Burn baby burn: Download copying OK’d
Downloaders soon will be able to legally burn discs of movies and TV shows they buy from CinemaNow, Movielink, Unbox and some of their rivals.
The industry watchdog DVD Copy Control Association said it will release software allowing the burned discs to be played on home system DVDs players. The content burned onto a disc cannot be daisy-chained, or copied again.
“This is great news,” CinemaNow chieftain Curt Marvis told the L.A. Times. “We expect the proliferation of burners that can burn these types of discs.”
The process of linking computers to TV screens to play movies hasn’t thrilled many consumers. Even using a device such as Apple TV, the images can look crappy and weirdly framed — good for Starwars Kid but not “Star Wars.” Presumably, the download-to-burn content will permit reproduction that’s competitive with studio DVDs.
The DVD CCA is the same bunch that enforces regional controls on DVDs, allowing distributors to control release patterns around the world. Multiregion DVD players, common overseas, are needed to override that control.
Update : Audio good guys Sonic Solutions detailed their download-burner software technology and said players should be hitting the market in the first quarter.
Movie Downloads. 100% Legal. No membership fees.
‘300,’ ‘Mimzy’ top movie rental downloads
CinemaNow’s top 5 rental downloads (week ended Aug. 27)
- 300
- The Number 23
- Breach
- The Hills Have Eyes 2
- The Bourne Supremacy
Movielink’s top 5 rental downloads
(week ended Aug. 27)
- The Last Mimzy
- Zodiac
- 300
- The Number 23
- The Contractor
CinemaNow’s British invasion
CinemaNow continues its musical comeback with a deal bringing the download retailer videos from artists such as Lily Allen (left), David Bowie, Coldplay, the Decemberists, Gorillaz and Norah Jones.
CinemaNow has sealed deals with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI and Sanctuary Records. The music videos will be offered on its Web site WatchMusicHere.com, as well as on CinemaNow itself.
The selection also will include uncut European versions of select music videos as well as concert performances from around the world, CinemaNow said Wednesday. Prices for download-to-own range from $9.95-$14.95. For rentals it’s $2.99-$3.99. All videos are in the WMV format.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment digital chieftain Thomas Hesse was so gobsmacked he rushed out this canned message: “As consumers increasingly rely on the Internet for easy access to high quality content, we think that (CinemaNow) will occupy an even more prominent place in the entertainment landscape.”
Not to be outdone, CinemaNow’s general Curt Marvis countered with this slice of corpo-speak: “Our music video catalog is growing rapidly, as we strive to offer our customers the widest selection available in today’s marketplace.”
CinemaNow relaunched WatchMusicHere.com last month packaged with a similar Warner Music deal.
CinemaNow game for Xbox 360 hookup
CinemaNow says its upgraded Media Manager software now can send video titles to TVs via the Xbox 360 console.
Previously, customers who hadn’t figured out a workaround had to download videos to a Windows PC and watch them there, or when possible burn the title to disc for use in a standard DVD player. All of the above steps on the pain-in-the-ass side.
Now, the downloaded content can be played via the network-connected 360, which of course plugs directly into living-room TVs. The Media Manager upgrade makes CinemaNow’s burn-to-DVD function available to Vista users. Xbox 360 users have been able to access movies via the Xbox Live marketplace for some time.
Wednesday’s corporate-speak from CinemaNow CEO Curt Marvis went like this: “CinemaNow is on a mission to enable simple and fast integration into our customers’ lives. This upgrade alone makes our entire library of more than 7,000 videos available to the millions of Xbox users who are downloading movies online and watching them on their TVs.”
Washington Post down on downloads
The Washington Post isn’t buying movie downloading in its current form.
Here, Rob Pegoraro takes a shot at MovieLink and CinemaNow:
If you must obtain a movie in the next few hours but can’t leave your house or have anybody else pick up the flick, these two Windows-only stores might work. Otherwise, it’s unclear who would bother with them: They stock far too few movies, charge too much for them, offer them at a quality inferior to any DVD and grossly restrict your use of these purchases.
But, he allows:
Movielink is less annoying than CinemaNow, but not by much.
And the kicker:
Collectively, these sites amount to the most hostile movie-procurement option since the video store in Kevin Smith’s comedy “Clerks” (which, by the way, you can’t rent or buy at either site).
The movie downloading business has some serious PR campaigns to wage — most of the coverage I read is either clueless or hostile.
