LAMB - UCLA NEWPAPER BLASTS MOVIE DOWNLOAD PLAN

The student newspaper of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has lambasted plans by five studios to sell movies over the Internet via the CinemaNow and Movielink websites. In an editorial, the Daily Bruin observed that the $20-30 price for the downloads is roughly twice the cost of a DVD and that they can only be viewed on just two computers running the Windows operating system. "Basically, this new service would make downloaded films expensive and difficult -- if not impossible -- to view on more than a couple computers," the editorial observed. It compared the plan to a similar one instituted early on by the record industry, which "did nothing to disuade even those who only casually pirated music to cease and desist" -- all of which changed with the advent of Apple's more reasonably priced iTunes, it noted. The editorial concluded: "Don't look to these download services to change our viewing habits: We'll stick to Netflix and the trek down to Best Buy to get our DVD fix. And as for the people who pirate films over the Internet, we're willing to bet this won't change their viewing habits either."

11/04/2006