It only takes a small crack to break the dam. Universal Pictures and Lovefilm, an online movie rental company, have struck a deal to sell movies as downloads.
And unlike some previous trials where the movie had time limits on it or DRM (Digital Rights Management), these will be free of restrictions--you own it outright. Which is the way it is supposed to work.
Even more interesting, buyers will get three versions: a download version suitable for a laptop or big screen TV, a version designed for portable devices like a video iPod, and via mail, a DVD.
This will be popular, and other movie studios will soon follow.