What's the best way to catch a hot new video release? Go to the video store? Sure, if you can beat the hundreds of other movie lovers to one of the limited number of copies available. How about movies by mail? Even those with large libraries get overrun when a new title comes out. Expect to see "long wait" in your movie queue. And even if you're one of the lucky people who gets first dibs, you still have to wait for it to show up.

Fortunately, there's now a movies-on-demand service that provides instant access to an ever-changing lineup of new releases and other popular favorites from virtually every major Hollywood studio. There are always 100 movies immediately available, with up to 10 new titles automatically delivered digitally each week-including select movies in high definition.

"We have built MovieBeam to directly address what's most important to our target customers: convenience, quality and choice," said Tres Izzard, president and CEO of MovieBeam, Inc. "Our target customers are movie lovers who want a more conve-nient way to rent the movies they want to watch when they want to watch them and value the overall quality of the experience."

The system is composed of a set-top box that stores, protects and plays movies; a small indoor antenna that receives new movies to automatically refresh the selection; and a simple remote control that facilitates navigation of the intuitive user interface. Additional features include:

? Every new release and select popular favorites from virtually every major Hollywood studio;

? Unprecedented access to high-definition movies-with specially selected titles in native HD format and an HDMI connection that up-converts standard-definition content when connected to an HDTV;

? Intuitive user interface that sorts movies by title, genre, actor/director and rating;

? Free full-length theatrical trailers for every movie available for rental;

? Pay-as-you-go model, with no subscription fees and no annual contracts;

? Simple setup, requiring no professional installation or special equipment; and

? Personalized spending limits and parental controls.

MovieBeam is sold at national consumer electronics retailers such as Best Buy, CompUSA and Sears, at regional stores in select markets and by leading e-tailers.