

Movies Anywhere App Launches with Joint Studio Backing

80 points by xbmcuser 9y ago

bearcobra 9y ago
I really hope Paramount and any other studios get onboard so a single standard can finally exist. UltraViolet seemed like such a good idea, but never really seemed to work.
walterbell 9y ago
> UltraViolet libraries will also port over through the participating digital retailers. How will that work?
- hamandcheese 9y ago
  I’m assuming you will just link whatever account you already redeemed your ultraviolet copies with (e.g. Vudu), and they will show up.
  - whowouldathunk 9y ago
    That's exactly how it works. It took about an hour after linking my Vudu account before they showed up on the Movies Anywhere site and iTunes.
    - bsharitt 9y ago
      My Vudu account has yet to work. It'd be nice since I've got a lot of Ultraviolet DVD/Bluray codes there, but generally don't bother going to Vudu for much else.
whowouldathunk 9y ago
Nice, my UltraViolet codes for Mad Max and The Revenant now show up as 4K HDR versions on iTunes. And I even got the Black and Chrome version of Mad Max as a bonus "iTunes Extra." This is a very pro-consumer move.
- Bedon292 9y ago
  That is pretty awesome. I have a ton of VUDU codes it might hit. Still waiting on it to sync. Almost tempted to get an Apple TV for that. Almost.
bsharitt 9y ago
My biggest issue with buying digital movies has always been the lock in factor. If I buy from Amazon, I can't watch it on my Chromecast, if I buy from Google, I can't watch it on the Xbox, and if I buy from iTunes, I can't watch anywhere but an Apple device or iTunes. The only digital movies I've bought to date have been Disney movies because of the previous Disney-only version. I wonder how it works if a partner decides to leave. From what I understand, when Microsoft left the Disney program, Disney movies shared to your Microsoft account stuck around and Disney movies shared from your Microsoft were still available on the rest.
- ringaroundthetx 9y ago
  Playstation 4 + Chromecast The PS4 has Amazon Video, Netflix, and its own movie store. Chromecast for everything else. But did you notice yet that iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and the Playstation Store all stream from the exact same catalogue at the exact same prices. I mean sure, they are all attempting their exclusive content, but when you are looking for a blockbuster movie or old show its all the same selection and prices.
  - bsharitt 9y ago
    >Playstation 4 + Chromecast But you see, that's the problem, I shouldn't be making device purchases based on who I've bought movies from.
  - x2f10 9y ago
    >when you are looking for a blockbuster movie or old show its all the same selection and prices. Not always. Google has a smaller selection of 90s Nickelodeon shows than Apple (Kenan & Kel, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, etc). It's not a huge issue, but there are discrepancies between the catalogs.
  - culturedsystems 9y ago
    The Playstation 4 also has YouTube, which has the same selection of films as Google Play movies (including giving you access to films you've bought on Google Play).
xirdstl 9y ago
This seems too good to be true. What's the catch? Seriously, this sounds great.
- bsharitt 9y ago
  It might be spelled out somewhere in the ToS, but I wonder what the terms for revoking access are.
- mmanfrin 9y ago
  Three things from what I can tell: 1) All of your watch history on all services are shared with the other services and the studios. 2) This gives studios and providers an argument against loosening DRM/lock in. 3) This locks out new services unless the group lets them join.
  - xirdstl 9y ago
    > 1) All of your watch history on all services are shared with the other services and the studios. After signing up and looking at preferences, I see they do allow you to opt-out of sharing data with the studios and their "service providers".
  - scarface74 9y ago
    Why do studios need an “excuse” for loosening DRM? Copy protection has been a part of most mainstream movies since the early VHS days (Macrovision).
- sprice 9y ago
  > This seems too good to be true. What's the catch? Not available outside USA.
tpush 9y ago
You can't create an account without agreeing to this: "I authorize Movies Anywhere to share personal information regarding my Movies Anywhere account, together with my video titles, descriptions, and other video activity information (collectively "Video Data") with: Each Digital Retailer to which I connect my Movies Anywhere account and its service providers; Participating Studios and their affiliates and service providers; and Service Providers of Movies Anywhere." Yeah, not gonna happen.
- xirdstl 9y ago
  You can opt out of the Video Data sharing with the last two (Participating Studios and their affiliates and service providers; and Service Providers of Movies Anywhere) by accessing the "Video Data Sharing" section of your account. That said, it's probably best to steer clear if privacy is a concern.
- ocdtrekkie 9y ago
  I'm fairly privacy-obsessed, but this doesn't sound like a massive issue to me. I don't consider my movie collection to be significant privacy-wise. My movie collection is actually poor at indicating my interests, it's also only a fragment of my actual movie watching activity, and for what it's worth, Movies Anywhere collects barely any personal information: It asks for your first name only and your email address. (This information is ALREADY going to be available to any retailer you have an account with.) I think it makes sense that retailers would want to sync your "video activity information" and that studios (who bear the cost of running MA, unlike UV, which retailers ate) would want to see usage activity and be able to correlate that with how well their films are marketable long-term.
