Tuesday saw the unveiling of a new 'KeyChest' "enabling technology" by the Walt Disney Co, which said that the technology will essentially allow consumers to buy or rent films from different distributors, store them on remote servers, and instantly view them on a multitude of platforms - including TVs, computers, and phones.

KeyChest technology has been invented by Arnaud Robert, Disney's Senior VP of distribution technology. The company expects to roll out the technology in the US as well as in the international markets within this year, and it is currently negotiating with content distributors, cable companies and telecommunications services, for partnering the product.

A Disney spokesman said that the forthcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will help the company "dramatically step up" its discussions with prospective partners for the KeyChest.

Noting that the KeyChest technology is not a 'Disney only' venture, Kelly Summers, Disney's VP of digital distribution, said: "KeyChest isn't a format. It's an 'enabling technology' that helps different platforms communicate with each other."

Summers further elaborated that by deploying KeyChest technology, Disney is looking to enhance the users' movie-viewing experience, enabling them to access movie from a number of outlets.

In addition, KeyChest aims at addressing the issue of compatibility in maneuvering content from one device to another, along with the optimum utilization of the limited storage space on the hard drives of different devices.