Microsoft and Tesco join up for movie downloading service

Microsoft and Tesco join up for movie downloading service
Microsoft and the large UK retailer Tesco have announced they will be teaming up to provide a new "DVD-quality" movie downloading service that uses Silverlight technology.

Beginning this fall, any Tesco customer who purchases certain DVDs will receive a free "digital copy" of the movie that they can download to their Macs or Windows machines.



In addition to the film, the digital copies will also bring "extra network-connected features such as auto-updated trailers, exclusive bonus content, movie viewing parties with online chat, related music offerings such as MP3s and ring tones, and networked games."

"Tesco is excited to be the first retailer to partner with a broad range of major movie studios to offer this next-generation movie experience,"
said Rob Salter of Tesco. "For the first time, consumers will be able to enjoy a DVD equivalent experience with digital movies, which paves the way for more advanced viewing experiences enabled through Silverlight."

"This is just the beginning. In the future we expect to offer our customers innovative digital solutions that far exceed the DVD experience and deliver exclusive content, Web events and services wherever and whenever they want them,"
Salter added.

Adds Gabriele Di Piazza, senior director for the Media & Entertainment business in the Communications Sector at Microsoft: "We believe this alliance will offer consumers in the U.K., and eventually additional markets, the opportunity to download a digital copy that is truly the equivalent of a physical disk --with the same package of navigation, bonus features and director commentaries."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 9 Sep 2009 15:42
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  • 6 comments
  • windsong

    If I want a DVD, I'll download the real DRM-free thing! Usenet, P2P, Torrent, hell even a YouTube vid is better than those grubbing worms.

    9.9.2009 21:58 #1

  • shaffaaf

    so youll just pirate it then?

    9.9.2009 22:48 #2

  • windsong

    Dont need to. Many of them are FREE.

    And you cant compete with free.

    10.9.2009 02:41 #3

  • keith1993

    Tesco is taking over the WORLD!!! by partnering with other bigger companies :L

    As for our friend windsong if you are getting movies for free then you are pirating them which among other things is immoral, stupid and not the sort of thing you talk about on forum sites.

    10.9.2009 13:25 #4

  • lynandal

    good idea, but to be fair, look how Apple ruined legal music downloading, closing down other downloading services, but inflicting all these stupid rules, 5 machines max, and DRM encrypted, i paid money for songs i wanted as ringtones, then found i was unable to edit them or get my money back - I would rather buy music in shops then use download services now, because i dont want restrictions on what i own, and it allows me to copy it to my ipod still and edit them if i want.

    Also - apple music downloads only work with itunes, wicked, that was fine when the rubbsih itunes software was a small download, but nowdays its massive, and it insists on re-encoding all your music to the apply format, aac or whatever. rubbish.

    It took a while, but in the end I found out that winamp added support because so many other people were unhappy about lack of alternatives. so i use that now, a 6 meg download (song free) and copies to my ipod. perfect. no bloatware.

    10.9.2009 17:22 #5

  • KillerBug

    I take it this is the same "DVD Quality Silverlight" that netflix uses for it's high-bandwidth movies...a quality that does not look anywhere near as good as a DVD, and that is rarely available to anyone because the servers are not fast enough to stream it to many people at once.

    If you read closely, this article states that the free movie comes when you buy that same movie on a disc...so it isn't a free movie, just a low-quality copy of the DVD that you bought. If you want the movie on your hard drive, just rip it from the DVD!

    11.9.2009 00:00 #6

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