  - heroprotagonist 9y ago
    First name and email address is plenty to associate with an identity. They just need one other source for the email address that has your last name. Having a whole network of companies know what you watch, when, the rating (if they have ratings), etc, is fairly intrusive in my view, but we all have our own threshold. When you give up control of your data, act accordingly. Given the scope of the disclosure, it is probably best to assume that any data you give this service will eventually be stolen (perhaps made public), resold (if possible, if not, watch for retroactive assignment of rights), requested by law, etc.. Basically, there's a not-insignificant probability that at some point, anyone who is interested will be able to see your activity or some portion of it.
ducttape12 9y ago
Eh, still prefer physical media when buying movies. This way you can't ever have the rights taken away to watch it (which just happened to me with a show I purchased digitally on Amazon). (not to mention physical media is usually cheaper, you can loan them, sell them, servers are never down for maintenance, etc.)
- Nexxxeh 9y ago
  This gives you the best of both worlds, because when you buy your physical media, it'll have a code in there for digital redemption too. You don't have to rip the disk in order to use it in different devices, especially devices that can't physically take the physical media. Good luck passing an actual bluray on your tablet using physical media etc. Possible to do, technically, but a total faff. But this way, load the code into the locker and it "just works". And you still have your physical disk. Win win.
vm 9y ago
Is this just a digital locker for movies? Other HN comments seem excited about this but I think it will be irrelevant for most users. When I used to digitally buy/rent movies, I would watch them that same day and then be done, so a "locker" feels like an insignificant problem. Maybe I have uncommon usage. Netflix is brain-dead easy to use. I don't always know what I want to watch so I browse and can watch anything. Movies Anywhere sounds like more work than it's worth.
- prostoalex 9y ago
  > I would watch them that same day and then be done, so a "locker" feels like an insignificant problem. Maybe I have uncommon usage. Kids.
Navarr 9y ago
This is great, but it doesn't go far enough. Obviously more studios need to sign-on, and then we need to add TV shows into the mix at all. (HBO, for example) Studios that are signed on should be committed to putting their entire library on it. For example: despite Disney having signed on, Disney Channel movies like "Halloweentown" are not part of Movies Anywhere. As a parent, the fact that children's movies aren't part of these lockers (like Elena of Avalor, like Disney Channel original movies, etc.) is the bane of my existence.
pasbesoin 9y ago
Noticed the other evening that Amazon no longer streams HD to my ThinkPad. I'm guessing because I took the recommended steps a few months ago to cripple its Management Engine functionality as a work-around to the severe ME exploit (you know, runs its own web server whose password is trivially and unavoidably bypassed). At this point, I'm going to say "Fuck it." I've never pirated. (Well, there was that time in the 90's when I used, as an experiment, Napster, to download a French music album I couldn't even buy in the States, at that time. Oh, and, by the way, it's on Spotify, now... And I also now a bought and paid for physical copy, courtesy of a visit to Montreal or Germany (I forget which), not too long after my Napster experience.) Anyway... fuck it. I'm willing to pay, but it's going from hassle to outright security risk. I'll taking pirating over this.
scarface74 9y ago
So I just downloaded the “Movies Anywhere” app for iOS and connected my Amazon account and my iOS account. I got my five free movies — all surprisingly recent and well known to try it out. The movies showed up in my Amazon Prime library immediately and after an hour in my iTunes library as a purchase. I also thought that the app was going to ask Me for my itunes password because in 13 years of being an iTunes user, I’ve never known Apple to let you use your iTunes credentials to authenticate with a third party platform. Buying a digital movie is still a no go for me because the rare movie I want I could find cheaper physically. But the main complaint I had against buying a movie digitally - being tied to one service is gone as long as the movie is available on Movies Anywhere. Even if this service does go kaput, I still have access to the movies from Apple, Amazon, and Google.
dawnerd 9y ago
An interesting bug with the itunes integration... I now have multiple copies of the same movies in my library.
Mithaldu 9y ago
Can't register, only shows cryptic: "Unable to register. Please try again or contact Movies Anywhere Customer Service." Turns out after digging through the site: "Eligibility. Only legal residents of the United States, all U.S. territories, and the U.S. associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau (collectively, the "Territory") are eligible to register for a Movies Anywhere account, provided that the Movies Anywhere Service is subject to availability of Digital Retailers and Movies Anywhere Content in the Territory." Another incredibly useless waste of time, just like Youtube Red.

