Dell to offer legal download-and-burn DVD drive

qflix

Dell is apparently getting ready to offer a Qflix-compatible DVD burner as a $120 add-on to some of its computer packages. The technology works by burning DVDs with CSS copy protection so that they’re “functionally identical to standard retail DVDs,” according to the Qflix web site. The system is in use for many of those DVD-burning kiosks we’ve been hearing about. The drive will allow you to burn movies that have been downloaded from the CinemaNow movie service for playback in a standard DVD player. If it sounds dumb, it’s not – especially for “normal” people.

For instance, ask your parents to get a movie they’ve downloaded to play on their TV somehow. This drive ought to make things a bit easier. Wait, no. Ask your parents if they know what Qflix means and if they know how to download a movie to their computer. On second thought, Dell’s either going to have to upsell this drive like crazy or hope that there’s a segment of people smart enough to download movies and work a DVD burner but too dumb to know how what the word “torrent” means.

[via Ubergizmo]