I've always maintained that the reason Napster was so popular when it was new is because it made it easier to download music than to rip your own CD collection.Well, Wal-Mart seems to agree with that reasoning, and they're set to begin offering movie downloads -- for DVDs you've already purchased at a Wal-Mart store.
The service will roll out nationwide on Wednesday, starting with customers who purchase the DVD of Superman Returns. You'll be able to download the film in three different formats. A low-resolution version for portable devices will cost $1.97, while $2.97 will get you a PC version, and $3.97 will get you a bundle with versions formatted for both PCs and portable devices.
About 40 percent of all the DVDs sold in the US are currently sold through Wal-Mart stores. Wal-Mart says it will offer other DVD/digital download bundles, and also plans to launch a beta version of an online video store featuring movie and television content.
I think the bundle idea is interesting. While ripping a DVD for viewing on a PC or portable media player would be easy for tech-savvy consumers, I think a lot of people would find the idea of a digital download for just a few extra dollars appealing. On the other hand, this is kind of like asking you to pay again for something you've already purchased.
1. As a PSP owner, this sounded good to me until I found out that Wal-Mart only supports PlaysForSure players. No PSP. No iPod. Thanks for trying, Wal-Mart.
Posted at 3:09PM on Nov 28th 2006 by Radioscott