Slate Reviews Download-and-Burn Sites
The constant rumors that companies like Apple and Amazon, and even Netflix, are toying with the idea of getting into the movie-download-and-burn business suggest that the model is the proverbial “future” of home movie-watcing.
Smaller companies like CinemaNow and MovieLink already offer this service, for which they have received mixed reviews. While these sites have already been criticized for offering a tiny number of titles, a recent article in Slate magazine also questions the visual quality of the DVDs that have been burned from their downloads. The conclusion of the article is that a viable download-and-burn model is still a ways off.
For now, at least, this comes as good news for Netflix, and even brick-and-mortar rental stores.