A maker of digital kiosks wants to test out movie and rental download hubs for SD cards later this year.
MOD Systems is in talks with retailers to launch a pilot program, Video Business reports. The kiosks would stock new and old releases from Warner Bros. and Paramount Studios for temporary or permanent download. A test program last year was put on hold because retail deals were not yet in place. For the pilot to launch this year, MOD must have their kiosks ready and deals in place well before the holiday season so that they can be tested without wasting important floor space.
The service is just as it sounds, requiring customers to plug in an SD card and transfer the movies over. Toshiba has said it plans to make SD-compatible TVs and other media players, but it's not clear whether customers would also be able to watch movies from their computers.
MOD has also announced that a subsidiary will launch a similar program in Japan.
But outside forces may put a damper on this idea. Warner Home Video president Warren Leiberfarb has filed a lawsuit claiming MOD owes money for consulting work, and former CEO and founder Mark Phillips faces allegations of fraud and embezzlement from an investor. MOD says the "company is sound."
Those troubles aside, I'm having mixed feelings on whether this idea is appealing. On one hand, it saves a return trip to the video store, and it could be a convenient option of SD card readers start appearing on more media players. Then again, who's actually ready to start carrying around one of these keychains?
