Brian
04-03-2006, 09:32 PM
Download Movies with DRM for only $30 Each! (http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/9662/Download+Movies+with+DRM+for+only+30+Each/)
"Starting today you can download big studios' films the day they're for sale on DVD. But you can't watch them on TV. Major studios today will make mainstream movies available for downloading the same day they are released on DVD — a significant step in Hollywood's tentative migration to the Internet. But movie fans will pay for the convenience: Downloadable flicks such as "Brokeback Mountain," "King Kong" and "Pride and Prejudice" may cost as much as twice what the DVD versions do and play only on a personal computer. New releases can't be rented online, just purchased.
The constraints on services from Movielink and CinemaNow illustrate the central role that economics plays in the evolution of home video distribution. As they experiment with offering online video on demand, studios are keeping prices high and restrictions tough so they don't alienate retailers, whose DVD sales still provide the vast majority of revenue. "We think this is a great consumer offering that complements the DVD release," said Rick Finkelstein, Universal Pictures' president and chief operating officer. "If somebody wants to get their content online and create a digital library, this gives them the opportunity to do that. This is another way for consumers to access movies." Piracy fears also prevent online services from giving technological early adopters what they really want — the ability to watch downloaded movies on their televisions. That's because the studios insist that downloadable movies include rigorous safeguards on copying. Users, for instance, can burn a DVD of a downloaded movie, but it will play only on a PC."
Read full story here (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-movielink3apr03,1,464900.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true)
"Starting today you can download big studios' films the day they're for sale on DVD. But you can't watch them on TV. Major studios today will make mainstream movies available for downloading the same day they are released on DVD — a significant step in Hollywood's tentative migration to the Internet. But movie fans will pay for the convenience: Downloadable flicks such as "Brokeback Mountain," "King Kong" and "Pride and Prejudice" may cost as much as twice what the DVD versions do and play only on a personal computer. New releases can't be rented online, just purchased.
The constraints on services from Movielink and CinemaNow illustrate the central role that economics plays in the evolution of home video distribution. As they experiment with offering online video on demand, studios are keeping prices high and restrictions tough so they don't alienate retailers, whose DVD sales still provide the vast majority of revenue. "We think this is a great consumer offering that complements the DVD release," said Rick Finkelstein, Universal Pictures' president and chief operating officer. "If somebody wants to get their content online and create a digital library, this gives them the opportunity to do that. This is another way for consumers to access movies." Piracy fears also prevent online services from giving technological early adopters what they really want — the ability to watch downloaded movies on their televisions. That's because the studios insist that downloadable movies include rigorous safeguards on copying. Users, for instance, can burn a DVD of a downloaded movie, but it will play only on a PC."
Read full story here (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-movielink3apr03,1,464900.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=true)