$30 for a new release movie at home? Studios think you'll pay

[p2p rules]

Three major movie studios are considering a deal with cable operators to offer recently released movies to viewers before they hit DVD. In Demand CEO Bob Benya is the one who revealed the plan, saying that Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney were trying to work out the details with his company, as well as Cox Communications, Comcast, and Time Warner.

The movies wouldn't exactly be cheap, though—the current figure being bandied about is $30 per showing in the comfort and convenience of your own home. The upside is that the films would be available for willing viewers months before the typical on-demand period (though they would still not see a simultaneous release with theaters).

As noted by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, movie studios are hesitant to shorten the typical 120-day post-theater-debut window, but they're also looking for new ways to make up for the decline in DVD sales. After all, there was a 10 percent increase in box office spending year-over-year in the US in 2009, while there was a 13 percent decrease in DVD sales. The studios are interested in finding that sweet spot where they can take advantage of viewers who don't like the theater, but also want to see a movie soon after it comes out.

In addition to the possibility of early on-demand access, Disney is also rumored to be in talks to stream films to the Xbox and PlayStation 3. Disney is expected to begin its test with only one movie, but pricing and timing has yet to be worked out.

Arstechnica
Lol wut $30 to rent new movies before they're out on DVD/BD when it'll be cheaper to wait a couple of months to buy them on DVD/BD.

[White Stripes]

even cheaper to wait a few more than that and hit the 'record' button at a friends house when it comes on hbo....

[GhostShip]

The big studios dont seem to have a clue that cheaper mass produced product will fly off the shelves while expensive elite market products will both fail to realise their potential and stagnate further investment (I say " investment" here but its all a tax avoidance scam as they actually use their own money and a ton of shell companies to scam the tax authorities) , are these hollywood folks really so retarded ?