The Down Low’d

For me, perhaps nothing marks the arrival of “the digital lifestyle” as much as the rollout of services that will allow me to download and own the movies and shows of my choice.

It’s the kind of thing I’ve been waiting for ever since Time Warner promised to deliver a wide array of on-demand programming on what turned out to be its failed Full Service Network. (I know you’re probably tired of all my references to the FSN, but, hey, it was a very memorable event in my journalistic career.)

For me, a working woman with a 6-year-old who keeps me hopping, the ability to get my movie or program of choice without having to plug the kid into her car seat and drive to the Blockbuster, has enormous value. And being able to download and keep the movies or shows will be great, considering the vast number of times kids want to watch the same title. (Although the kid and I have at least 20 viewings of “The Incredibles” and each of the Harry Potter movies under our belts, I’m just happy we’re not watching “The Wiggles” or “The Care Bears.”)

So I was excited when CinemaNow in the past few months cut deals with some of the biggest names in programming to deliver download-to-own services — which, in some cases, make titles available at the same time they are released on DVD. Among CinemaNow’s content partners for this download-to-own initiative are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Fox Entertainment Group, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. Customers can purchase and download a legal, permanent copy of the shows for unlimited playback on the download device. All content will be copy-protected by Microsoft’s Windows Digital Rights Management software.

The move by CinemaNow is part of what is expected to be a larger trend to allow customers to download movies via the PC or TV and then keep them as their own. In an interview I did earlier this year for the July issue of xchange, Hustler TV President Michael H. Klein expressed his interest in allowing customers to burn its content to DVDs at home. He said the service could be available as early as this year. Adult programming seems like a perfect match for this download-to-own model, given the privacy factor it offers over buying at a store or receiving a title through the mail.

The CinemaNow deals also tie into the trend toward “shrinking windows” — that is, the fact that, due to digital distribution, the time between a movie’s release at the movie theater, its availability on DVD and its distribution through on-demand channels, continues to shrink. What that trend will mean for the studios and their distributors remains to be seen.

Until next time,

Paula Bernier
Editor in Chief