There’s a new video on demand service out called MovieBeam which aims to deliver standard definition and high definition movies to your home. The new service was spun out of Walt Disney and is backed by major Hollywood and Silicon Valley partners. MovieBeam plans to begin offering first run films this week from six of the seven film studios in standard digital video format. There will also be HD films made available from Disney and Warner Bros. The new service will roll out in 29 major US cities including NYC, Chicago, and Los Angeles and prices will be competitive to video rental companies such as Blockbuster.

How does this all work? MovieBeam uses a technology called Datacasting which allows it to broadcast up to ten new movies a week to subscribers using an exclusive transmission deal to send data signals over the PBS network. The set top boxes will be manufactured by Cisco under the Linksys brand name and will be able to store up to 100 movie titles. The box will be priced around $200 after a rebate and will include a $29 dollar activation fee. Movie video fees will be $3.99 for standard format video and $4.99 for high definition videos. Older movies in the catalog will cost $1.99 for standard format and $2.99 for HD videos.

The MovieBeam service looks pretty easy to set up (similar to setting up a TiVo box). You purchase a MovieBeam box which comes with 100 movies already on it. You connect the box to a phone line and to a antenna. Every week 10 movies will be beamed to your player and will replace ten of the older movies stored on your box. Pick the movie you want to view and watch it from the comfort of your home. Once you order the movie, you can watch the movie as much as you want within a 24 hour window.

[Reuters Article via eHomeUpgrade]

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