Breaking: FCC paves way for studios to push first-run movies into the home

[pinto]

Source: LA Times, via e-mail notice

Los Angeles Times | May 7, 2010 | 2:05 p.m.

FCC paves way for studios to push first-run movies into the home

Federal regulators have granted a controversial waiver to the Hollywood studios that clears the way for people to watch movies in their home shortly after -- or even during -- their release in theaters.

The Federal Communications Commission today granted a petition from the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the chief lobbying group for the major studios, that would permit use of a so-called selectable output control technology for watching first-run movies in the home.

The technology prevents the illegal copying of movies, which has been a stumbling block to delivering first-run movies into the home and directly to consumers. Currently, movies are only available for people to watch in the home on pay-per-view channels, usually about six months after they first appear in theaters and three months after they are released on DVD.

The move has been opposed by both movie theater operators and consumer groups, the former who worry it would undercut ticket sales and the latter who say it would interfere with other devices that plug into the TV.

More soon at: http://link.latimes.com/r/3J4Y05/M83QS/8Z4QI5/LJLZV/5VV4C6/7V/h


Read more: No direct link yet to a published article.

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Got this via my LA Times email feed. Apparently FCC granted the petition today. ~ pinto