"This gives consumers a more flexible product while providing copyright holders with adequate protection of their content," Movielink Chief Executive Jim Ramo said in a statement.
The on-demand movie service, operated jointly by five studios, intends to address Hollywood's concerns about piracy through Sonic Solutions' technology, which is designed to add copy protection to DVDs burned at home.
Currently, Movielink users can rent a movie from the site for $1.99 or buy a new release for $19.99, but the movies cannot be played on regular DVD players. No prices have been announced for the DVD burning feature.
Movielink has not announced which companies will be utilizing their new feature, but experts say the deal stands to set the tone for companies who don't want to miss out on the increasing downloadable-movie market.
Downloadable movies are expected to eventually overtake physical rentals of movies from local stores such as Blockbuster, but unless downloaded movies can be burned to DVD, few consumers have a practical way to watch them on their home entertainment screens.
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