Dell First to Market w/ Qflix Drives for the PC

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Sept. 15, 2008 – Dell is bringing the big screen to the PC screen, making it easy for users to build a personal digital library of their favorite Hollywood blockbusters.

Dell and Sonic Solutions have teamed to make downloading and recording DVD movies easy with the first PC-based Qflix™ drives. Using an intuitive application, Roxio® Venue, movie collectors can search and select from a variety of major Hollywood hits available from CinemaNow, download them on their PC, transfer them to multiple digital devices in their home, and then create a permanent and portable DVD-format copy on Qflix DVD media.

The Qflix drive bundle is available in the U.S. today as an option on most Inspiron, Studio and XPS laptops for $120, as well as through Dell’s Entertainment, Software and Accessories online store, and will be available soon as option on select consumer desktops. The bundle includes an external Qflix-enabled drive, which also supports standard DVD read/write functions, two recordable Qflix DVD discs, Roxio Venue and CinemaNow software and a USB cable.

“We look forward to bringing this innovative digital download technology to our customers,” said Michelle Pearcy, director, Dell’s global software marketing. “People are accessing and managing more and more digital content with their PCs, but often they are limited by where and when they can view their content. With Qflix, movie fans can now burn their movies and TV shows to DVDs that can be played on most standard DVD player, greatly enhancing the flexibility of their digital downloads.”

“The burnable-in-the-home DVD is well-timed given the growing interest from both consumers and studios in digital distribution,” said Tom Adams, president, Adams Media Research. “Two of the key things holding consumers back in their willingness to purchase movies electronically are worries about long-term ownership and portability of the downloaded file. Providing the security of a DVD back-up and the assurance that the file will play on the majority of standard DVD players--set-top, desk-top or portable -- is a key step forward.”

 “The Qflix Platform is bringing the $35 billion DVD sell-through market into the age of electronic distribution,” said Mark Ely, executive vice president of Strategy, Sonic Solutions. “We’re extremely pleased to be working with Dell, Hollywood, and the media and drive suppliers to usher in the age of DVD-on-Demand.” 

CinemaNow will continue to expand its Qflix-ready movie selections. Qflix DVD media that allows the Hollywood approved burning of premium content to DVD can be found at www.qflix.com/getitnow.