After Oscar Piracy, Studios Step Up Push for Digital Screeners

Earlier this month, the pirate-tracking firm Excipio said that all eight best-picture contenders are available on file-sharing sites, up 59% from last year. [...] This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is said to be conducting a beta test, allowing overseas voters to digitally view entries in five categories: the three shorts, docu feature and foreign-language. [...] The biggest fears are tech glitches and piracy. In addition, many filmmakers balk. Over the years, they have learned to live with the idea that their bigscreen work can be viewed at home. But they dislike the idea of digital, because that means some voters will be watching on a tablet or iPhone — not the best way to judge a film or such key elements as cinematography, production design and sound, for example. - Tim Gray, Variety [via/web:http://streaming-tv.us]