Samsung Readies Disney's Video Receiver

The launch of Walt Disney's Moviebeam video-on-demand service has moved a step closer with the regulatory approval of a set-top box for the service produced by Samsung Electronics.

Moviebeam, which was announced earlier this year, will transmit video content as digital data alongside terrestrial television signals to the set-top boxes. The boxes are equipped with hard disk drives and will store a library of programming. Much like pay-per-view, users will be able to access the content in return for a fee.

The service is scheduled to begin in Salt Lake City and two as-yet-unidentified U.S. cities later this year. Before that can happen, the Federal Communications Commission must approve the set-top boxes for consumer use. Samsung won that approval recently.

Movies Preloaded

Precise technical details of the set-top box are not disclosed. However, the user manual was published by the FCC when approval was granted, and provides a few more details about the service.

The set-top box will come loaded with up to 100 movies at time of purchase including "new Hollywood blockbusters and classic video favorites," according to the manual. The data service will transmit between seven and 12 new movies each week and they will be available at about the same time as they hit video rental stores, it said. Trailers for up to the 100 movies present on the hard disk will be available and users will be able to search the library by title, actor, director and genre.

Because the movies are downloaded onto the hard disk they can be watched on demand at any time. Users will buy a 24-hour ticket to watch each movie that will allow multiple viewings within the period, according to the manual.

Pricing for the service was not revealed although Disney has previously said that viewing costs will be about the same as video rental store charges and the set-top box itself will be rented by consumers meaning a low-start up cost for using the service.

The set-top box requires a telephone connection as it needs to phone the Moviebeam service center about once every two weeks to report on what programs have been watched. It is equipped with basic video and audio connectors, a digital audio output and a USB connector, according to photos of the device published by the FCC.

Timeline, Plans

Disney plans to roll out the service nationwide in 2004.

The concept is not new; film rental service Blockbuster experimented with video-on-demand downloads several years ago. Also, Movielink is preparing a similar service for broadband users.

Disney subsidiary Buena Vista Datacasting is working with Dotcast and National Datacast to deliver the data to set-top boxes.

Disney will transmit the video information as an over-the-air signal alongside signals from its own stations. Those include affiliates of the ABC network and Public Broadcasting Service.

Data speeds for the MovieBeam service are not yet known. However, Dotcast says its network is capable of sending up to 4.5 megabits per second alongside an analog television signal.