80 points by xbmcuser 9y ago

I really hope Paramount and any other studios get onboard so a single standard can finally exist. UltraViolet seemed like such a good idea, but never really seemed to work.

walterbell 9y ago

> UltraViolet libraries will also port over through the participating digital retailers. How will that work?

hamandcheese 9y ago
I’m assuming you will just link whatever account you already redeemed your ultraviolet copies with (e.g. Vudu), and they will show up.
- whowouldathunk 9y ago
  That's exactly how it works. It took about an hour after linking my Vudu account before they showed up on the Movies Anywhere site and iTunes.
  - bsharitt 9y ago
    My Vudu account has yet to work. It'd be nice since I've got a lot of Ultraviolet DVD/Bluray codes there, but generally don't bother going to Vudu for much else.

whowouldathunk 9y ago

Nice, my UltraViolet codes for Mad Max and The Revenant now show up as 4K HDR versions on iTunes. And I even got the Black and Chrome version of Mad Max as a bonus "iTunes Extra." This is a very pro-consumer move.

Bedon292 9y ago
That is pretty awesome. I have a ton of VUDU codes it might hit. Still waiting on it to sync. Almost tempted to get an Apple TV for that. Almost.

bsharitt 9y ago

My biggest issue with buying digital movies has always been the lock in factor. If I buy from Amazon, I can't watch it on my Chromecast, if I buy from Google, I can't watch it on the Xbox, and if I buy from iTunes, I can't watch anywhere but an Apple device or iTunes. The only digital movies I've bought to date have been Disney movies because of the previous Disney-only version. I wonder how it works if a partner decides to leave. From what I understand, when Microsoft left the Disney program, Disney movies shared to your Microsoft account stuck around and Disney movies shared from your Microsoft were still available on the rest.

ringaroundthetx 9y ago
Playstation 4 + Chromecast The PS4 has Amazon Video, Netflix, and its own movie store. Chromecast for everything else. But did you notice yet that iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and the Playstation Store all stream from the exact same catalogue at the exact same prices. I mean sure, they are all attempting their exclusive content, but when you are looking for a blockbuster movie or old show its all the same selection and prices.
- bsharitt 9y ago
  >Playstation 4 + Chromecast But you see, that's the problem, I shouldn't be making device purchases based on who I've bought movies from.
- x2f10 9y ago
  >when you are looking for a blockbuster movie or old show its all the same selection and prices. Not always. Google has a smaller selection of 90s Nickelodeon shows than Apple (Kenan & Kel, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, etc). It's not a huge issue, but there are discrepancies between the catalogs.
- culturedsystems 9y ago
  The Playstation 4 also has YouTube, which has the same selection of films as Google Play movies (including giving you access to films you've bought on Google Play).

xirdstl 9y ago

This seems too good to be true. What's the catch? Seriously, this sounds great.

bsharitt 9y ago
It might be spelled out somewhere in the ToS, but I wonder what the terms for revoking access are.
mmanfrin 9y ago
Three things from what I can tell: 1) All of your watch history on all services are shared with the other services and the studios. 2) This gives studios and providers an argument against loosening DRM/lock in. 3) This locks out new services unless the group lets them join.
- xirdstl 9y ago
  > 1) All of your watch history on all services are shared with the other services and the studios. After signing up and looking at preferences, I see they do allow you to opt-out of sharing data with the studios and their "service providers".
- scarface74 9y ago
  Why do studios need an “excuse” for loosening DRM? Copy protection has been a part of most mainstream movies since the early VHS days (Macrovision).
sprice 9y ago
> This seems too good to be true. What's the catch? Not available outside USA.

tpush 9y ago

You can't create an account without agreeing to this: "I authorize Movies Anywhere to share personal information regarding my Movies Anywhere account, together with my video titles, descriptions, and other video activity information (collectively "Video Data") with: Each Digital Retailer to which I connect my Movies Anywhere account and its service providers; Participating Studios and their affiliates and service providers; and Service Providers of Movies Anywhere." Yeah, not gonna happen.

