Dallas (TX) - As its latest move into the online landscape, Blockbuster is apparently in talks to buy Movielink, a digital movie rental site. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal could cost Blockbuster less than $50 million.

Movielink was one of the pioneers of online video, but has since fallen to the likes of iTunes and the HD-capable Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Critics dislike the excessive restrictions required to access Movielink’s service. Users must have a Windows-based computer, Internet Explorer and the latest ActiveX plug-in to even browse the site. To download videos, they’re required to install a difficult-to-close proprietary media player and download client.

Movielink traditionally focused on movie rentals. Users can download the video and then have 30 days to watch it. Once they open the file, it is only available for 24 hours. A new deal last year also opened up a download-to-own section of the site, where consumers can pay more to own digital files of movies, which are packed with extensive encryption that prevents playback on certain devices. This sparked a new round of criticism for the site, as its digital rights management (DRM) is more excessive than most other online stores.

Movielink is currently a joint venture from several movie studios, with ownership belonging to MGM, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. If Blockbuster took hold of the site, it’s unknown if these studios would continue to add content. However, Disney, Miramax, Artisan, and others have also added to the collection