Disney Offers Movie Rentals On Microsoft X-Box Live

Last night at the Microsoft keynote at the E3 video game convention (or whatever is left of it), they announced that Disney would offer movie rentals on demand through X-Box live. My friend has rented a bunch of High definition content through his X-Box, and aside for the stupid gamer point thing (it's kinda like Casino chips but with different values so that you never quite know how much in real world money you're spending) is probably the future of movie rentals. Check out the press release after the jump.

The Walt Disney Studios to Offer Movie Rentals On Demand Through Xbox LIVE Starting Now

REDMOND, WA UNITED STATES

New partnership brings growing catalogue of current blockbuster and classic

library titles to Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

LOS ANGELES, July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Whether you want to find

adventure in a blockbuster game or lose yourself in a magical movie moment,

you can get the ultimate in entertainment in your living room with Xbox

360(R) and Xbox LIVE(TM). Today at the E3 Media & Business Summit,

Microsoft Corp. and Disney-ABC Domestic Television announced an agreement

to bring feature films from The Walt Disney Studios to U.S. members of Xbox

LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Beginning today, consumers of all ages will have access to a growing

catalog of new and classic movies from The Walt Disney Studios including

titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures

and Miramax Films, on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading

high-definition-video download service. Xbox 360 owners will be able to

rent popular Disney films on demand as they become available, such as

"Bridge to Terabithia," Miramax Film's "The Queen" and Touchstone Pictures'

"Deja Vu."

"We're always looking for more ways to let people experience our

films," said Dan Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and

interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television. "With the millions of

Xbox 360 consoles in living rooms today with a direct, high-speed Internet

connection, Xbox LIVE really has become a terrific device for the delivery

of digital entertainment content."

As a result of this partnership between Microsoft and Disney-ABC

Domestic Television, an array of current and library titles will be

available this July, with more to come in both standard and high

definition. Currently offering more than 2,350 hours of premium

entertainment content from 15 partners, Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the only

online service offering downloadable movies and TV shows in high

definition. In a little more than seven months since video content was

launched on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, there have been nearly 10 million

downloads of entertainment content.

"Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Marketplace truly offer something for everyone

of all ages, gender or personal taste," said Peter Moore, corporate vice

president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment

and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With this partnership, we are able to

feature blockbuster new releases as they become available, as well as an

incredible array of classic family films that made Disney the icon it is

today." Xbox LIVE Marketplace content is available to all Xbox 360 owners.

High-definition new-release movie rentals are 480 Microsoft(R) Points each,

and standard-definition new-release movie rentals are 320 Microsoft Points

each. Classic feature films in high definition are 360 Microsoft Points

each, and classic feature films in standard definition are 240 Microsoft

Points. More information is available online at

About Xbox LIVE

Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online

entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console

experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and

entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360

system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 25 countries to enjoy

hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade,

free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in

the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for

all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at

About Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Disney-ABC Domestic Television's pay television and interactive media

division is a leading distributor of movies in the video-on-demand arena.

DADT distributes movies domestically from The Walt Disney Studios,

including titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood

Pictures, and Miramax Films. It currently licenses movies through a wide

range of distributors and platforms including cable MSOs, satellite

companies, internet distributors, telcos, mobile operators, and via other

emerging technologies.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in

software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize

their full potential.