Download to own

Download-to-own (DTO) is a concept where users legally download movies to their computers through the internet. It provides convenience by allowing instant access to saved movies on the hard drive, eliminating the need to find and insert a physical DVD. To obtain movies through DTO, users typically require a broadband internet connection and an account with an internet distribution company.

DTO movies are usually saved on the hard drive in formats like AVI and compressed using MPEG-4 or DivX compression formats. However, there are some disadvantages associated with this method. Firstly, DTO movies tend to have large file sizes, ranging from 600MB to over 1GB. Consequently, downloading them may take a considerable amount of time, and they can quickly occupy a significant portion of the hard drive's storage capacity.

Another drawback is that the image quality of DTO movies is generally lower than that of regular DVDs and considerably lower than high-definition formats. Furthermore, they often lack multi-channel audio. Additionally, DTO movies may be distributed in a DRM-protected format, such as those found on platforms like iTunes. DRM restrictions can make it challenging to play these movies on other portable devices or burn them to a DVD for playback on a television.

While accidental deletion or loss due to a hard drive crash is a potential risk, employing proper backup procedures can help mitigate these problems. Furthermore, with the decreasing prices of larger hard drives, storage limitations are becoming less of an issue.