This is a bit exciting. Apparently, two San Francisco Bay Area tech companies are partnering to create technology that would enable us to walk into a store order a movie burned onto a DVD in ten minutes. Like on-demand printing in the publishing industry, limited inventory won’t hinder sales and annoy customers. The idea of DVD burning kiosks has been discussed for some years now, and now Sonic Solutions and Mcarovision Corp may make this possibility an actuality. Sonic develops DVD burning technology (I use their software occassionaly) and Macrovision supplies copyright-protection software to major Hollywood studios like Universal and Disney. As we speak, both Macrovision and Sonic are negotiating with retailers and the retailers are negotiating with studios for film rights. Sometime later this year Sonic and Macrovision will announce the names of the retailers and studios, probably when negotiations are final.

The DVD Copyright Control Association recently passed a rule that makes it legal for copyrighted DVDs to be burned at kiosks and by individuals which will allow us all to buy rare DVDs instead of the blockbusters and so called popular movies and add to our more discerning collections. Film studios are trying to find ways to market their products to the internet folk because DVD sales are not as high as they used to be. For example, Amazon’s Unbox movie and TV downloads and iTunes movie downloads. You can dowload an episode of 24 for $1.99 or a X-Men Last Stand for $13.99 at Amazon Unbox. iTunes movie downloads seem to range from about $9.99 to $14.99 or perhaps more. The thing with Unbox though is, according to their meaty license agreement, if you choose to rent and not buy your movie, it expires in 30 days, you only have 24 hours to complete watch it once it’s started, and Amazon gets to delete any movies automatically, and they get to infiltrate your Windows Media Player or other Amazon authorized device with whatever promotional content they wish, all rentals and sales are final. Visit business 2.0 for a breakdown of the too many rules of Unbox downloading. iTunes has a less convoluted license agreement but you are limited to “buying into” the coporate branding of Apple’s iTunes, iPod, i-World.

DVD on demand gives hope for us who are less inclined to manipulated and forced into “buying into” corporate branding by having to use Windows Media Players, iTunes, iPods, etc. to view or listen to movies or music. I just want to watch my damn movies and I don’t need the option of 10 screens of all shapes, sizes and resolutions, 10 computers to dowload one film and 10 hours to view anything. There’s such a thing as too many choices when the choices are superficial and redundant. It’s either tech corps are telling us we need more choices or the human attention span is truly decreasing daily. Like the chicken or the egg riddle, I wonder what came first, our demand or their decree? It makes sense to have options and I don’t begrudge movie dowload services like Movielink and Cinema Now (and soon Netflix) because you shouldn’t have to own a TV to watch TV or films. And storage on a hard drive takes up less space than the numerous 7.5 x 5.25 DVD cases and bigger box sets on the shelves of film enthusiasts such as myself. Regardless, I don’t think film downloads will replace hard copies any time soon. Like a newspaper or a book, there’s nothing like having and owning the hard copy. If they do, they’d better be damned cheaper than $15 bucks. So, I look forward to Sonic and Macrovision’s partnership, provided the cost of the 10-minute on demand DVD is less than the cost of an average DVD now (since they will have cut out the middle man on some level).