Sony is to make its top 500 films available digitally in the next year.

Michael Arrieta, senior vice president of Sony Pictures, said at a US Digital Hollywood conference that it wanted to create an "iTunes" for films. Films will be put onto flash memory for mobiles over the next year, said Mr Arrieta, and it will develop its digital download services for films.

Movie studios are keen to stop illegal file-sharing on peer-to-peer nets and cash in on digital the download market. Movie piracy cost the industry £3.7bn ($7bn) in 2003, according to analysts.

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News source: BBC News

This would never work out. Only way you can end piracy is to destroy every P2P network OR limit file sharing to all files except videos and music files.

hmm iTunes for films.... iMovies? iFlicks?

myCopyOfSpiderMan3.avi

rename

myCopyOfSpiderMan3.zip

done.

well you do have a point there, I believe the next stronger solution is to take RIAA and similar to a new level.

Ironically, the technology that has helped them for so long is going to evolve and destroy them. They better evolve with it or they'll have a lot more to worry about than a few billion missing in their pockets.

Add this to the feature list of PS3...

Actualy that's a great idea. It will stop the average user from getting pirated movies.

Actualy the average user doesn't get them, but a friend of his might and then he'd think, hey that's easy.. I want to do it too.

But with this, everyone will know about imovies and think ok if i want movies on my computer that's what i do.. In a few years time most people won't even realise you can get them illegaly.

And it helps the hardcore pirates too because that won't stop them no matter how hard sony tries. They can just rip the DRM from the movies and distribute them. No more low-qual movies rips.

I think this is great. Legal music downloading is taking off and so will legal movie d/ling if they let it.

I dont go to the theatre anymore cause I would rather watch most movies at home where I can enjoy it, pause it, listen to it on a better sound system and not have some idiot talking or kicking my chair. If they want to put people in the seats make movies that I want to go to the theatre to see. Movies like star trek or star wars or lord of the rings. It has to be an experience to put me in the seat.

Next to that I want to d/l it and watch it. Plan and simple I dont need the movie experience to laugh at a comedy. They translate well to the small screen. Anyway kudos to Sony for the dea and hopefully they implemented it. Too bad they didnt relize this 2 or 3 years ago. Maybe they wouldnt have lost 7 billion dolllars of the upteen billions they already make.

G.i.P