Hollywood’s six biggest studios - Lionsgate Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. - announced their support for the UltraViolet service and format created by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE).

Complementing the DVD and blu-ray home entertainment markets, UltraViolet will allow consumers to watch their digital entertainment across multiple platforms, such as connected TVs, PCs, game consoles, smartphones and tablet PCs, reports comingsoon.com. Since all UltraViolet offerings will work together, consumers will be able to select which products and devices they prefer from a spectrum of familiar companies – ranging from major studios to consumer electronics companies to cable, web and other service providers. In addition, the UltraViolet name and logo will help identify entertainment products and services designed to work together seamlessly.

UltraViolet plans to start with movies and TV shows, but could eventually expand out into other media like music and e-books.

UltraViolet already has on board tech companies like LG, Intel Nokia, Samsung, HP,Sony Toshiba and Panasonic as well as movie ditributors like Netflix and Comcast. The company's’s effort isto get as many content, technology and retail services companies as possible to make the system streamlined. The latest media reports put the count at nearly 60 plus.

“The introduction of the UltraViolet brand is another important step towards the consumer launch of UltraViolet products and services,” said DECE president and Sony Pictures Entertainment CTO, Mitch Singer, in a statement. “Our goal is to firmly establish UltraViolet as the symbol for digital entertainment—one that gives consumers the freedom of access wherever they are, the confidence of knowing how it will work, and the broadest choice of content, stores, and devices.”

How will the system operate

The UltraViolet experience will be powered by a cloud-based UltraViolet account which will include a Digital Rights Locker and account management functionality. Consumers can create an UltraViolet account, free of charge, via one of the many participating UltraViolet service providers or through the UltraViolet website. This account will allow consumers to easily access and manage all of their UltraViolet entertainment.

Consumers will also be able to register up to 12 devices so UltraViolet content can be easily downloaded or shared between them. That includes set top boxes, internet connected TVs, computers and mobile apps for smartphones and tablets. The account will enable consumers to download on a DVD or other portable media.

These six major Hollywood studios were a driving force in creating UltraViolet, and their plans to make films and television shows available through the UltraViolet ecosystem cements a milestone union among the content, technology and retail services industries, said Mark Teitell, General Manager of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE). In 2011, UltraViolet will substantially raise the bar on the electronic home entertainment experiences in-market today.

If this successfully takes off, film-buffs will have another movie viewing expereince to chose from.

Retail Netflix HP Electronics