A major Hollywood studio is to experiment next week with making full-length feature films available on the internet.
Starting on Monday, Miramax will make available its 1999 release Guinevere for $3.49 at three websites.
The 500-megabyte file will take about 30 minutes to download over a high-speed internet connection and can be used for 24 hours.
Film studios are struggling to fight internet piracy and last year, the studios succeeded in shutting down Scour.com, a file-sharing website that allowed people to swap films.
Earlier internet forays have failed leaving original short films and animation vulnerable to pirating, and studios wondering how to use new technology while protecting valuable copyrights.
Miramax Films, part of Disney, signed a deal with SightSound.com last April to offer 12 full-length feature films on the web.
The arrangement will test whether consumers will watch downloaded features on a pay-per-view basis.
The website URLs are: www.miramax.com, www.sightsound.comand www.guineverethemovie.com.
PA