what's the point in having a MP4 player if you can't legally download MP4s?

[DaddyCool]

Is it just me? I'm a bit low tech so when DW bought me a MP4 player for Christmas, I assumed I could just go on to Tesco and download an MP4. Googled this and it seems that the only way to watch a movie on your little device is rip it off one of your DVDs or do it illegally (which isn't me). Any ideas or links?

can you not use itunes to convert files to MP4?

I've no idea hence being 'lo-tech' but I'll certainly have a look.

I expected to simply look at HMV or Tesco and be presented with an array of movies to buy and download just like I do music but I guess that just doesn't exist yet.

I just went to google and did a search first for 'the Guardian Newspaper' (as I know Jack Schofield, a long-standing writer on technology, answers questions in his column).

Then on Google I did a search for 'download MP4' and though I have not reach full articles the results page suggests that some of the things being downloaded are walking tours of London, music videos, and clips from other sites like YouTube.

I know a major source might be from [cough] porn sites, though I don't have an MP4 player and would suspect the quality to be poor...

One of the major film firms was on radio in the last month talking about the fact they release all new films in multiple formats (so you get a DVD, Blu-Ray DVD and ability to download too), but I have never been a collector of VHS / DVD copies of TV series or films so have not followed developments very closely, sorry.