Sony opens their vaults to HP

[Antoine Doinel]

From IMDB:

Can't Find a DVD? HP Will Make It

Hewlett-Packard has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to turn out DVDs from the studio's library whenever customers request them, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Thursday). The deal will allow consumers to order movies that ordinarily would not be stocked by dealers because they are too obscure or too old. HP indicated that it expects to sign similar deals with other studios. "We're hoping this provides another option to make available products that wouldn't necessarily garner widespread retail shelf space," Jason Spivak, head of strategic development at Sony Home Entertainment, told the Times.Added Doug Warner, head of HP's digital content business, "If studios can sell more catalog than previously, they can generate more money."

[justeleblanc]

Can't Find a DVD? HP Will Make It

Hewlett-Packard has signed a deal with Sony Pictures to turn out DVDs from the studio's library whenever customers request them, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Thursday). The deal will allow consumers to order movies that ordinarily would not be stocked by dealers because they are too obscure or too old. HP indicated that it expects to sign similar deals with other studios. "We're hoping this provides another option to make available products that wouldn't necessarily garner widespread retail shelf space," Jason Spivak, head of strategic development at Sony Home Entertainment, told the Times.Added Doug Warner, head of HP's digital content business, "If studios can sell more catalog than previously, they can generate more money."

Did someone just say Husbands? Va Savoir+? Three on a Couch? Who's Minding the Mint?

[dx23]

Just read this on the IMDB and my first thought was: What about print restoration for certain unavailable films? Is Sony going to use the sale of these DVDs as benchmark for more mainstream release? Are they going to include OOP titles like Hi-Lo Country?

[jaredsap]

There will obviously be severe limitations on this. It's not as if Sony digitized every print in their vaults.

[MichaelB]

There will obviously be severe limitations on this. It's not as if Sony digitized every print in their vaults.

I suppose it depends on how many prints have already been telecined, which is the most expensive part of the transfer process. A pretty fair proportion, I'd have thought, but probably not all.

And it's a safe bet that the majority of those that haven't been specifically mastered to DVD will only exist in VHS or TV-friendly versions - i.e. in 4:3 regardless of the original aspect ratio.

I regularly get to handle obscurities from Granada and Canal's shelves - and much of the time they turn up as one-inch masters that were telecined for video in the 1980s! They're easy enough to convert to DVD, but the end result doesn't exactly flatter the film.

But I shouldn't carp too much - this potentially is a very promising initiative: the exact equivalent of the system used by many academic publishers to keep obscure books in circulation. And I'd rather see an imperfect copy than nothing at all.

[kekid]

I also assume these would be treated as custom orders and priced accordingly. It would be interesting to see pricing and packaging options.

[Matt]

Here is a link to the full HP press release.

It says, in part, that they are specifically targeting foreign and independent movies with this service.

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this sticking around a while. Even if download-on-demand becomes a reality and the primary way of accessing mainstream and recent releases for home viewing, no one is going to want to spend the money to keep thousands of obscure movies on servers waiting to be downloaded by a relatively small audience. However, keeping around digital masters for duplication and running a burn-on-demand service with fast turnaround could be profitable for content providers and a real boon to people like us who just want a decent looking copy, with no extras, of the Roz Russell version of My Sister Eileen, for example.

Older Columbia titles not available on DVD have been turning up with some regularity on TCM over the past year, so Sony may actually be doing regular transferring of their catalog in preparation for something like this. And let's not forget all of those titles that have been restored over the past several years that have still, for whatever reason, not made it to DVD. All those Boetticher/Scott westerns, for starters.

[jaredsap]

Even if download-on-demand becomes a reality and the primary way of accessing mainstream and recent releases for home viewing, no one is going to want to spend the money to keep thousands of obscure movies on servers waiting to be downloaded by a relatively small audience. However, keeping around digital masters for duplication and running a burn-on-demand service with fast turnaround could be profitable for content providers...

I'm confused on your thinking here. Why is keeping the titles on a server for download-on-demand more expensive than keeping them on a hard drive for burn-on-demand? If anything, the latter distribution method is more expensive due to labor, packaging and shipping costs. It's precisely the fact that there is essentially no technological difference that makes burn-on-demand the logical predecessor to an all-digital movie world.

