Service at Walmart Will Convert DVDs Into Digital Video

Want to reduce your in-home DVD clutter but keep the fun for ready online access? A relatively new program can help.

The DVD-to-digital program launched by Walmart earlier in 2012 will allow conversion from DVD and Blu-ray to a digital stream that can be accessed anywhere, according to a media report. The service is done in partnership with vudu.com.

According to PCWorld.com, here's how it works: You bring your physical DVDs or Blu-ray discs to a participating Walmart store (the service generally is available in the photo section). Then, you pay $2 per disc to access the streaming equivalent through Vudu on supported devices, including computers, tablets, smartphones and game consoles--basically anything that supports Vudu.

Blu-ray users automatically convert to the high-definition version of a video, but standard-definition DVD owners have the option of paying $5 (instead of $2) to up-convert to the HD version.

Users have to create accounts with Vudu.com and UltraViolet (the latter is the movie industry-led digital rights management process for converting discs to digital versions).

The Hollywood studios participating are Dreamworks, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. When an order is processed, the Walmart sales associate will stamp the inner ring of your disc with a label before handing it back over. This is to prevent you or anyone else from using it for conversion again.

Have you tried this conversion program and if so, how did it work for you?