Movielink Licenses DVD-Burning Tools

[drjtech]

Movielink Licenses DVD-Burning Tools

Jul 17, 3:50 PM (ET)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Movielink LLC has licensed technology that allows the online movie service's customers to transfer downloaded films to DVDs for playback on standard DVD players.

The deal announced Monday with Sonic Solutions (SNIC) clears a technological hurdle for Santa Monica-based Movielink, but the company still lacks permission from Hollywood studios to offer their movies for DVD burning.

To date, only adult entertainment company Vivid Entertainment has sold films to consumers online for direct copying to DVDs through an agreement with CinemaNow, a rival of Movielink.

Movielink is jointly owned and operated by five Hollywood studios - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Warner Bros.

Studios began renting films online several years ago as a way to combat illegal downloading. The rentals last just 24 hours for viewing primarily on computer screens.

In April, Movielink's studio owners and News Corp. (NWSA)'s Twentieth Century Fox began selling some titles through Movielink for downloading to PCs. Those films cost between $20 and $30 each.

Movielink's agreement with Sonic Solutions includes use of the software company's DVD formatting and burning software.

As part of the deal, Sonic will bundle the Movielink download program with its Roxio CinePlayer application and other software, the companies said in a statement.

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On the Net:

Movielink: http://www.movielink.com

Sonic Solutions: http://www.sonic.com

[hudsonf]

A little more info. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1990149,00.asp