DreamWorks Joins Walmart Disc-to-Digital Service

RMN Digital | April 16, 2012 | Americas, Applications, Corporate, Enterprise, Entertainment, Masses, Regions, Strategy | No Comments

The digital show is on. Shrek, Gingy, Po and Tigress are making their way to the cloud. Beginning today, April 16, at more than 3,500 Walmart stores in the U.S., movie fans can now gain digital access to current DreamWorks Animation titles, including Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon, through Walmart’s disc-to-digital service powered by VUDU, a leading video streaming service.

DreamWorks Animation is the sixth major Hollywood studio to partner with Walmart to give Americans the freedom to access their previously-purchased DVDs and Blu-ray movies in the cloud.

Walmart has partnered with Hollywood to increase the value of movie ownership with anytime access to DVDs. It says it is giving physical DVD/Blu-ray collections a second life by turning them into digital movies. (Read: Walmart Enters Hollywood with Disc-to-Digital Service)

“Once again, Walmart is breaking new ground in helping consumers understand the opportunities of new technologies amid the changing digital landscape,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO, DreamWorks Animation. “We are thrilled to make DreamWorks Animation’s current library of films available as part of their disc-to-digital service, which we view as a positive step forward for the industry and for consumers.”

[ Also Read: Will Cybergeddon Change the Film Distribution Model? ]

Customers can now receive digital copies of their previously-purchased movies from the following studios: DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

“Walmart’s disc-to-digital service answers our customers’ desire for new and flexible ways to enjoy their movie collections,” said John Aden, executive vice president for general merchandising, Walmart U.S. “DreamWorks Animation’s existing line-up of blockbuster films is a powerful addition to the extensive list of titles available to our customers today and we’re proud to have them on-board.”

How it Works

Here’s the process to convert previously purchased DVD/Blu-ray movies to digital copies:

Customers bring their movie collections from the participating studio partners – DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. – to their local Walmart Photo Center.
A Walmart associate will help them create their own free VUDU account.
Customers tell the associate how they would like their movies converted:
Convert a standard DVD or Blu-ray movie for $2; or,
Upgrade a standard DVD to an HD digital copy for $5.
Walmart will authorize the digital copies and place them in the customer’s VUDU account. No upload is necessary, and customers get to keep their physical discs.
Customers can log onto VUDU.com from more than 300 Internet-connected devices to view movies any time, any place.

Walmart Entertainment supports UltraViolet, the movie industry’s initiative currently in its beta phase that allows consumers to put their purchased movies into a cloud-based digital library and keep track of them safely and securely.

Walmart is able to offer customers the ability to watch and purchase UltraViolet-enabled titles directly from VUDU.