Samsung to Bring 'Disc to Digital' Feature to Smart Blu-ray™ Players in 2012

LAS VEGAS — 2012 International CES — Today, at the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) UltraViolet press event, Samsung (Seoul: 005930) announced plans for a “Disc to Digital” feature on Samsung Smart Blu-ray players, developed by Flixster and Rovi Corporation (Nasdaq:ROVI). Available later this year, Disc to Digital will allow consumers to add their existing Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD libraries from participating studios to their UltraViolet digital library–making them viewable on a wide range of devices.

Disc to Digital can work with any authorized retail service and will initially be available using a new Flixster application on Samsung’s Smart Hub. When consumers insert an eligible physical disc into a 2012 Samsung Blu-ray player and select the Disc to Digital icon, they will launch the Flixster application and can easily add the movie to their UltraViolet locker for a nominal amount. If high definition versions are available, they will have the option to upgrade their standard definition movies for an additional fee.

Once digital copies have been created and added to the consumer’s UltraViolet collection, the content will be available to enjoy through the Flixster Smart Hub application on Samsung’s Smart Hub, as well as a broad range of mobile and portable devices such as iPhones, iPads and Android-based devices as well as PCs and Macs. UltraViolet also allows consumers to share their entire UltraViolet digital library with other members on their account, and they can even watch the same title simultaneously from different locations.

Flixster will also be available this year on Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players. Through the application, consumers will be able to easily access and stream their UltraViolet movie and TV show collections directly on their TVs.

Disc to Digital uses Rovi Digital Copy Solution, which integrates into consumer electronics devices as well as PC applications to allow them to recognize a movie on a physical disc, authenticate its origin, and then trigger access to a copy from a cloud-based digital library.

The new Disc to Digital feature will be demonstrated Jan. 10-13, at Samsung’s CES booth, #12004 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). Rovi Corporation will also demonstrate the service by appointment at its meeting space at Caesars Palace.

“Disc to Digital is a revolutionary way for consumers to ‘future proof’ their DVD library,” said Steve Polsky, president of Flixster. “They will no longer need to worry if a DVD is misplaced or if it’s scratched. Through UltraViolet, consumers have an exciting new way to collect, access and enjoy digital entertainment. They can take their movie and TV collection with them and watch it when and where they want.”

“This is exactly the type of ground-breaking service our white-label, digital entertainment technologies and Rovi solutions were designed to serve,” said Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of products, Rovi. “We are proud to be supporting this new market offering that will enable the creation of ‘virtual movie collections’ and introduce more consumers to the flexibility and convenience of digitally delivered entertainment.”