The $120 Dell Qflix DVD Burner lets you make copies of DRM-protected downloads that you can watch from your PC or TV.
Movie downloads are great... if you want to watch them on your PC, that is. Media extenders and other devices will let you stream content from your PC so you can view it on your TV, but they're often difficult to install and don't always work as advertised.
Transferring that content to a DVD should offer a simpler solution, but copy protection schemes have made it a legal headache—especially for retailers who want to allow their customers to browse content digitally and burn their own DVD right in the store.
While the idea of direct-to-DVD downloads has been tossed around for years—and a few other products are in the works—your only (legal) option, for now, is the Dell Qflix DVD Burner. This $120 drive allows you to burn copies of DRM-protected downloads so that you can watch away from your PC. It works as advertised, but right now its appeal is pretty limited.
Own What You Burn
The drive is based on Sonic Solutions' Qflix technology, which is designed to make it possible for content owners to digitally distribute their work on DVD. The system comprises Qflix-enabled software, DVDs, and a DVD recorder. It allows DRM-protected content to be burned on to a disc with CSS copy protection, so it can be played in most DVD players. The system gives you ownership over the content you burn. Unlike streaming video that you watch at sites like Hulu or Amazon (AMZN), you have access to your Qflix movies as long as you have access to a DVD player or a computer.
Sonic says Qflix drives could also be used by retailers, who could offer in-store DVD-burning kiosks. That business model would allow stores to carry and manage less physical inventory, while expanding the amount of content they offer to their customers. Blockbuster (BBI) is currently working to offer digital rental kiosks, but so far customers must download movies onto portable devices rather than DVDs. Qflix isn't alone in the download-to-DVD space; Sonic competitor Nero has teamed up with Polar Frog Digital to create on-demand DVD kiosks that are supposed to be available later this year. Unlike Qflix, Nero's system will not require special discs or drives. The companies say it will be available to retailers first, and then to consumers.
The only Qflix-enabled drive available today is the Dell (DELL) model, but Sonic (SNIC) says more partnerships are in the works. Dell's drive is available as an external DVD burner that connects to your PC (sorry, Mac users, it won't work for you) via USB, or bundled with some new laptops and desktops. It also works as a standard DVD burner in addition to its Qflix-enabled features.
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