Rovi Provides Access to DVD and Blu-Ray Disc Collections

Rovi Corporation announced Rovi Digital Copy Solution, an offering that will enable consumers to access their physical DVD and Blu-ray Disc movie collections via the cloud.



Rovi Digital Copy Solution integrates into consumer electronics devices and PC applications, allowing them to recognize a movie on physical disc, authenticate its origin, and then trigger access to a copy from the UltraViolet Digital Library. Digital copies can then be enjoyed by consumers from virtually anywhere on a range of enabled connected devices that may include HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players, set-top boxes, game consoles, smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

According to Forrester Research, by 2016 the personal cloud services market will hit $12 billion and be used by 196 million consumers; yielding a new computing experience that is focused on seamless access to virtual libraries from across personal devices. This trend to access digital movie, music, book, photo, and other collections, coupled with the growing demand for Internet-connected living room devices which is expected to reach 540M worldwide by 2014 (Source:TDG), is opening new revenue opportunities for content owners and distributors.

"Consumers want to watch movies anywhere, while still getting value from the investment they have made in physical media. The Rovi Digital Copy Solution combined with UltraViolet, unlocks new value for consumers and helps them rediscover some of their favorite entertainment that can be enjoyed on many different devices via the cloud," said Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of products, Rovi. "Rovi Digital Copy Solution can provide CE manufacturers, digital storefronts, and movie studios with an opportunity to acquire new customers, generate new revenue, and introduce more consumers to the flexibility and convenience of digitally delivered entertainment."

Rovi Digital Copy Solution incorporates Rovi Media Recognition and Media Authentication Services and can be incorporated as a component of Rovi Entertainment Store, the company's end-to-end, white-label solution for digital storefront creation and management. Rovi Entertainment Store technologies and services can be used to facilitate the cloud storage of digital copies of DVD and Blu-ray Disc movies via the UltraViolet industry standard, and for facilitating cross-merchandising and promotion. To ensure a high-quality viewing experience, DivX Plus Streaming, another component of Rovi Entertainment Store, can be used to deliver digital copies purchased to a range of connected devices.

Legal Disc Copy: How It Works

• Consumer places disc into supported hardware (CE device or PC) where it is automatically identified using Rovi Media Recognition Service;
• The Rovi Media Authentication Service performs a variety of heuristics to determine the disc's authenticity;
• If authorized by the content owner, consumers can then be presented with the opportunity to purchase access to a digital copy that can be placed in a digital storefront library powered by Rovi Entertainment Store and made available via UltraViolet.

Once purchased, the title would then be available from the cloud for downloading or streaming via a range of connected devices

Rovi Digital Copy Solution is available for integration and will be supporting new products and services expected to launch in the first half of 2012.