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BOST to Offer Downloads without Digital Restrictions (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
The online anime distributor BOST TV has announced today that it will offer downloadable copies of anime episodes, in addition to streaming. Each episode will still cost 100 BOST points (the equivalent of US$1.99) to stream online for a two-week period. However, under the new system, the same 100-point fee will now pay for both the stream and an unrestricted downloadable version. According to BOST, the downloadable version will have no digital rights management (DRM), so users can play the download on video-capable Apple iPod media players, the Sony PlayStation Portable game console, or a personal computer.
To promote its new system, BOST is offering the first two episodes of both The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk and BLASSREITER for free to all users who are registered by April 2 (Japan Standard Time). (Druaga will premiere on April 4, and Blassreiter will premiere on April 5.) BOST has not announced the resolution and specific file format of its downloadable episodes, or whether the new download system is retroactively available to people who streamed episodes before today.
Update: BOST tells ANN that the download offer only applies to the two Gonzo titles: The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk and BLASSREITER. There will be two different, customized downloadable files: one for the PlayStation Portable at 480 by 264 resolution (non-letterboxed) and one for the iPod and compatible devices at 320 by 240 resolution (letterboxed). BOST's streams are 640 by 360 resolution (non-letterboxed).
