Movies: decoding the digital download

If you’re like most Americans, renting a movie involves driving somewhere or, if you’re a determined couch potato, reaching into your mailbox. ¶ Then you fire up the DVD player and that’s that. ¶ Hollywood would be overjoyed if video discs continued to hold their cachet, because they brought in $24.2 billion last year for the studios. And right now getting our at-home flick fixes from the Internet has limited appeal. Most of us would rather head to the store than endure the technological learning curve necessary to move a film from a PC to a TV. Or the hour or more that it can take to download a standard-length movie in the first place. Or the expense of buying and subscribing to all the required stuff. ¶ Simply put, the alternatives are “not as easy as the convenience of a DVD,” says James L. McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research Inc. ¶ But as Internet speeds get faster and superior devices and services become available, more and more consumers are willing to give it a try. The digital video store, after all, is always open. We can help you figure out how to shop there -- or how to decide whether you’re ready. ¶ For help unraveling it all, turn to Page C8.

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Inside: step-by-step guide

It’s almost as easy as one, two, three.

1THE BASICS: Having a PC at home isn’t enough. It has to be powerful enough -- as does your Internet connection -- and then there are the cords, cables and other accouterments to consider.

2THE SERVICES: There are several from which to choose, each with its own bells and whistles.

3THE DEVICES: You might think they look the same, but the set-top boxes that help deliver movies to your television set are different in their own ways.