By working with Ultraviolet, Wang has managed to play by Hollywood's rules without actually having the support of Hollywood. But if he wants Hollywood to invest in his service, he'll have to prove that Wavelength can actually get people to buy movies instead of just streaming them.

The whole thing is a delicate ecosystem. According to Recode, Wang is worried that Ultraviolet will soon rewrite its terms of service to prevent multiple users from sharing the same library, which could prevent new users from streaming their friends' videos.

In a blog post about the launch, Wang said, "It's unclear if we will be able to ultimately fulfill our longterm vision." But they're pushing on anyway. Ultraviolet's benefit to the consumer has never been clear. With Wavelength, it's just a little bit clearer.