[Person]

Perhaps it is time that Criterion approached Sony (again?) and made offers to license certain titles. I mean, who the hell are Hewlett Packard when it comes to movies or DVDs?! What difference would it make? Or is it the case that this will be downloads only, not discs available in stores and etailers? A weird, uncharacteristic move from $ony, but most welcome - hopefully.

[Matt]

I'm confused on your thinking here. Why is keeping the titles on a server for download-on-demand more expensive than keeping them on a hard drive for burn-on-demand?

Okay, so I'm no Bill Gates. It just seems to me that server space is still very expensive (moreso than simple storage space) and that Sony would probably rather have servers full of Spiderman 3 and Walk Hard than servers dedicated to Ann Miller musical comedies.

If anything, the latter distribution method is more expensive due to labor, packaging and shipping costs.

All of which will be passes on to the consumer in the price.

[jaredsap]

Perhaps it is time that Criterion approached Sony (again?) and made offers to license certain titles. I mean, who the hell are Hewlett Packard when it comes to movies or DVDs?! What difference would it make? Or is it the case that this will be downloads only, not discs available in stores and etailers?

Nothing will appear in stores. The discs will be ordered online and created for consumers on an order-by-order basis.

You raise a good point, though. If Sony is offering catalogue gems through this HP service, it seems like they could make just as much -- if not more -- money releasing the titles through Criterion.

[starmanof51]

servers dedicated to Ann Miller musical comedies.

The very idea has me grinning from ear to ear. A world with servers dedicated to Ann Miller musical comedies is a world worth living in!

[HerrSchreck]

[And it's a safe bet that the majority of those that haven't been specifically mastered to DVD will only exist in VHS or TV-friendly versions - i.e. in 4:3 regardless of the original aspect ratio.

That's the very first thing that popped into my head too. Many of the films will probably be not restored and will probably be from analog transfers. Anyone who thinks every individual order is going to kick off a 5 or 6 figure hd telecine pass will be disappointed, at least for the more marginal stuff.

But still, I buy plenty of alpha & Cinema Epoch dvd's when necc to get my hands on obscurities, so its par for the course... provided the price is worth it.

[Antoine Doinel]

Even if download-on-demand becomes a reality and the primary way of accessing mainstream and recent releases for home viewing, no one is going to want to spend the money to keep thousands of obscure movies on servers waiting to be downloaded by a relatively small audience. However, keeping around digital masters for duplication and running a burn-on-demand service with fast turnaround could be profitable for content providers...

I'm confused on your thinking here. Why is keeping the titles on a server for download-on-demand more expensive than keeping them on a hard drive for burn-on-demand? If anything, the latter distribution method is more expensive due to labor, packaging and shipping costs. It's precisely the fact that there is essentially no technological difference that makes burn-on-demand the logical predecessor to an all-digital movie world.

A download-on-demand service would require servers that could handle potentially large numbers of people downloading huge files simultaneously.
Also, there are the inevitable headaches if people get disconnected, partial downloads, files that don't work on their system etc.

A download to burn scenario would be a bit less taxing financially and structurally. I'm guessing by partnering with HP, a big chunk of that sort of infrastructure is being handled by them. I'm guessing HP configured a server database for Sony that automatically kicks over the selected file, when ordered, to a duplicator which spits out a disc, is packaged in a warehouse and then shipped out.

[Adam]

It does mean that there will be no special features on any of these discs though. No money to produce any.

Smithsonian Folkways has something like this for music. Every Folkways release is always available, if not in print. You pay $15 or $18, the burn you a copy with a decent page of liner notes folded up in the case as well. It might well be something like that, unless it's all just download & streaming.

[dx23]

Perhaps it is time that Criterion approached Sony (again?) and made offers to license certain titles. I mean, who the hell are Hewlett Packard when it comes to movies or DVDs?! What difference would it make? Or is it the case that this will be downloads only, not discs available in stores and etailers?

Nothing will appear in stores. The discs will be ordered online and created for consumers on an order-by-order basis.

You raise a good point, though. If Sony is offering catalogue gems through this HP service, it seems like they could make just as much -- if not more -- money releasing the titles through Criterion.

Around 2 years ago, Sony took many titles OOP with the purpose of licensing them to third parties. As of today, none of the titles has been re-released in any form, which makes me think that Sony is putting too high of a price for a company like Criterion, Anchor Bay or Blue Underground to snag them and do elaborate release. It seems to me that only a company like HP would have the enough cash to embark in a business like this, putting up with all the BS Sony will most likely throw at them.

