CinemaNow™ first to launch Disc-to-digital service in Canada

Leading digital movie service now offers a way to convert physical DVD movies into digital

Announcement Highlights:

• CinemaNow first to launch Disc-to-digital service in Canada giving Canadians a solution to convert their DVD collections into a digital format for viewing anytime, anywhere
• Executives from some of the world's largest film studios, Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal, gathered with CinemaNow and film critic Richard Crouse at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto to discuss the advancements of the Canadian movie industry into the digital era
• Live demonstration highlighted how CinemaNow's Disc-to-digital service works, taking a classic DVD title, and propelling it to digital form, all through a personal computer

BURNABY, BC, Sept. 3, 2013 /CNW/ - CinemaNow, a leading digital movie service offering Canadians instant access to new release movies and television shows, today held an exciting event in Toronto at Yonge-Dundas Square to showcase their service and officially launch their Disc-to-digital capabilities. With CinemaNow's Disc-to-digital service, Canadians can take their physical DVDs, convert them to a digital format in the convenience of their home, and watch them on CinemaNow which is available through more than 1,000 connected devices.

Executives from some of the world's biggest film studios, Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal, gathered with media and consumers to showcase CinemaNow's features and discuss the present and future landscape of digital entertainment in a panel-style format moderated by celebrated film critic, Richard Crouse. The discussion concluded with a Q&A and live demonstration of how Disc-to-digital works, updating a classic DVD title to modern-day-digital and seamlessly accessing it through CinemaNow.  Disc-to-digital capabilities have been made possible through CinemaNow's launch of Ultraviolet™, which is a unique way for consumers to collect, share and enjoy their movies and TV shows. UltraViolet is designed and operated by the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), a cross-industry consortium including many of the world's leading entertainment studios, technology providers, device makers, retailers and video service providers.

"Today is a significant day for the movie industry in Canada with some of the world's biggest film studios coming together to celebrate the launch of CinemaNow's Disc-to-digital service," said Loveena Chera, Director of CinemaNow. "This new service allows Canadians to convert their DVD movies to a digital format giving them the freedom to access their favourite classic movies anywhere, anytime.  The movies can be viewed through CinemaNow which is available on more than a thousand devices that people already own."

How Disc-to-digital on CinemaNow works
Customers register for a free account on CinemaNow.com and simultaneously create a free Ultraviolet account.  Customers then download the free Disc-to-digital software that recognizes an eligible DVD movie and converts it to a digital format.  The movie is then ready for viewing through CinemaNow which is available on more than 1,000 devices, spanning smart TVs, computers, gaming consoles, tablets and smartphones. Nearly 4,000 DVD titles from Fox, Warner, Sony, Universal and Paramount are eligible for Disc-to-digital conversion. The cost for each conversion is $2 for standard-definition and $5 for high-definition.  The digital movie can be streamed or downloaded.

CinemaNow launched with UltraViolet earlier this year, a platform recognized as the home entertainment industry standard to download and stream movies and TV shows. UltraViolet provides a breakthrough level of freedom and flexibility in how digital content can be watched across a variety of smart devices. Further, by placing content in the cloud, UltraViolet provides a safe storage solution, eliminating risks of losing information when devices crash.

"As a Founding member of DECE, the CinemaNow service has been a key part of the industry coming together to design and launch UltraViolet, and CinemaNow has been in the vanguard of retailers bringing UltraViolet to consumers," said Mark Teitell, General Manager of DECE. "The Disc-to-digital launch by CinemaNow and its studio partners now brings a major additional benefit to CinemaNow and UltraViolet users in Canada."

For more information about CinemaNow, visit www.cinemanow.com.

Paramount Pictures presents Star Trek Into Darkness: Star Trek nation unites at Yonge-Dundas Square (7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. EST)
Celebrating CinemaNow's launch of Disc-to-digital and UltraViolet in Canada, Star Trek Into Darkness will be screened, free, in the centre of Toronto at Yonge-Dundas Square courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The movie starts at 8:30 p.m. EST; however, there will be a variety of Star Trek-themed activities taking place throughout the evening, including a Trekkie costume contest at 7:30 p.m. EST, where the most impressed-dressed will beam home with exciting prizes, including a big-screen Smart TV by LG Electronics, House of Marley headphones, and credits for CinemaNow purchases or rentals.

About CinemaNow™
Launched in Canada in 2011, CinemaNow™ is a digital movie and television service offering instant access to an extensive library of premium video content for rental or purchase, including new release movies and TV shows with no subscription required. Through the service, customers can seamlessly access content on more than 1,000 Internet-connected and mobile devices, including TVs, blu-ray players, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, smartphones, tablets, and PCs from most major manufacturers. In 2013, CinemaNow partnered with UltraViolet to give customers greater access to digital movies, anytime, anywhere. CinemaNow also offers the Disc-to-digital service, where customers can transfer their physical DVD movies into a digital form. www.cinemanow.com

SOURCE: Best Buy Canada

Shannon Kidd
Sr. Communications Manager
[email protected]
604-456-8452