CinemaNow downloads now playable on Macs

Deal also allows online service to stream movies

By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 8/18/2008

AUG. 18 | In a move that could step up the competitive pressure on Apple, movie download service CinemaNow has inked a deal that will make its movie and TV show downloads playable on both PCs and Macs.

CinemaNow announced today it has signed a deal to use Widevine Technologies' multi-format digital rights management and copy-protection technology to make CinemaNow's video downloads playable on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. The technology also enables CinemaNow to stream movies to users through the Internet Explorer, FireFox, Safari and Opera browsers.

The move could help the company wrestle market share away from Apple iTunes, which dominates the paid digital video business. Up to now, iTunes has been the only download service to sell major studio movie downloads playable on Apple computers and PCs.

CinemaNow, Amazon.com, Movielink and others have been restricted by DRM to offering downloads compatible with PCs and Windows Media portable devices, the latter of which make up a fraction of the portable market compared to the iPod.

ITunes still offers the only downloads playable on the iPod, giving it a considerable edge over competitors.

With its Widevine partnership, CinemaNow’s digital content will be available on a wide range of consumer electronic devices as well as new devices shipping to retail with CinemaNow’s “CE Store” application. CinemaNow downloads still won’t play on iPods, a spokeswoman confirmed.

“Widevine’s technology helps CinemaNow expand delivery of high-quality digital content across any consumer electronics device or platform,” CinemaNow chief technology officer Jesse Keane said in a statement announcing the deal. “With the integration of Widevine’s multi-platform and multi-format solution, we ensure our content partners receive the highest level of protection, which is a key factor in their ongoing support for CinemaNow’s open platform and domain-based business model.”

The move comes as several competitors have dropped out of the download business and others are shifting their models. Last week, news broke that Starz Entertainment's Vongo service and Morgan Freeman-backed movie service ClickStar shut down. Meanwhile, Amazon launched a streaming movie service called Amazon Video On Demand in beta last month as an eventual replacement for its Unbox download service, which has gotten off to a slow start. Amazon's streaming service is playable on PC, Mac and Linux computers.