FILMGOERS were given their first glimpse yesterday of a world in which they can legally download mainstream films on to their computers.

The British internet Broadcasting Company (BiBC), a film download company, says that it is in negotiations with the holder of the rights to movies including Farenheit 9/11 and 9 Songs.

The BiBC will be the first service in the world to provide mainstream feature films to paying customers if a deal goes ahead with Optimum Releasing, an independent British distributor.

The possible deal is the first sign that distributors are opening up to an era in which viewers will be able to bring films into their homes through a wire rather than on a disc or tape. The technology for downloading films has been available for years, but mainstream films have been available only illegally through peer-to-peer, or p2p, file-sharing programs.

Distributors are concerned that selling films via the internet will damage the lucrative DVD business and encourage piracy. They are also concerned that they will lose control of the system that allows them to sell films country by country.

Legal film download sites, such as Tiscali in Britain and CinemaNow in America, sell feature films, but their top ten films consist of little known titles such as Fart — The Movie and I Spit on Your Grave.

None of the studios has so far allowed their films to be released as a download, but Paul Hague, the managing director of BiBC, believes that he will have a film of the calibre of Farenheit 9/11 within six months.

Mr Hague, a former consultant for IBM, said that the film industry needed to overcome its fears in the same way that the music industry did when it allowed iTunes and Napster to sell songs over the internet.

The Motion Picture Association of America, the film industry body in America, is trying to stem internet piracy by suing downloaders. It announced a new round of prosecutions yesterday, which if successful could result in fines of up to $150,000 (£85,000).

Mr Hague believes that distributors need to provide a legal alternative to fight piracy. “We have had some discussions with film distributors that have been positive,” he said.

“Warner Bros were very cagey, but we are having good discussions with Optimum. They are more than likely going to give us three or four films as a trial. We have to prove to the distributors that it is here and now.”

Mark Batey, the chief executive of the Film Distributors Association, the British distributors’ body, said that companies were watching the market closely. “It is an idea whose time is fast approaching,” he added. “It is an area that is clearly changing rapidly as technologies converge.”

The BiBC offers downloads of comedy shows and will also sell music videos such as Bob Marley’s live concerts and items from the ITN archive, such as Pathé News reels of the 1920s.

The Bill Hicks One Night Stand video costs £6.99 to download on a standard 512k broadband connection in about an hour. Buyers will be able to watch it on the computer monitor or by connecting their television to a computer.

Mr Hague said that once the owners to film rights were convinced that there was a market for downloads the floodgates would open. “It is a chicken and egg thing,” he said. “Consumers don’t have fast internet connections because they don’t need them for e-mails. But when they’re able to watch films through the internet demand will increase.”

DOWN TIME

Download time for a one-hour film takes between 20 minutes and an hour depending on the speed of the internet connection. The file will be between 90 and 120 megabytes, the equivalent of 30 music files.

The BiBC’s website, boxoffice365.com, will split its downloads into chapters so that users can download films piecemeal.

Encryption will prevent owners from copying the video or burning it on to DVD, but they will be able to watch it as many times as they like.

Quality is currently equivalent to VHS cassette, but is expected to increase to DVD quality.

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