Well, it also supports HDTV, so I was very intrigued when I came across mavromatic's blog about Microsoft Media Center 2005 and the ability to download HDTV films from the Internet to the Media Center PC for a really rich viewing experience. Already there exists the ability to download movies for a "fee", but the video is compressed with less quality than a DVD. If you are a true videophile, you want high-res... you want 480p, 720p, or 1080i!

Check out what mavromatic's blog has to say about HDTV downloads via the Internet.

"Finally, someone is getting the idea… I’m getting sick of companies offering sub-DVD quality movies for download at standard DVD rental rates… what’s the point? At least give me a reason to want to to mess with a computer… and HD content will be that reason. Maybe the announcement from CinemaNow about the premiere of its High-Definition Channel will make other companies see the picture a bit clearer. CinemaNow will make High-Definition Movies available for download in Windows Media High-Definition format for playback on Windows XP-based PCs, including the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 PC. This announcement marks the first broad adoption of mainstream High-definition movies being been made available on-demand via the Internet. The first titles released on CinemaNow in Windows Media Video HD are MacGillivray Freeman Films’ giant screen IMAX films through a deal with Image Entertainment.

Windows Media Video HD delivers to movie fans a visually stunning high-definition experience, offering video resolution of 720p. All CinemaNow HD movies are encoded at up to 10Mbps and feature high-quality 5.1 surround sound for the ultimate in-home theater viewing experience."

Read the full story here:
MAVROMATIC - CinemaNow Premieres High-Definition Movie Downloads