Samsung '12 Bluray Players Store Movies on the Cloud

Samsung is adding Disc-to-Digital to its 2012 line of smart Blu-ray players, a service that unlocks an Ultraviolet version of a movie on DVD. Hooray for Hollywood... finally.

On Wednesday during CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Samsung introduced a new service to be added to select 2012 smart Blu-ray players that will undoubtedly be good news for consumers with a huge library of store-bought DVDs.

Called Disc-to-Digital, Samsung's new service allows users to register their ownership of physical DVDs with UltraViolet, thus granting them access to the digital version stored in the cloud. UltraViolet movies can be accessed virtually anytime and anywhere -- even from multiple locations at once -- through the Flixter application now available for Android, iOS and via the Samsung Smart Hub. Consumers also have the option to purchase HD quality versions of these movies, and can share digital library content with other members under the same account.

Disc-to-Digital will be available on two 2012 models for starters: the compact BD-ES6000 3D Blu-ray player and the dual-HDMI BD-E6500 3D Blu-ray player. The former player reportedly measures slightly larger than a Blu-ray disc -- using a compact, cubic form factor -- while retaining the latest video technologies and connectivity features. The latter model containing two HDMI inputs allows the user to connect a game console and set-top box simultaneously while still using one HDMI output port.

In addition to Disc-to-Digital, these two flagship Blu-ray players will provide a full web browser and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity to prevent users from draping Ethernet cable all across the house. Both DLNA and WiFi Direct will be supported, and a powerful video processor will up-convert DVDs, older non-HD content and low-resolution streaming to full-blown 1080p.

"Building on Samsung’s legacy of innovation, the new additions to the Blu-ray player line offer consumers increasing options to enjoy an outstanding home entertainment experience regardless of the content sources," said Sangchul Lee, Senior Vice President, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "Consumers now have an endless list of connectivity options and services for a true multi-screen experience."

These two specific Blu-ray players are currently on display at Samsung’s booth #12004 in the Central Hall at CES 2012. Actual pricing and availability was not provided, so stay tuned.