Why do I have to go to my local Blockbuster to rent a movie on DVD and then, after viewing, go back there to return it? My question is what technological limitation prevents us from downloading movies off the internet? Is the bandwidth requirement too great?

What you are asking for already exists in the US and Canada for high quality and around the world for low quality.

I think it is www.movielink.com for the high quality and for example ifilm for lower quality.

Wow, A4ever, thanks! Now a couple of questions: 1) About how long does it take to download a movie? 2) What's going to be necessary to watch this on my TV monitor?

Edit: Nevermind, it's all answered in their "Help" section.

in fact when your local theater goes to digital format they could be doing the same.

spookz, what do you mean? That the theatre will be getting their copy from the internet?

One problem I see with this is that it appears the control of the movie is done at the PC. If your TV and PC aren't in close proximity then it isn't going to be too practical. TVs need to be updated to handle this.

ST. LOUIS, (BUSINESS WIRE), November 3, 2002 - In less than five months, Boeing Digital Cinema, based in El Segundo, Calif., has surpassed 10,000 screenings and continues to add approximately 100 screenings per day in markets across the United States and in London.

Among the seven feature films, from five studios, transmitted by Boeing Digital Cinema are: "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones," Fox/Lucasfilm; "Spy Kids II," Miramax; "Signs" and "Spirited Away," Buena Vista Pictures Distribution; and "Banger Sisters," Fox.

Boeing Digital Cinema, a business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, allows the secure delivery of a movie file to thousands of theaters around the world via satellite and physical media technologies.


http://www.slfp.com/SLFP-Cinemas.htm

Thanks, I don't understand the live streaming part, though. Don't they download once and replay?

Also, does anyone know if they make a TV with memory and software to play a digital movie? (And don't tell me yeah, it's called a PC! :p )

live streaming capability by bringing highlights of concerts, sporting events and a Broadway show (not movies)

if you download it wont be in real time

Ah! I read too fast. :o

>> what technological limitation prevents us from downloading
>> movies off the internet?

The RIAA is the technical difficulty.

Digital all the way! As I know it downloading protection on movies stored digitally is pretty good. Like for "Lord of the Rings" or "Star wars 1 & 2" I could only get those a few day before they were out on theaters. And even them most of them were crappy rip offs from some guy with a camera in the theater.

digital is not the holy grail for everything...apparently the detail on a digital movie is not as good as on the best film. In the cinema you can notice this difference. For at home it doesn't matter of course.

I saw the 'clone wars' digitally in the cinema. I can't say I saw less details, because i never saw it on film. Just heards that some experts said this...

>> I could only get those a few day before they were out on
>> theaters.

You say this like it's a bad thing. /g/

>> As I know it downloading protection on movies stored
>> digitally is pretty good.

Apparently not good enough.

you forgot to simi-quote this:
>> And even then most of them were crappy rip offs from some guy with a camera in the theater.

which is done with any movie digital or not!

>> which is done with any movie digital or not!

That's true. I have even downloaded a few American-Chinese-American bootlegs (with Chinese subtitles) from US based, English-speaking servers. The lengths some people will go to . . .