They warned it was coming months ago and tomorrow it happens: The digital movie site UltraViolet is shutting down on July 31. And if you’re not careful, all the movies you have connected to it could disappear.

Ultraviolet’s website stresses that “in most cases, your movies and TV shows will be available via the retailers linked to your UltraViolet Library at the time of UltraViolet shutdown.” Which means in order to keep those titles, they need to be affiliated with one of UltraViolet’s retail partners before tomorrow. (The complexity of this system is perhaps one reason why this whole UltraViolet thing hasn’t panned out.)

Here are the retailers affiliated with UltraViolet (each link will take you where you need to go to handle your UltraViolet-related business if you haven’t already):

As long as your UltraViolet movies are connected to an account with one of those companies, you should be fine. I stress should because according to UltraViolet’s own FAQ, they’re not entirely sure what’s going to happen (emphasis below mine):

In most cases, we anticipate very little impact. Most, and perhaps all, existing rights in UltraViolet Libraries currently available through your linked retailers that are still operating should continue to be available from those retailers.  While there could be some disruption, we do not anticipate this on a broad scale and are working diligently to minimize and avoid such instances.

Most and perhaps allCould be some disruption? Shouldn’t they know these things before they shut down?

Hopefully it all works out for everyone who has UltraViolet movies. (That includes me; if I lose my digital copy of Terminator Genisys it is going to be actual Judgment Day around my house for a while.) Maybe the systematic obsolescence of physical media, which you own forever after a single purchase and generally lasts longer than a couple years with basic care and storage, isn’t a good idea after all!

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