Amazon to handle Warner Bros.' UltraViolet movies
updated 08:40 pm EST, Wed January 11, 2012
First major retailer to embrace the digital format
Sources for CNET are reporting that Amazon has reached agreement with Warner Bros. to become the first major retailer to offer films in the the UltraViolet digital format. Yesterday, Amazon VP Bill Carr had announced at a CES panel discussion that the company had reached a deal with a major Hollywood studio but would not identify which. When he made the announcement, Carr was onstage with members of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), including executives from Sony, Warner Bros., Fox, and Universal, all of which support the new format.
Neither Amazon nor Warner Bros. has made an official announcement.
Other news came after the panel yesterday. Sony Pictures CTO Mitch Singer told Beet.TV that the UV group will adopt a common file format for downloads later this year. A common format would ease some of the technical issues associated with the various digital rights management schemes used by the studios. [ via CNET]
