Sonic Solutions and Widevine are collaborating to provide retailers with the opportunity to offer movie services on a broad array of mobile devices and smartphones. The solution combines Widevine’s digital rights management (DRM) and adaptive streaming technologies with Sonic’s RoxioNow entertainment platform.

The companies say that the expanded device support will help increase the reach of retail partner storefronts by facilitating the efficient, secure, and optimised delivery of movies and other video content to popular Android, iPad, iPhone, and Blackberry devices. New device support is expected to be rolled out by partners over the summer. The solution is aimed at music, video, games and other retailers looking to add digital movie downloads to smartphones to their product portfolio.

“By teaming with Widevine, a clear leader in the industry, we are able to seamlessly overcome the technical hurdles of digital rights management and platform optimisation behind the scenes, enabling our partners to deliver a compelling, hassle-free movie experience to their customers,” says Mark Ely, executive vice president at Sonic Solutions. “With the new mobile support, we continue to build out an open, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of ‘movie-enabled’ devices, and allow our partners to touch more consumers in more places.”

The Widevine platform is deployed by major Internet content services and large cable, satellite, and telecommunication companies launching over-the-top and ‘TV Everywhere’ strategies. The company says its software platform optimises the entertainment experience for content delivered over any network to any device. The solution is natively supported in nearly all major brands and types of network-connected consumer electronics, including televisions, Blu-ray players, mobile devices, gaming systems and other devices.

“Widevine’s technologies are arming the industry with the capabilities they need to provide today’s consumers what they crave – their favourite entertainment on their preferred device at a time that’s most convenient to them,” says Widevine CEO, Brian Baker. “With Sonic, we will deliver an unbelievable mobile movie experience to the latest range of next-generation handsets.”

The latest support for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android devices further enhances the RoxioNow platform’s mobile capabilities, which already offers support for Windows Mobile handsets, as well all DivX Certified portable devices. In addition to powering on-the-go movie access, RoxioNow offers support for a range of connected home devices including HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players, PCs, and set-top boxes, from a range of manufacturers. RoxioNow has been selected to power digital entertainment services for a range of companies including Best Buy, Blockbuster, Dell, HP, Kmart, Lionsgate, and Sears.