Many are calling it a step forward in the field of digital rights management or DRM , for others it is the same old story. UltraViolet is a type of DRM that was released nearly two years and could start ringing again during this 2012. Neither the content nor large majors audiovisual industry see the DRM as a system of the past, but as the next technological interest.

UltraViolet platform proposes a DRM -based 100% in the cloud . Powered by RICE LLC , behind UV are companies such as Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner, Microsoft, IBM , Dell, HP, Intel, Panasonic, Adobe, Netflix and Best Buy. Among all absences, slightly out of two major market players:Apple and Disney .

UltraViolet, a DRM based on the cloud

UV as a platform DRM can protect any media from movies to music, to electronic books or television series. At first the system has started in the U.S. applied to optical discs: Users can have a digital copy of your hard gained, centralized servers UltraViolet about being playable on compatible devices with the system via streaming or direct download for time unlimited.

The user can also decide whether to pay for the physical version of the content accessed via code to the copy of the digital library or just the copy. It is therefore, a system of individual payment . In addition to the support of almost all technology companies, in principle does not provide UV geographical restrictions, which could be looking at the legal principle of universal content from anywhere in the world and simultaneously.

While everything has a double meaning , as one who decides according to the availability of content areas and operating windows is their creator, not the technology on which it can be sustained. However, it is heartening in a landscape that is evolving too slow.

The limitations of UltraViolet

UV can be authorized through a web interface up to 12 devices for playback. Likewise, up to 6 user may be watching the same content as simultaneous . Also, these servers are stored UV centralized user data: where and when and content reproduced with whom you have shared.

A handicap on this platform DRM is the compatibility . All content licensed under UV only be available on devices that support it.These devices ranging from televisions, tablets, hard drives, cell phones and laptops. Apple does not provide its closed ecosystem (for now) UV access to their devices. Moreover, most of them require to be connected to the cloud in some way to manage access to licenses.

However, one of the majors you are betting on the system, Paramount, recently announced that its content licensed under UV in the U.S. is available for streaming on IOS devices, but not in direct download (yes Macs), which opens the debate on the entry of Apple into the ring UltraViolet.

With Apple and Disney voices against (study their own rights platform called Keychest ), UV could be an approach to the modernization of platforms DRM . There are still two important events take place: the internationalization of the system (beyond the U.S. and UK) and hardware compatibility, which probably will not be performed by firmware upgrades on many devices, but it will force new acquisitions.