This online movie sales platform has just launched a new service that allows customers to download films from the Internet, burn them to DVD, and enjoy them on any standard DVD player.
This brand-new legal download and copy service marks a significant step forward for Hollywood in its pursuit of profits from the Internet—something they had previously denounced with various “rhetoric” of condemnation and criticism.
Finally, American film and television studios have realized that they can indeed earn substantial revenue from selling films and television programs online. In fact, the Internet has opened the door to rehashing old films that Hollywood had previously planned to shelve after their theatrical run.
A Revolutionary Step
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A scene from the movie “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” Source: Amazon |
CinemaNow has implemented this principle precisely, and the list of 100 classic films is just the beginning. From “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003) to “Scent of a Woman” (1992), users can revisit these once-popular films at a very low cost.
Many optimists even believe that in the long run, online movie sales services like CinemaNow could completely replace DVD rental or retail services such as Blockbuster and Netflix.
With CinemaNow and its main competitor Movielink, downloading and copying are considered the most crucial missing links, as these services are tightly bound by technology and copyright. Moreover, many film studios are concerned that allowing movies to be burned onto DVDs would contribute to the piracy issue.
For this reason, CinemaNow’s new service is viewed as a small “intellectual revolution” within Hollywood. CinemaNow itself refers to it as “the most important product ever released in the company’s history.”
Commenting on this event, Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony’s family entertainment and digital download division, stated that this is the “most opportune time.” There are several factors that contribute to this conclusion, including advancements in anti-piracy technology and the growing willingness of users to pay for movie downloads.
Everything only started in April, but the movie download business is developing at an astonishing rate. At that time, film studios only agreed to allow downloads via links to computers on a rental model: the film link would be saved on the computer for a while before being automatically deleted.
Easily Watchable on TV
The most important aspect is that CinemaNow’s service is now “mobile,” meaning customers can burn movies onto DVDs, take them along, and easily watch them on any TV screen.
Previously, this was either impossible or extremely cumbersome, which could deter even the most enthusiastic users.
Starting today, CinemaNow’s download and copy service will offer films from Walt Disney, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures, LionsGate Entertainment, and Universal Pictures. The starting price will be $8.99, and the DVD content will not only include the film but also menus, games, exclusive interviews with directors, and more.
Download and burning times can range from a few hours depending on the content, bandwidth connection, and other factors.
However, users will only be able to burn a single DVD copy. This is a condition that CinemaNow has put in place to combat copyright infringement.
CinemaNow’s service was launched just one day after Movielink announced it had acquired the technology license for downloading and copying. However, Movielink’s service will take at least six months to implement.
Thien Y
