There are several online movie download services that have established themselves as real players in the instant gratification film niche. The latest to join the fray is Apple with its iTunes Movie Store. You can download a film to your Mac, your PC or your iPod – although watching a feature link film on that three inch screen could leave you babbling into your popcorn box.
Apple is joining a number of existing online services. The largest among them include Guba, Movielink, CinemaNow and – who else? – Amazon’s Unbox. With the exception of the Apple site, you’re going to need a PC and in most cases, use the Microsoft Explorer browser to download your films. It’s not just films that are available – many of the services have a TV library as well.
There are a number of variations among the sites – size of library, presence (or absence) of first run films, and variations in the licensing agreements. Without exception, your download will include digital rights management (DRM) technology which controls your use of the downloaded file.
The Apple store recorded one million sales in its first month of operation,...