High-Definition Movie Downloads

This is a great sounding idea, though clearly only for Windows for now and possibly not for blockbuster commercial releases either… starting with IMAX will prove it looks and sounds good, but won’t prove the commercial viability. It’s not too unlike initiating HD broadcast with the great looking PBS content.

I know Apple still has a DRM trick up it’s sleeve and perhaps that will be more attractive to studios… but it’s going to take time and Windows has a time advantage getting to market now. Have their been any additional HD DVD movies utilizing Windows Media Player? I know about the deal with Artisan which brought Terminator 2 out…

Finally, someone is getting the idea… I’m getting sick of companies offering sub-DVD quality movies for download at standard DVD rental rates… what’s the point? At least give me a reason to want to to mess with a computer… and HD content will be that reason. Maybe the announcement from CinemaNow about the premiere of its High-Definition Channel will make other companies see the picture a bit clearer. CinemaNow will make High-Definition Movies available for download in Windows Media High-Definition format for playback on Windows XP-based PCs, including the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 PC. This announcement marks the first broad adoption of mainstream High-definition movies being been made available on-demand via the Internet. The first titles released on CinemaNow in Windows Media Video HD are MacGillivray Freeman Films’ giant screen IMAX films through a deal with Image Entertainment.

Windows Media Video HD delivers to movie fans a visually stunning high-definition experience, offering video resolution of 720p. All CinemaNow HD movies are encoded at up to 10Mbps and feature high-quality 5.1 surround sound for the ultimate in-home theater viewing experience. [MAVROMATIC]

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