Walmart gives new digital life to DVDs

LOS ANGELES — Movie lovers can now access their favorite DVDs/Blu-ray films on their Internet-connected devices, thanks to a new program from Walmart and its streaming video service, Vudu.

Starting April 16 in more than 3,500 stores, Walmart customers will be able to bring their DVD and Blu-ray collections to Walmart and receive digital access to their favorite titles from partnering studios including Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. An equal conversion for standard DVDs and Blu-ray discs will be $2. Standard DVDs can be upgraded to High-Def (HD) for $5.

“Walmart is helping America get access to their DVD library,” said John Aden, EVP for general merchandising Walmart U.S. “Walmart entertainment’s new disc-to-digital service will allow our customers to reconnect with the movies they already own on a variety of new devices, while preserving the investments they’ve made in disc purchases over the years. We believe this revolutionary in-store service will unlock new value for already-owned DVDs, and will encourage consumers to continue building physical and digital movie libraries in the future.”

The participating studios were also excited about the opportunity

“Consumers today want new and flexible ways to enjoy movies and Walmart’s disc-to-digital program will be another important avenue to introduce Paramount movies on this new platform to a broader, more comprehensive audience,” said Dennis Maguire, president Worldwide Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures. “The unmatched reach of Walmart – which serves over 140 million consumers every week – means we can quickly grow awareness for this unique technology throughout every region across the country.”

To watch a video from Walmart explaining the service, click here.