I have always believed that the tipping point for digital media will occur when a viewer can easily watch any Internet-based video on their home TV's. Certainly, it cannot be much more difficult than tuning into any number of cable channels on the digital tier. This story about CinemaNow does not rise up to that standard, but it is a step forward.

CinemaNow Inc. will begin selling mainstream movies for download that can be transferred to DVD and watched on standalone players, marking a first for Hollywood films bought and distributed over the Internet.

The "Burn to DVD" service debuts with more than 100 titles, none of which are first-fun movies. CinemaNow said studios initially licensed only a limited number of films and (obviously) they hope that more titles will be available after the studios get more comfortable with the security of the system.

CinemaNow will sell the films starting at $8.99. The offerings will contain all the features of its store-bought counterpart, including boosted sound settings, interactive menus, deleted scenes, commentaries and other extras.
A separate Web site run by CinemaNow has been offering the DVD download option for adult films since May.

Consumers can transfer only one copy of the movie to a DVD, which will be near the quality of retail DVDs. The service will also allow consumers to view the movies on their computer with video software like Windows Media Player.
CinemaNow rival Movielink announced Monday it has licensed technology to offer DVD downloads but has yet to launch such a service.

The CinemaNow burning technology is based on fluxDVD, which was developed by Dortmund, Germany's ACE GmbH. Movielink's technology partner is Marin-based Sonic Solutions.