LOS ANGELES — Disney films such as “Glory Road” and the animated “Chicken Little” will soon be available to own via computer download from the Internet-based movie site CinemaNow, but the movies can’t be played on a standalone DVD player.
The companies were expected to announce Wednesday that CinemaNow will sell the films for $19.95 and in June will allow consumers to transfer films to a portable device running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media software.
In a deal similar to others announced in April, The Walt Disney Co. will sell its films online the same day they become available on DVD, thus closing the gap between DVD sales and video-on-demand by several months. The deal includes new releases plus some library titles.
Consumers will be able to watch their films on up to three devices and will be able to make a backup DVD copy that will only play on a computer.
I've been interested in P2P since the early, high-flying days of Napster and KaZaA. I believe that analog copyright laws are ill-suited to the digital age, and that art and culture shouldn't be subject to the whims of international entertainment industry conglomerates. Twitter | Google Plus
