Movie theater owners had better hope this 3D thing keeps raging because theater owners have taken a step that might devastate the cineplex scene. The MPAA says the FCC has given it the thumbs up to pretty much put any movies it likes on demand before they’re out on home video.

Deadline Hollywood Daily relays the announcement from the MPAA:

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying it was “in the public interest” today approved a request by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) to permit recent movies to be sent directly to American households over secure high definition transmission lines from their cable or satellite providers prior to their release on DVD or Blu-ray.

“This action is an important victory for consumers who will now have far greater access to see recent high definition movies in their homes. And it is a major step forward in the development of new business models by the motion picture industry to respond to growing consumer demand.” said Bob Pisano, President and Interim CEO of the MPAA. “We deeply appreciate the recognition by the FCC that recently released movies need special protection against content theft when they are distributed to home televisions.”

Specifically, the issue before the FCC was a request by the MPAA for permission to use selectable output control (SOC), which would allow televisions with digitally secure interfaces to receive high-definition content from a cable, satellite or IPTV provider, before its release on DVD or Blue-ray. Using SOC protects content because during the broadcast it essentially disables non-secure, analog outputs to avoid illegal circumvention and distribution of copyrighted material.

In its order, the FCC said: “On balance, this limited waiver will provide public interest benefits- making movies widely available for home viewing far earlier than ever before – without imposing harm on any consumers.”

What would you pay to watch Iron Man 2 or Toy Story 3 at home rather than a theater the day the movies open?

THE END OF MOVIE THEATERS? FCC Will Allow Studios To Send First-Run Films Directly To Consumers Over Secure TV [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

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