New startup Zediva attempts to circumvent all the licensing hassles experienced by streaming video services like Netflix, iTunes and Hulu througha4s‚ operating more like a traditional movie rental store, except online.

The catcha4s‚ &''We don&'t rent digital copies of a movie,&'' founder Venky Srinivasan told Rotten Tomatoes, &''Our users rent a physical DVD, along with a DVD player from us for a fixed amount of time.a4s‚ They then control that DVD player remotely over the internet &8212' and stream the movie privately to themselves.a4s‚ Think of it as a really long cable and a really long remote control.&''

The &''really long cable&'' that is the Internet means not having to negotiate with content companies over streaming rights. This loophole means that Zediva can feature more recent releases at a lower price than companies who stream digital files, charging $1.99 for a movie versus $3.99 on iTunes and Blockbuster. Ten movies on Zediva are $10 versus a $7.99 monthly membership to Netflix and users can freely re-rent a Zediva movie for up to 14 days.

It seems like Srinivasan is serious about the physical DVD legal hack. When I visited the site the movie I wanted to rent, &''Eat Pray Love,&'' was all rented out, just like in a real brick and mortar store. You can even request to have your physical DVD mailed to you Netflix style, even though &''additional charges may apply.&''

With around 40 movies in the library at the moment, Zediva is starting small and focusing on offering &''the top two or three movies of the week.&'' Srinivasan doesn&'t think the startup is breaking digital copyright law, in fact believes that movie studios will embrace the model. Well, here&'s to being hopeful, and disruptive.