Dell offers up Qflix drives to burn CinemaNow movies to DVD

It's been almost a full year since we first saw DataPlay's CSS-compliant DVD burner, so let's recap the model -- you download a DRM-protected movie to your PC, grab a piece of specially-keyed blank DVD media, use the DataPlay burner to commit the movie to disc and then enjoy your oh-so-legal fun on the run. For all of you who want to live that dream right now, Dell has brought out its $120 Qflix drive bundle so you can save your CinemaNow movies to Qflix DVD media using the included drive, software and two pieces of media (in case one coasters). Seriously, what else are you going to use for long-term archiving of your movies -- hard drives or something?

[Via Electronista]

[Jason @ Sep 16th 2008 10:02AM]

I lol at DRM.



LOL AT IT.

[konshuss @ Sep 16th 2008 12:13PM]

company A puts out bigass hardware for playing files from company B only and thinks anyone with enough savvy to even understand how this works wants it.

no.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 16th 2008 10:05AM]

Since when did Dell get on board the useless DRM laced peripheral market? Seems very, very unlike them to put out a product like this with such limited* appeal.

*read: nonexistent

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 16th 2008 10:14AM]

Oh, and on another note, I wish Dell would release a PC in that case. Looks goooood.

[johnzilla @ Sep 16th 2008 12:13PM]

+1 on the case, it does look pretty spiffy.

[andyg8180 @ Sep 16th 2008 10:06AM]

A little confused... Why wouldn't it just be a Hard Drive with an HDMI or something... That way you can burn it to the hard drive, and they wont have to worry about you distributing it...

Im only assuming a loss of quality is STILL going to happen similar to Shrink and stuff...

[dennis @ Sep 16th 2008 10:16AM]

I don't like this. I don't like this one bit. It makes zero sense to me.

[Darth Lord @ Sep 16th 2008 10:26AM]

What is interesting is that the people that are most punished by DRM are legit purchasers. You buy the DVD and then have to jump through hoops to prove that you bought it and or have rights to use to. And even then you can't use it in a meaninfull way in a "full digital media centric home"

I have never had a DRM issue when I downloaded anything from BitTorrent ;p

[Rob @ Sep 16th 2008 10:33AM]

"you download a DRM-protected movie to your PC, grab a piece of specially-keyed blank DVD media, use the DataPlay burner to commit the movie to disc and then enjoy your oh-so-legal fun on the run"

This sounds like HP trying to shove another bunch of their patents down our throat. I guess they didn't make enough money with Lightscribe. So, let's come up with another proprietary blank media.

It still amazes me why people still buy into this nonsense. Buy the DVD and call it the day.

[bioadam @ Sep 16th 2008 10:38AM]

I have an even better idea. Buy already burnt DVDs and save yourself $120. Wal-mart has bins full of them.

[BigEd @ Sep 16th 2008 11:23AM]

Stamped. Pre-made DVDs are stamped, not burned.

[cmil1212 @ Sep 16th 2008 11:33AM]

dell...please..update the freaking xps line and quit worry about garbage like this. I mean wtf...you're not a tv store. None of the masses will buy this. This is why you are losing sales because you're not focusing.

[CynisterSix @ Sep 16th 2008 11:55AM]

you realize that dell is not 1 division right? its quite apparent that dell is focused. With big business there are big risks this product could take off and make money or it could be just a big failure but if you don't take the risk you'll never make a dime.

I do think there is potential here with this product but I want to see #'s on how many titles are available to the market. That's really where this thing will tank or swim.

[CynisterSix @ Sep 16th 2008 11:57AM]

How many titles are available to burn? Thats a key factor in whether this thing will sink or swim. People wont always be able to buy movies in a store so there is a big market for download and burn in remote areas.

[Mr. S. @ Sep 16th 2008 12:05PM]

"oh-so-legal" and horribly looking.

Transcoding from a DVD to WMV for distribution to be transcoded back to MPEG2 for burning to a DVD is not the right way to do anything.

[John @ Sep 16th 2008 12:35PM]

More money, just so you can burn something you already own...

[Alex @ Sep 16th 2008 1:45PM]

damn i dono why i got this media center now
dell just thinks of every thing lol

[Fearghoul @ Sep 16th 2008 5:58PM]

haha wow I like how people deliberately voted down this comment even though it was obvious sarcasm.

[andy @ Sep 16th 2008 3:38PM]

or you could download the movie, remove the drm, burn it to a $.25 dvd and call it a day.