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Releasing Films for Internet Download

Issues Surrounding Releasing Films for Internet Download

Throughout the year 2000, several studios have been seeking partnerships with other studios to find ways to provide a wider selection of first-run movies. To date, two likely scenarios are emerging. One foresees Sony heading a group that would use emerging technologies that allow end-users to download movies for their personal library (Hofmeister A1). Another scenario envisions that studios such as Fox and Disney will explore streaming video technology for one-time viewing, alternately referred to as "video on demand" or a sort of pay-per-view system for downloadable films.

In the latter case, the studios even hope to link multiple Web sites or cross-license titles to make it easier for consumers to locate their favorite movies, even without knowing which companies made them (Hofmeister A1). And in April 2000, Walt Disney Company's Miramax Films unit signed an agreement with Web company SightSound.com to that made 12 Miramax films available for online downloading. The titles are available on a pay-per-view basis, allowing Web users to download the film for viewing during a specific time period, probably a day, after which the movie is disabled (Orwall, B8). In an attempt to protect its copyright and discourage piracy, SightSound.com encrypts the films and encodes them to block pirates. In addition, SightSound.com has developed a filter that only allows users in the United States to download the films because Miramax frequently doesn't own distribution rights to its films outside of the US (Orwall, B8). Similarly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Blockbuster signed an agreement in January 2000 to allow Blockbuster to exhibit movies on the Internet by downloading MGM films over Blockbuster's Web site (Anonymous B7). Blockbuster has also signed an agreement with TiVo Inc., which produces a device that can record television programming on hard disk, and Internet services provide...

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Releasing Films for Internet Download. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:33, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712233.html