Since they’re using the Windows Media format, complete with DRM, it’s no real shocker that the newly announced movie download services won’t be iPod-friendly, but that’s not even the real problem here. They insist on forcing their users to use a Windows PC running Explorer, therefore cutting off a rather large and growing chunk of their potential audience. Also figure in the pricing - $9.99 - $29.99 - and there’s not much of an incentive to download over buying the DVD.

Is it really so hard a concept to get? Give me $4.99 movie downloads in a nice Quicktime-friendly format and I’ll probably grab a few titles a month. Give me overpriced, sub DVD quality downloads in ridiculous proprietary DRMed formats, and people won’t go near the freaking things.

The films can’t be burned onto a disc for viewing on a DVD player. Still, the move is seen as a step toward full digital distribution of movies over the Internet.

Six studios said Monday that sales will begin through the download Web site Movielink. The site is jointly owned by five of the seven major studios.

Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM will offer some first-run and older titles on Movielink. New films will be priced similar to DVDs — between $20 and $30 — while older titles will sell for $10 to $20.

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