Sonic Solutions’ RoxioNow platform licensee, Sears, has launched its online movie download service, Alphaline Entertainment. The new service enables the US retail giant and its Kmart customers to download entertainment online, including new movies on the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Sonic is working with Sears on a multi-phase rollout that includes making the service available from a broad range of connected devices and ensuring compatibility with studio-supported digital programmes.

The launch of the service puts Sears in competition with online movie service Netflix. A number of Sears’ competitors, including Walmart, have already started to dabble in the online movies space. Walmart recently bought Vudu, a service that streams movies to Internet-connected TVs. BestBuy teamed up with Sonic to put its movie library in all of the Web-connected devices the company sells at its stores.

Sonic’s multi-year agreement with Sears extends the reach of the RoxioNow platform which powers a range of digital services for retailers, cable operators, PC manufacturers, game system vendors, consumer electronics makers, and Hollywood studios’ direct-to-consumer initiatives. Sonic and Sears are teaming to embed the services at a chip level on a growing network of devices including portable media players, Blu-ray Disc players, mobile phones, and high-definition television sets from leading manufacturers.

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