14 DAY TRIAL // Striving to keep up the metrics of movie downloads, the online provider Movielink is expected to debut today a new service through which customers will be permitted to burn the downloaded movies onto DVDs. Analysts have predicted that this strategy will boost forward Movielink's stagnant film distribution service that has resulted in Warner Bros. And Sony inking deals with Guba and BitTorrent.
The technology that will allow users to burn their own copies of movies on DVD will be the child of a cross licensing marriage between Movielink and Sonic Solutions. Based on the agreement Movielink will license Sonic's DVD-on-Demand technology, allowing for the possibility of movie format conversion so that DVD-player compatibility will be supported. "This is really a tremendous opportunity for Movielink to put its client application into millions of consumers' hands as part of a trusted brand they already know," said Sonic's executive VP of strategy, Mark Ely. Movielink's download manager software will be integrated in Sonic's Roxio-brand CinePlayer software package.
"We're anticipating an industry resolution to establish rules for converting secure Internet-delivered Movielink downloads into a secure format compatible with DVD players in the market today," Movielink CEO Jim Ramo said in a statement. "Our relationship with Sonic is a critical advancement and will enhance the value of our service, along with the capabilities already available, by allowing customers to burn and playback movies on standard DVD players."