BBC adds UltraViolet to Christmas DVD, Blu-Ray releases
updated 06:05 pm EDT, Tue October 9, 2012
Doctor Who, Top Gear first to get downloadable treatment
The BBC will be releasing its first UltraViolet-enabled DVD and Blu-ray titles in time for Christmas. The corporation is working with Flixster in order to offer the downloadable versions of the shows, which will include a stand-up comedy title from John Bishop, as well as the first part of Doctor Who Series 7.
A specially-commissioned episode of Top Gear will also be made available, as well as a 60-year retrospective on Sir David Attenborough's natural history broadcasting career. Claude London, Digital Director for BBC Worldwide Consumer Products, said "we hope UV will empower consumers to build digital entertainment libraries and continue to enjoy BBC Worldwide releases either at home or on the move."
It isn't clear if the UltraViolet releases will only apply to UK-based purchases, however the BBC intends to continue offering UV-enabled releases in early 2013. UltraViolet has been on the receiving end of a storm of criticism from consumers, mostly because of the necessity of using a different app (Flixster) to manage the rights for the more-restrictive format, along with the inability to play the videos using the standard Videos app on iOS devices.
