New Technology Allows Downloaded DVD's To Be Burned To Disk

Hollywood studios have approved a new technology and licensing arrangement that should remove a major obstacle consumers now face with burning movies they buy digitally over the Internet onto a DVD that will play everywhere.


Today, Sonic Solutions Inc. introduced the Qflix system for adding a standard digital lock to DVDs burned in a computer or a retail kiosk.

The studios support the lock, known as "content scrambling system," or CSS, and comes standard on prerecorded DVDs today. All DVD players come equipped with a key that fits the lock and allows for playback.

This will allow online services such as Movielink, CinemaNow and Amazon.comUnbox to let their customers burn a copy of a purchased movie at home.

With Qflix, consumers should have more options. But they'll need new blank DVDs and compatible DVD burners to use it.

This new technology will also allow retailers to set up kiosks at their stores and burn movies for customers while they wait.

This will be a nice option to get copies of obscure movies that may not be available at your local store.