Following the announcement that Sony will release a movie download service for the Playstation 3 later this summer, comes the news that the service will also be available to all US-based broadband-enabled Bravia LCD TV owners this Autumn.

The first film to be made available will be Sony Picture's 'Hancock', starring Will Smith. This will be released via the service before it hits DVD.

Speaking in Tokyo, Chief executive Howard Stringer said that "one of the most interesting things about this is putting the television front and center in the living room, as opposed to the computer or a handheld device being the center for watching Web-streamed video."

Some websites have been quick to herald this move as being the beginning of the end for Blu-ray, but in reality a digital download service was always going to be on the cards for the PS3 and its broadband compatible TV range. Certainly in the short term anyway, the service should be able to co-exist happily alongside its Blu-ray player.

Speaking on whether the move will affect Blu-Ray, Stringer sad "We don't do anything without understanding the consequences for that," Stringer said. "We don't want to do anything to hinder Blu- ray."

Whatever the case, as more TV's get equipped with streaming functionality, the future of movie watching could be about to change, forever.

How badly, if at all, do you think the movie download service will affect Blu-Ray sales? Let us know in the forums.

Source :: NY Times