Play movies on any platform with new Disney service

Disney has a project in the works that allows users to play a movie on any, or indeed all, devices of their choosing. "Dad has a Zune, Mom has an iPod, there's a Mac and a PC at home and a Roku box; right now, those devices don't talk to one another," a Disney insider, quoted by ABC News, said. "We intend to blend those worlds."

The idea is not to sell a movie on a particular format (like DVD, or downloaded on a hard disk), but rather to sell the rights to play a movie on whatever platform users desire.

The project is named Keychest and apparently is almost ready for demonstration. Launch is projected for 2010.

Disney is not the only company that works on developing distribution models that fit the age of Internet. Sony, for example, spearheads the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, a consortium that aims for a similar goal.