Tech Shout!

In a move to boost the digital distribution of its programs and pose a cut throat competition to Apple’s iTunes Store, NBC Universal has announced that will now offer limited free downloads of various popular shows, including “Heores” and the “The Office”.

Called “NBC Direct,” the new service will make it possible for users to download episodes to systems running Microsoft Windows software for up to a week after the show has aired on TV. And advertisers will benefit too as the file will include embedded advertising that cannot be skipped. Other programs that will be available at launch are “Life,” “Bionic Woman,” “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Seven days post the episode’s TV debut, the digital file will expire.

Launching in October, NBC Direct will eventually be expanded where viewers will be able to subscribe to shows and download them automatically. In addition, the upcoming versions will let users move the file to a portable viewing device or watch them on a Mac computer.

According to NBC, after some time hi-def shows will be available via P2P technology that will speed the download of larger files. A special software player with filtering technology will avert the consumers from playing illegally downloaded videos.

Vivi Zigler, executive vice president of NBC Digital Entertainment said, “With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consumer their favorite entertainment.”

A few days back, we reported that Apple was going to stop selling NBC Shows on iTunes over pricing spat. And the latest move by NBC is to work on that bit and develop a comprehensive iTunes competitor.