Kingston, Paramount Provide Movies in a Flash

The announcement by Paramount and Kingston about releasing movies via flash memory got me thinking: Wouldn't it be cool if you could eventually rent movies the same way?

First, a quick background on the Kingston-Paramount deal. According to Kingston, the deal with Paramount allows full-length movies to be sold to consumers via USB drives and SD cards, providing another option for viewers besides DVD and Blu-Ray discs. According to Kingston, the move specifically targets people who watch movies via their computer or portable devices.

Which brings me to the rental concept. If you've ever tried to download video from Netflix, say, via an Xbox 360 or tried downloading a compressed HD movie from the Internet with the typical "high-speed" connection available in the U.S., then you know that it can take forever. Add bandwidth caps by certain providers that can lead to extra fees and Internet downloading suddenly isn't all that it's cut out to be for large movie files.

But if you can start downloading movies via USB or memory card using a system similar to the Redbox kiosks that are popping up everywhere, well, that actually sounds pretty nifty. I'm even OK with &mdash gasp &mdash a copy protection mechanism that makes movies no longer viewable after a certain "rental period" or set number of viewings.

Of course, flash memory-based movies won't be for everyone. But it certainly helps to have more options. I also think it would be sweet if file compatibility was implemented with devices such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 so you can view the movies on your TV. Otherwise, I guess you can just hook a laptop with an HDMI port to a high-def TV, which I often do to view movie files saved in my computer.

As someone who watches movies on my portable media player, my computer and my TV, flash memory downloads are something I wouldn't mind seeing. What about you?

Photo © Paramount