xirdstl 9y ago
You can opt out of the Video Data sharing with the last two (Participating Studios and their affiliates and service providers; and Service Providers of Movies Anywhere) by accessing the "Video Data Sharing" section of your account. That said, it's probably best to steer clear if privacy is a concern.
ocdtrekkie 9y ago
I'm fairly privacy-obsessed, but this doesn't sound like a massive issue to me. I don't consider my movie collection to be significant privacy-wise. My movie collection is actually poor at indicating my interests, it's also only a fragment of my actual movie watching activity, and for what it's worth, Movies Anywhere collects barely any personal information: It asks for your first name only and your email address. (This information is ALREADY going to be available to any retailer you have an account with.) I think it makes sense that retailers would want to sync your "video activity information" and that studios (who bear the cost of running MA, unlike UV, which retailers ate) would want to see usage activity and be able to correlate that with how well their films are marketable long-term.
- heroprotagonist 9y ago
  First name and email address is plenty to associate with an identity. They just need one other source for the email address that has your last name. Having a whole network of companies know what you watch, when, the rating (if they have ratings), etc, is fairly intrusive in my view, but we all have our own threshold. When you give up control of your data, act accordingly. Given the scope of the disclosure, it is probably best to assume that any data you give this service will eventually be stolen (perhaps made public), resold (if possible, if not, watch for retroactive assignment of rights), requested by law, etc.. Basically, there's a not-insignificant probability that at some point, anyone who is interested will be able to see your activity or some portion of it.

ducttape12 9y ago

Eh, still prefer physical media when buying movies. This way you can't ever have the rights taken away to watch it (which just happened to me with a show I purchased digitally on Amazon). (not to mention physical media is usually cheaper, you can loan them, sell them, servers are never down for maintenance, etc.)

Nexxxeh 9y ago
This gives you the best of both worlds, because when you buy your physical media, it'll have a code in there for digital redemption too. You don't have to rip the disk in order to use it in different devices, especially devices that can't physically take the physical media. Good luck passing an actual bluray on your tablet using physical media etc. Possible to do, technically, but a total faff. But this way, load the code into the locker and it "just works". And you still have your physical disk. Win win.

vm 9y ago

Is this just a digital locker for movies? Other HN comments seem excited about this but I think it will be irrelevant for most users. When I used to digitally buy/rent movies, I would watch them that same day and then be done, so a "locker" feels like an insignificant problem. Maybe I have uncommon usage. Netflix is brain-dead easy to use. I don't always know what I want to watch so I browse and can watch anything. Movies Anywhere sounds like more work than it's worth.

prostoalex 9y ago
> I would watch them that same day and then be done, so a "locker" feels like an insignificant problem. Maybe I have uncommon usage. Kids.

Navarr 9y ago

This is great, but it doesn't go far enough. Obviously more studios need to sign-on, and then we need to add TV shows into the mix at all. (HBO, for example) Studios that are signed on should be committed to putting their entire library on it. For example: despite Disney having signed on, Disney Channel movies like "Halloweentown" are not part of Movies Anywhere. As a parent, the fact that children's movies aren't part of these lockers (like Elena of Avalor, like Disney Channel original movies, etc.) is the bane of my existence.

pasbesoin 9y ago

Noticed the other evening that Amazon no longer streams HD to my ThinkPad. I'm guessing because I took the recommended steps a few months ago to cripple its Management Engine functionality as a work-around to the severe ME exploit (you know, runs its own web server whose password is trivially and unavoidably bypassed). At this point, I'm going to say "Fuck it." I've never pirated. (Well, there was that time in the 90's when I used, as an experiment, Napster, to download a French music album I couldn't even buy in the States, at that time. Oh, and, by the way, it's on Spotify, now... And I also now a bought and paid for physical copy, courtesy of a visit to Montreal or Germany (I forget which), not too long after my Napster experience.) Anyway... fuck it. I'm willing to pay, but it's going from hassle to outright security risk. I'll taking pirating over this.

scarface74 9y ago

So I just downloaded the “Movies Anywhere” app for iOS and connected my Amazon account and my iOS account. I got my five free movies — all surprisingly recent and well known to try it out. The movies showed up in my Amazon Prime library immediately and after an hour in my iTunes library as a purchase. I also thought that the app was going to ask Me for my itunes password because in 13 years of being an iTunes user, I’ve never known Apple to let you use your iTunes credentials to authenticate with a third party platform. Buying a digital movie is still a no go for me because the rare movie I want I could find cheaper physically. But the main complaint I had against buying a movie digitally - being tied to one service is gone as long as the movie is available on Movies Anywhere. Even if this service does go kaput, I still have access to the movies from Apple, Amazon, and Google.

dawnerd 9y ago

An interesting bug with the itunes integration... I now have multiple copies of the same movies in my library.

Mithaldu 9y ago

Can't register, only shows cryptic: "Unable to register. Please try again or contact Movies Anywhere Customer Service." Turns out after digging through the site: "Eligibility. Only legal residents of the United States, all U.S. territories, and the U.S. associated states of the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau (collectively, the "Territory") are eligible to register for a Movies Anywhere account, provided that the Movies Anywhere Service is subject to availability of Digital Retailers and Movies Anywhere Content in the Territory." Another incredibly useless waste of time, just like Youtube Red.