Having fallen behind rival Netflix's online video offerings, Blockbuster is taking a bolder step into the scene by announcing a partnership with Sonic Solutions to offer instant access to its video library through various home and portable devices. These devices reportedly will range from PCs and Macs to media players, Blu-ray disc players, set-top boxes and mobile phones.

Under the deal, Sonic Solutions will provide the underlying technology for the digital content delivery system while the collection of offerings will be a combination of titles from Blockbuster and CinemaNow, a movie downloading service that Sonic recently purchased. Blockbuster, which will market the service under its own brand name, plans initially to sell videos or rent them on a pay-per-view basis. This would make it a closer match to Amazon.com video services, but the company says it is considering offering a subscription plan for unlimited access to its digital library.