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The movie DVDs collecting dust on the TV stand now can play on your iPad if you're willing to pay a fee.Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, said Tuesday it will launch a new service that lets owners of DVD/Blu-ray movies pay $2 to $5 to stream them on Internet-connected devices, including TVs, tablets, smartphones and gaming consoles.

Starting April 16, Walmart customers can bring their DVD and Blu-ray movies to the stores and receive "digital access" to the titles from the partnering studios Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal and Warner Bros.Converting a title to standard definition viewing, similar the video quality on DVDs . An upgrade to high-definition is priced at $5.

The 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," says John Aden, a merchandising executive of Walmart.Powered by Walmart's video streaming technology subsidiary Vudu, the service will require customers to create a Vudu account, where their digital files are stored. Customers can access their movies by logging onto Vudu.com.The move signals Walmart's support of UltraViolet, an initiative by movie studios and technology companies to move customers' purchased DVD movies into a cloud-based digital library. Launched late last year, UltraViolet seeks to improve and standardize digital rights and authentication for content.

Getting Walmart to join the initiative will push other large retailers to rethink their streaming strategy. But customers already have plenty of other cloud-based streaming options, including cable companies' on-demand services, Hulu and Netflix. And it remains to be seen if customers are willing to pay extra for movies they already own.