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Seagate bundles Paramount movies with FreeAgent Go external drives

by Parm Mann on 12 April 2010, 17:12

Tags: FreeAgent Go 500GB, Seagate (NASDAQ:STX)

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Seagate and Paramount Pictures have today announced a partnership that will see Seagate's 500GB FreeAgent Go portable hard drive bundled with twenty of Paramount's most popular movies.

Seagate is no stranger to bundling films with its drives, but its high-profile deal with Paramount could prove to be the most successful yet.

Hoping to increase the value of hard drive purchases, Seagate's specially-marked 500GB drive will come packed with a number of popular movies - of which 2009 blockbuster Star Trek will be available to view free of charge.

Up to 20 additional movies will also be stored on the drive, with customers able to unlock individual titles at a fee ranging from $9.99 to $14.99. Once unlocked, the movies can be played back on multiple computers, or through a television set via a FreeAgent Theater HD dock.

Although it remains unclear exactly how much of the drive's capacity will be occupied by the movies - or whether or not that capacity will be retrievable - Seagate believes pre-loaded movies will create "a new era in digital movie collecting".

“Seagate and Paramount Pictures are delivering major motion pictures to consumers in a unique and innovative solution," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's executive vice president of sales, marketing and product line management.

"For years Seagate hard drives have been powering the devices that allow consumers to enjoy their digital libraries. Today, we are simplifying content delivery by giving consumers the ultimate flexibility in how they enjoy their movies all in a convenient package".

The 20 additional Paramount titles include: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, GI Joe, Shooter, The Hunt for Red October, The Italian Job (2003), Ghost, Patriot Games, Beowulf, Enemy at the Gates, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Love Guru, Coach Carter, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Nacho Libre, Jackass 2.5, A Plumm Summer, Carriers, Dance Flick, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.



HEXUS Forums :: 9 Comments

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'Brave' I'd say. Sure on one hand people who wants to pirate in the first place could just download the films. And yet I predict that we will see people who genuinely thinks that it's okay that ‘unlocking those drives’ (via non-official means - and yes, I expect that it's just a matter of time) makes is somehow different than pirating in the first place.
As long as the price doesn't go up and the space can be recovered by re-formating then I think its a good idea,
TooNice
'Brave' I'd say. Sure on one hand people who wants to pirate in the first place could just download the films. And yet I predict that we will see people who genuinely thinks that it's okay that ‘unlocking those drives’ (via non-official means - and yes, I expect that it's just a matter of time) makes is somehow different than pirating in the first place.

say that again ?:O_o1:
I believe, old chap, that he's saying “Golly, that's rather brave of paramount. I'd say that it's inevitable that, verily, the very second some people get their hands on these drives, they'll try and unlock the movies by unofficial means, and, because they were effectively ”given“ the movies with the hard drive, they'll probably see that as different to torrenting them. I can see the business model that paramount are trying to put forward, and it's bold and adventurous, but I think it's rather doomed and, one way or the other, people will try and avoid paying for the contents that they've been given, albeit in a locked state”.

To which I, personally, would add: “Anyone who pays for Sky Captain and the World Of Tomorrow needs shooting. Except for the bit where Angelina Jolie looks at Gwyneth Paltrow and asks Jude Law ”What is that?". That bit's good. The rest… not so much.

Also, what format would these be in? MKV? Or VIDEO_TS folder style so that you actually get menus, extras, chapters, etc (although I am aware that you can chapter MKVs). Personally, I'd want full DVD type things.

Edit: In fact, from that list, I'd take Star Trek, The Hunt for Red October, Ghost, Patriot Games, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. That's it.
As I already have startrek on blu-ray, Hunt for red october/Patroit Games are both bargain bin DVD's (Less than $10) and not interested in the rest - I can't see me buying any of them.

To be honest it just seems a little pointless…