[planetjake]

Did someone just say Husbands? Va Savoir+? Three on a Couch? Who's Minding the Mint?

When is WB going to get on this? I need me some Cracking Up!

But yeah, Three on a Couch, BIG TIME!

[LightBulbFilm]

Oooooohhhh.... The Pumpkin Eater!

[dr. calamari]

This seems like quite a good idea, in theory...how it will actually work is of course another matter. Also, some of us who aren't as well informed as the rest of you on this forum don't really know what films Sony has in it's vaults; anyone have any idea where this information can be gotten, and which (all? most? some?) films will be made available in this new marketing scheme? I for one would love to see Peter Lorre in Face Behind The Mask and Jack Benny in The Horn Blows At Midnight, and would certainly use this service if those two (among many) films were made available.

[Jameson281]

I for one would love to see Peter Lorre in Face Behind The Mask and Jack Benny in The Horn Blows At Midnight, and would certainly use this service if those two (among many) films were made available.

Sony reportedly has an ICONS OF HORROR: PETER LORRE set in development that will include FACE BEHIND THE MASK. THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT is owned by Warners.

[LightBulbFilm]

I'm confused is this going to be like HP gets a request and gets a film released to the mass market, or are they going to send you some shitty DVD-R of the film...

[backstreetsbackalright]

I'm confused is this going to be like HP gets a request and gets a film released to the mass market, or are they going to send you some shitty DVD-R of the film...

I presume its the latter. But, if handled correctly (I know, this is assuming a lot), this could be some next level shit.

Instead of waiting forever for a company like Sony to find justification for mass market circulation of niche market product, this may offer a viable means of niche market distribution. In a perfect world, this will involve some no-frills cover art (maybe just a scan of an original poster?), but even a DVD-R is a hell of a step above no distribution at all.

The real question is what the quality of the prints and transfers will be. I can't see that, if Sony feels that a film isn't worth shipping off to the Virgin Megastore, they'll have any budget for restoration either. Hopefully we're not talking bootleg quality. But even if we're talking barely-watchable, I mean, I've paid for B-, C-, and D-grade picture quality from 8minutes and SHF as it is. And when I do that, I'm not sending any pennies in the direction of the filmmakers, nor am I sending any quantifiable message that there's interest for such films.

Finally (and here I'm completely ignorant), might this sort of digital backing-up help prevent the loss or destruction of rare films?

[MichaelB]

Instead of waiting forever for a company like Sony to find justification for mass market circulation of niche market product, this may offer a viable means of niche market distribution. In a perfect world, this will involve some no-frills cover art (maybe just a scan of an original poster?), but even a DVD-R is a hell of a step above no distribution at all.

I have a book on Soviet cinema originally published in the 1980s and since available on a very similar "print to order" basis. Essentially, you get a paperback facsimile of the original text, but with a plain cover. I imagine something very similar here - though of course if Sony still has the original poster artwork they could conceivably knock up a standard template onto which it can simply be dropped.

The real question is what the quality of the prints and transfers will be. I can't see that, if Sony feels that a film isn't worth shipping off to the Virgin Megastore, they'll have any budget for restoration either. Hopefully we're not talking bootleg quality. But even if we're talking barely-watchable, I mean, I've paid for B-, C-, and D-grade picture quality from 8minutes and SHF as it is.

I'd assume it would be a straightforward encode of the most recently-created TV/video master. In other words, the picture quality will probably be perfectly acceptable, if scarcely state-of-the-art - the kind of thing you might see on TCM or a similar cable channel. Logically, it shouldn't be any worse than that as it'll be unlikely to be more than a generation removed from a 35mm print, so the usual bootleg issues won't apply.

[dr. calamari]

I for one would love to see Peter Lorre in Face Behind The Mask and Jack Benny in The Horn Blows At Midnight, and would certainly use this service if those two (among many) films were made available.

Sony reportedly has an ICONS OF HORROR: PETER LORRE set in development that will include FACE BEHIND THE MASK. THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT is owned by Warners.

Thank You, that's good news indeed.

[Antoine Doinel]

I work at a very large corporate computer reseller, and I just noticed today that HP has a bunch of mobile workstations now shipping with BluRay drives standard with the option of a BR burner as well.