Posted on Friday, March 24th, 2017 by Ethan Anderton
If you’re a hardcore cinephile, you probably have a huge library of movies on Blu-ray and DVD. Even as the market has shifted to push consumers to partake in digital downloads, I’ve continued to buy movies on disc because I like the physical representation of my library. Plus, most movies you buy on disc come with a digital copy anyway.
However, digital downloads have only risen in popularity since 2010, leaving plenty who had built large physical libraries of movies without an easy or inexpensive way to take their movies with them on mobile devices. But the video download service Vudu has just introduced a new disc-to-digital program allowing consumers to cheaply and easily convert their movie library to digital. Let’s take a look at what the new Vudu disc to digital program has to offer.
Vudu’s New Disc to Digital Program
Vudu has had a disc to digital program in place with their parent company Walmart since 2012. Consumers could take their discs into participating Walmart locations to verify ownership, and after providing the e-mail associated with their Vudu account, a digital copy of the movie would be in their personal library.
This week, Vudu made it significantly easier for consumers to prove their ownership of a movie and pay for a digital copy. Within Vudu’s mobile app, you can now scan the barcode of nearly any movie from your physical library, and you can pay to get a digital copy in your Vudu library. Blu-ray copies can be converted to the high-definition HDX format for just $2 while a DVD can be converted to standard definition digital copy for $2 or upgraded to HDX for $5. If you want to try it for yourself, your first conversion, whether it’s from Blu-ray or DVD, is free.
Install Vudu To Go Mac
- I used Amazon Prime to buy an external Blu Ray drive for my Mac Book - connected it, installed the D2D Vudu Software, and it's stuck on 'Waiting for Disc.' 'Insert a disc at any time to continue' I've tried rebooting the software, restarting the computer, using different discs, etc. Has anyone ever gotten it to work on a Mac?
- Get our free Vudu app and watch your favorite movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere. Buy or rent from over 150,000 titles and watch the latest releases weeks before Blu-ray/DVD, Netflix, and Redbox. Also, watch thousands of movies for free on your Xbox One, and in up to 4K + HDR on the Xbox One S and One X. Download your movies & TV to your.
- Already have a Vudu or Walmart.com account?
- However, recent developments in the streaming space might fill the gap. Vudu's Disc to Digital program, which grants digital copy access by authenticating a DVD or Blu-ray purchase via barcode.
Choose Apple menu () System Preferences, then click Network. The Location pop-up menu shows the name of your currently selected set of network settings. The default location is named Automatic. Choose Edit Locations from this menu.
If you’re wondering what’s to keep someone from just scanning a bunch of movies at a local store and getting digital copies on the cheap without actually owning them, the app must detect that you’re at or near the billing address that is linked to your Vudu account. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from having a friend bring movies to your house, scanning them, and getting cheap movie downloads that way.
As someone who has lamented not having some of my physical movies available in digital form for use on mobile devices, whether it’s for business trips or vacations, this sounds like a great new deal. But it still has some shortcomings.
The Downside of Vudu’s Disc to Digital Program
Even though Vudu has made converting discs to digital that much easier, there’s no guarantee that the video service won’t die off someday. Then what happens to your digital library? This is the problem with digital libraries in general. There’s always a chance that some video service will go belly up, and then all that money that has gone to building your digital library is gone. While something like the iTunes store isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, some other services may not be so lucky. That’s why I’ll always buy physical copies first.
Beyond that, Vudu isn’t the best digital download service out there. Their mobile apps are kind of clunky, and they’re a little less user friendly than something like the iTunes store. While there are apps in Apple’s App store for iOS, there is no app for Apple TV. If you happen to have an Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4, you can access Vudu through there (seen above), but again, the application itself isn’t exactly a finely tuned piece of software.
Finally, if you happen to have any copies of movies where there are multiple movies in a single package, you might not be able to get digital copies. For example, I have Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II in a single Blu-ray package, and that barcode wouldn’t register as a title that can be downloaded through Vudu. Though this is a rare problem, it’s still something that keeps the service from being a little more convenient.
The Way of the Future?
Is this something that we could see catch on as a new way for consumers to get digital copies of their movies? It doesn’t seem likely. Studios have already gotten money from consumers for the physical copy of the movie they bought, so their partnership with Vudu on this disc to digital program just gives them extra money for movies that their customers have already purchased. But I wouldn’t expect a similar program to come from a place like iTunes, since they’re not making any money off the physical discs you bought, and they lose money by giving you a digital download at a discount.
For the time being, Vudu seems like a great way for people with huge movie libraries to cherry pick which movies they’d like to take with them on the road. But as far as acting as a replacement for a physical movie library, I don’t think we’ve quite reached that point yet.
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Get a seamless Disc to Digital experience on iPhone With Our New Web-Based conversion
Now iPhone users can get a more seamless Disc to Digital experience by converting from your iPhone browser at vudu.com/disc.
The process is pretty much the same as before, only you start and end on your iOS browser. Meaning no more waiting for an email, and then clicking on the email to get to your iOS browser. Basically, no more back and forth. Just a seamless, one-stop experience for converting your Blu-ray and DVDs to digital movies. Just look for the Convert Disc button and start converting.
If you’ve used Disc to Digital before, you will still need to enable the same permissions, and everything else should be equally familiar – just easier. If you’re new to Disc to Digital, you can find more detailed instructions below.
Why convert disc to digital?
Converting your Blu-ray and DVD collection to digital makes your movies more accessible with the technology you already have.
Once converted, you can download your movies to your mobile device and watch them without using data, or watch them on any of over 150,000 devices – smart TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, streaming devices (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, etc.), and more – with our Vudu app.
And instead of paying full price for a new digital version, you pay only $2 for the conversion ($5 for converting a DVD to HDX quality).
After all, you have a mobile phone or tablet with you all the time, why not turn it into a movie player?
How do I do it?
Start by heading to vudu.com/disc from your iPhone browser. Then click on the “Convert Now” button.
If you’re not already, you’ll need to sign in. If you don’t have a Vudu account, you can create a free one by signing up.
Tap “Convert Disc” after you’ve enabled the following permissions – camera (to scan the UPC), billing address on file and location (account verification), and UV account (digital copy availability).
Ensure that the UPC is centered and clear, with no glare, shadows, or blurriness, and take the photo.
If the movie is eligible for Disc to Digital conversion, select the quality you want for your digital copy.
Once the movie is added to your cart you can change the conversion quality, convert additional discs, or checkout.
Install Vudu To Go
After you confirm your purchase and convert, you’ll receive an on-screen Order Confirmation confirming your conversion has been added to your account. You’ll receive one via email as well.
Vudu To Go Mac Download
Now, simply head to My Vudu from your preferred device and watch. Or download it to your mobile device for offline viewing on the go!