It is also a subtle opportunity for Paramount to plug the technological successor to DVDs. The Xbox 360 is the first of the new generation of game consoles that support high-definition video and surround sound. Paramount's downloads get the high-definition movie trailers off computer screens and onto a screen where images are more lush.

"My guess is they want to sell high-definition discs. You want to get the high-definition monitor owners drooling," said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. "It's clever marketing. It's a good, solid, high-income, early-adopter niche."
Greenberg said the Xbox Live's digital cul-de-sac, in which content can be downloaded but can't escape its electronic confines, was particularly appealing to those in the entertainment industry worried about Internet piracy.

Paramount is now offering high-definition movie trailers for "Mission: Impossible III," a Tom Cruise action-thriller to be released in theaters May 5, and "Nacho Libre," a Jack Black comedy due out June 16. Gamers can customize with art from the movies.