Warner Brothers--and other studios likely to come--decide to change the video rental game.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10426792-261.html
http://community.netflix.com/forum/topics/netflix-bends-over-for-warner?xg_source=activity

Interesting--Hollywood studios want to forcibly revive the old ways of doing DVD business by breathing life into sagging in-store sales and rentals from chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video (plus what few independent video stores remain). At the same time, there seems to be a cluelessness about just how much of a demand there will be in the recession climate... for consumers to keep paying an average of $20 apiece for movies on DVD--outside of surefire hit titles like THE HANGOVER and THE BLIND SIDE.

And, of course, Netflix will probably continue spinning the "hey, we get a lot of older content to stream on computers, set-top boxes and newer DVD players" talking point.

The question is: Will WB provide Netflix with quality older content--or just dump a lot of revenue-stream-exhausted stuff like THE IN CROWD, THE POSTMAN and BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER?

Warner Bros. bundling its DVD-on-demand archive selections.

It's an attempt to increase sales of DVDs-on-demand, but Warner Brothers' home video campaign devoted to "bundling" a set of DVDs (Cary Grant films, for example) for half the price of buying them at regular rates is worth looking into:
http://www.wbshop.com/Bundles/WACBUNDLE,default,sc.html?adid=WACBndlEml

I've bought a handful of DVDs from the Warner Archive (including a couple of hard-to-find Garbo silents). It's a good consumer service that deserves to escape death-by-economic recession.

An idea that's finally here: DVDs/CDs on-demand of previously out-of-print material.

Here's the link to Warner Brothers' recently announced we'll-make-DVDs-on-demand archive: http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE,default,sc.html

The titles range from early MGM talkies such as THE BEAST OF THE CITY to lesser-known films from directors such as John Frankenheimer (ALL FALL DOWN) and Francis Ford Coppola (THE RAIN PEOPLE).

At this point, there are only a small number of choices available; I'd like to see WB dig a bit deeper in its vaults to unearth Howard Zieff's 70's comedies SLITHER and HEARTS OF THE WEST, John Flynn's THE OUTFIT (a Donald Westlake-writing-as-Richard Stark adaptation with a great cast including Robert Duvall, Joe Don Baker, Sheree North and Robert Ryan), Richard Quine's THE MOONSHINE WAR (an Elmore Leonard 30's bootlegging saga with Patrick McGoohan, Richard Widmark and a somewhat-cast-against-type Alan Alda), and--for Roy Orbison completists--Orbison's lone star vehicle, THE FASTEST GUITAR ALIVE.

In the realm of recorded music, Sony is now making some previously out-of-print albums (i.e., Joe Strummer's first solo album EARTHQUAKE WEATHER) available on Amazon.com in either CD-R on demand or download formats as part of their Back From The Vault series: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_7154062_3?ie=UTF8&node=1264123011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=browse&pf_rd_r=0ECHMR595C00RM3MSQ9Y&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=472542131&pf_rd_i=5174

One can only hope that the on-demand services for customers wanting their favorite previously-out-of-print movies or record albums will last at least a few months before the bean-counters get nervous and pull the plug because megaprofits aren't being made.