Starz Entertainment Group is launching a service, dubbed Vongo, to allow downloading of movies from the internet for viewing on computers, handheld video players and TVs for a subscription fee of $9.95 per month, writes the New York Times. "We see a market out there of people who are saying, 'I want to choose what I want to watch, control how I watch it and watch it wherever I am,'" Robert Greene, an SVP at Starz, is quoted as saying.

Though Starz already has a movie download subscription service - Starz Ticket - it uses RealNetworks software, which does not allow downloading to handhelds. Vongo uses technology from Microsoft , which will promote Vongo in an upcoming release of its Media Player.

However, Starz has not been able to make a deal for Vongo to run on iPods - a serious problem, according to some analysts.

Starz will also offer Vongo through Sony's Connect download service, which sells music but is being expanded to offer video downloads.