好萊塢搭上云計算快車

????華納兄弟（Warner Brothers）最近發行了哈利波特系列電影大結局的DVD版及藍光版，購買了這套電影的消費者都有驚喜，因為包裝盒內附送了一份這部電影的UltraViolet（紫外線）格式的數字版本。雖然UltraViolet這個名詞很陌生，但它代表著好萊塢邁入云端的第一步，也就是電影媒體將儲存在遠程服務器上，能通過多種設備訪問。如今，這個概念已經炒得沸沸揚揚。

????UltraViolet的理念非常簡單：這種格式允許用戶購買電影版權，并將其存放在“數字儲物柜”中，而用戶可利用種類繁多的互聯網服務訪問電影。UltraViolet的支持者表示，這將為用戶帶來極大便利，他們可以通過手機、平板電腦、普通電腦等五花八門的設備觀看到視頻，而且，美國和英國已有75萬個家庭建立了UltraViolet賬號。

????這項技術與與電影公司利益攸關：DVD銷售額在2004年曾達到創紀錄的150.5億美元，不過隨著用戶轉向Netflix等流媒體服務以及“萬惡”的非法下載，DVD業務現在已經一蹶不振。那些已宣布將發行UltraViolet格式電影的公司【?？怂梗‵ox）預計將在晚些時候宣布，迪士尼（Disney）則仍持觀望態度】認為，UltraViolet將有助于提振電影銷量，原因在于消費者們能借此構建自己的遠程電影博物館。UltraViolet格式的制定者為數字娛樂內容生態系統集團（Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem），公司總裁米奇?辛格稱：“我們明白，觀眾都有收藏電影的愛好?！?/p>

????數字娛樂內容生態系統集團認為UltraViolet格式將解決電影界和消費者所苦惱的兼容性及盜版問題。該集團通過和高新技術公司Neustar合作，開發出了一種運作起來非常接近娛樂業ATM的新型系統，用戶登陸時，這套系統會查詢中央數據庫，確認用戶能觀看哪些電影，這和ATM機檢查持卡人能取多少錢非常相似。

????當然，UltraViolet技術并非沒有挑戰。申請數字儲物柜需要一點時間。用戶必須首先創建一個UltraViolet賬號，隨后還要登陸到Flixster網站上，這樣才能在線觀看電影。Flixster是一家隸屬于華納兄弟的電影網站，后者和《財富》（Fortune）一樣，也是時代華納（Time Warner）的下屬公司。（其它支持UltraViolet電影播放的網站將在今年晚些時候陸續上線。）

????而UltraViolet最大的競爭對手要數蘋果（Apple）等科技公司。后者的iTunes生態系統對電影業可謂虎視眈眈。不過，另一科技巨頭亞馬遜（Amazon）宣布，已和一家未透露姓名的電影公司達成協議，即將開售UltraViolet版本的電影。

????雖然面臨諸多難題，但電影業的高管們仍然看好UltraViolet。他們將首次實現在多種媒體上按需為觀眾提供視頻，而且該方案又可完勝盜版業。真可謂好萊塢版的完美大結局。

????本文作者羅伯特?萊文著有《盜版搭便車：數字寄生蟲吞噬文化產業及文化產業的反擊之道》（Free Ride: How Digital Parasites Are Destroying the Culture Business and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back）一書。

????譯者：項航

????Consumers who recently purchased Warner Brothers' final Harry Potter film on DVD or Blu-ray found a surprise in the package: a digital copy of the movie in the new UltraViolet format. Although the name is not yet familiar, UltraViolet represents Hollywood's first step into the cloud -- the much-hyped idea that media will be stored on remote servers and accessed by various devices.

????The idea behind UltraViolet is simple: The format allows buyers to own rights to films, which they can store in a "digital locker" and access via various Internet services. It's potentially a huge convenience for consumers, who now have a dizzying number of devices (phones, tablets, computers) on which they can watch video content, and indeed, some 750,000 households in the U.S. and Britain have set up UltraViolet accounts, its backers say.

????For the studios the stakes are high: DVD sales, which peaked at $15.5 billion in 2004, have stalled as consumers have turned to streaming services such as Netflix (NFLX) or, worse, illegal downloads. The studios that have announced releases in the UltraViolet format (Fox is expected to announce soon; Disney (DIS) remains a holdout) believe UltraViolet will help goose home video sales by enabling consumers to build a remotely stored library of movies. "We know consumers like collecting movies," says Mitch Singer, president of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, the consortium that controls UltraViolet.

????The consortium believes the UltraViolet format addresses industry and consumer concerns around compatibility and piracy. Working with tech company Neustar (NSR) the group developed a system that operates more like an entertainment ATM. When users sign in, it queries a central database to see what movies they have rights to watch -- much as an ATM checks how much money cardholders can withdraw.

????The format isn't without its challenges. Setting up a digital locker takes time. Customers must first create an UltraViolet account; then, to watch movies online, they sign in to Flixster, a movie site operated by Warner Bros., which like Fortune, is a unit of Time Warner (TWX). (Other UltraViolet movie-viewing sites will debut this year.)

????But the biggest hurdle could be competition from technology companies such as Apple (AAPL), which has its own iTunes ecosystem for movies. Amazon (AMZN), on the other hand, has signed a deal with one studio, which it didn't name, to sell UltraViolet films.

????Despite the challenges, studio executives are bullish on the format. For the first time they're able to offer on-demand video on multiple screens, and may even outfox pirates. Talk about a Hollywood ending.

????Robert Levine is author of Free Ride: How Digital Parasites Are Destroying the Culture Business and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back.