BRINGING FILMS TO THE NET

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is teaming up with Intel to launch an online movie-download site that aims to pull users away from illegal downloads of first-run films. ClickStar will focus on making first-run and pre-DVD films available for download. Movie fans will be able both to purchase and rent films from the service. Freeman's production company, Revelations Entertainment, formed ClickStar with an investment from Intel.

Consumers can already download films from companies like Movielink and CinemaNow, but the services have been slow to catch on. Movie fans are faced with a limited library, and a limited window to watch films. Most of the movies available expire after 24 hours. Films will be protected by digital rights management, but will still be easy for consumers to move to portable devices, Corbett said.