M+E Daily

Academy on UltraViolet to Explore Technology’s Opportunities and Challenges

By Lyndsey Schaefer

The upcoming Academy on UltraViolet, set for May 16 at the Luxe Hotel on Sunset in Los Angeles, is a unique chance for the home entertainment industry’s key stakeholders to come together to determine how to ensure the success of  UltraViolet technology.

MESA’s Executive Director, Guy Finley, serves as the Conference Chair for the event. “The Academy is all about how we as an industry can come together to work on ‘the machine’ that is UltraViolet,”  he explains. “Content holders and their service provider partners need to ensure that we are prepared to scale the format as demand from the consumer increases. We expect the day to be an interactive dialogue around the workflow required to efficiently get UltraViolet product to market, and will encourage all attendees to be active in the discussion, raising hands and providing thought leadership to our industry about their particular role in the machine.”

Seth Hallen, Chief Executive Officer, Testronic Labs, will present his company’s view of the role of quality assurance/quality control in the UltraViolet user experience.  “Continuing to understand how the consumer wants to interact with the interfaces through which they access digital content and delivering those solutions to them will continue to be a key focus for the UltraViolet initiative,” Hallen says. “Also, ensuring all devices and the content adhere to a set of compliance specs will ensure a consistent and reliable consumer experience. Similar to the confidence consumers have with physical discs and the hardware that plays them, the consumer needs to feel confident that all UltraViolet content will work on all of their devices.”

Dolby is also an important partner in the emerging UltraViolet workflow. The company is working closely with studios and vendor partners to ensure readiness for the success of UltraViolet. “In the near term, the biggest challenge is simply product readiness. The legwork required to prepare libraries of premium content in the UltraViolet Common File Format is quite significant and Dolby is engaged with studios and their vendors to attempt to address those pain points through a variety of encoding tools, UltraViolet players, and other value adds,” says Ron Geller, Vice President, Worldwide Content Relations, Dolby Laboratories. “In the long run, the commercial success of UltraViolet will require not only the basics that consumers are accustomed to in physical media such as interoperability, HD picture, and surround sound, but also leveraging the unique capabilities of IP connected devices that enable enhanced user experiences not found in physical formats.”

Timur Insepov, Vice President, Innovations, Sony DADC Media Solutions, echoed Geller’s thoughts on the Common File Format issue. “Lots of players coming from different perspectives are helping to create a vast ecosystem. We must address different compatibility, especially with regards to the Common File Format, across devices and make it possible to copy files from device to device. Speed is critical, but we can’t sacrifice cohesion of and within the ecosystem,” says Insepov. “However, when all the pieces start coming together, consumers will see value that will be hard to get elsewhere.”

The Academy will also explore the marketing challenges and opportunities of the technology, in addition to what it takes for UltraViolet to ultimately reach the end consumer.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is helping guide the conversation on consumer behavior regarding UltraViolet. Ted Garcia, PwC’s Managing Director, U.S. Advisory Services, will share findings from the company’s Consumer Intelligence Series research — which found that consumers are interested in learning more about video content storage and delivery based on their desire for ubiquitous access to content on multiple devices. PwC also found that consumers are confused about the benefits of digital lockers and ownership rights. “The success of video content digital lockers will depend on whether companies can develop profitable offerings that match consumers’ preferences, and create focused marketing highlighting the value and benefits of services like UltraViolet,” Garcia says.

“The Academy on UltraViolet is a great venue for industry leaders to come together to drive toward one common goal: ensuring that UltraViolet is a success with consumers and valuable to our industry. All facets of the ecosystem are represented, which is critical as we all attempt to rally around best practices starting early in the supply chain and extending all the way through to millions of happy consumers on the other end,” Geller says.

Sony DADC’s Insepov is positive about the promise of UltraViolet, stateside and abroad.

“We’ve witnessed significant studio and retailer adoption as well as global expansion plans. The more participants and members, the better the offering will be to consumers. But there’s a lot of information to digest, and behind the scenes, the ecosystem is complex. The quicker we get everyone up to speed and provide a good understanding of opportunities and challenges in each area, the healthier the ecosystem will be — yielding faster growth and an even greater consumer value proposition,” Insepov says.

To join the dialogue at the Academy on UltraViolet, visit www.ultravioletacademy.com.