JB Hi-Fi is joining Flixster and EzyFlix in offering Ultraviolet movies. Don’t be fooled by it’s futuristic name, it’s actually an ass-backwards service. You have to purchased the boxed copy from the store, then redeem a code to get the digital or Ultraviolet version. In a world that has an array of streaming movie services, this really is idiotic.
According to JB Hi-Fi NOW Video (that’s a mouthful), UltraViolet allows you to collect, access and enjoy your movies and TV shows in the cloud – brought to you by a growing list of companies building UltraViolet into their online stores, video apps and devices. The problem is, they left out the most important one, an online store. You cannot purchase or rent a video through the service, without visiting a JB HiFi store and purchasing a disc. This is just crazy.
Compare that experience to firing up your Xbox, PS3, Apple TV or even the TV service integrated into your smart TV, hitting stream and you’re watching a moving. That’s the future, not this disaster. If they’re thinking you’ll go to the store and hopefully pickup something else while you’re there, they’re wrong.
Imagine you’re a JB HiFi NOW music subscriber, you’d think you’d be able to sign in with that account right? Wrong. You’ll need another account, then you can link your accounts, seriously guys work it out. The only redeeming feature of UltraViolet is that you can watch movies across a decent range of devices. I think in large part, that’s really a fantasy, most people watch movies in their living room on the largest screen in the house.
Despite all that if you want to check out the very limited range of movies available, head over to http://video.jbhifi.com.au and http://www.uvvu.com/
