The pirate bay bit-torrent site which was closed down yesterday (31/05/06) will be back up and running within the next few days according to a posting on their website.

Movies for digital download will soon be offered by the major Hollywood film studios via two new services Movielink and CinemaNow.

The MovieLink service has been set up by Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Paramount Pictures. Further to this MovieLink has signed up Twentieth Century Fox. Its rival CinemaNow has signed Sony, MGM and Lions Gate Film. It is reported that Lions Gate actually owns a large part of CinameNow.
While the CEO of CinemaNow calls these new services "one giant step for digital distribution" it should all be taken with a pinch of salt due to the prices. Prices seem to be staggeringly high ranging from $9.95 to $30. Even after potentially paying more for the download then you would for the hardcopy, downloads cannot be burned on to DVD. This means that most people who pay for the download will need to watch it on their small computer screen. In many cases for the latest releases consumers are in fact looking at paying $5 more for the digital download, which will also not come with many of the DVD special features.

It is clear that there is a shift towards providing improved digital access. Most content downloader's download because of convenience and cost saving. The movie studios seem to have missed both these points. Many downloader's of movies download because they want to watch the latest movie at home without the fuss of going to the cinema. As there is no legal alternative they have to resort to illegal methods. The movie and music industries have to realise that they need to meet several key criteria for a successful download service. Firstly they need to provide downloads that are portable, prices need to be competitive, and finally they need to provide the latest content for download. It is those same three points that make illegal movie downloads attractive.

Sources:

Reuters

Movielink.com

Cinemanow.com

Amusing story about how trading standards can't seem to cope with "free" software.