Had to respond after the enlightened discussion of a Kino-esque device and kiosks. All the ``evidence`` via EDIG-speak is compelling. I`ll throw another thought in here...

The question for a long time (few years) has been: will the studios learn from the MP-3/Napster fiasco? One thing I`d think they may have learned is that, even with pirated music available for free (albeit with hazard), people are more than willing to pay for that (secure) content if given the properly marketed venue (e.g., IPod/ITunes). Second thing I`d think they may have learned is that they need to get that venue out there ASAP, for every day of delay is a day of lost revenue and of people getting more comfortable with the alternative.

They really need something to get (very) early new (secure) content out there. When we hear of pirated DVDs of the new Star Wars movie out there (along with digital downloads) on the day of release of the movie, the writing should really be on the wall. That being said, I wouldn`t be too surprised if they opted to offer brand spanking new movies out there to snuff out this threat (and I`m somewhat convinced that this wouldn`t significantly impact theatre sales - people who want the big screen experience will continue to attend - and that Star Wars movie wouldn`t be the same on a small screen).

But I KNOW nuttin`!

SGE