Amazon and Microsoft said this week they will set up the Amazon CustomFlix service, which allows the creation of a High definition DVD from an online held file, which can subsequently be posted to your home, for 1,000 independent movies.
They’re going to have some fun finding 1,000 movies that realize they want that kind of help because film producers are fickle, but for Amazon this is all about selling the CustomFlix concept, something that simply hasn’t found its scale yet.
But if you want to prove a technology’s bona fides in movieland, the place to do it is among independent or Indie players, those that can’t find cinematic release or a DVD production run sponsored by one of the major film distribution businesses, all of which are owned by the Hollywood major studios.
Amazon and Microsoft are calling it the Indies Project, with the two providing free authoring and setup services for up to 1,000 selected titles.
It is also a way for Microsoft to apply its considerable dollars to its choice of High Definition DVD format, the HD DVD format from the DVD Forum, which is currently fighting a losing battle for dominance with the Sony backed Blu-ray DVD format.
Ironically HD DVD formatted films are finding shelf space hard to come by, so delivering the files to on demand, is a good way to support a losing format. Anyone that has made the mistake of buying the HD DVD upgrade to an Xbox 360 can ensure that there is some film content to play on it, by using the Indie service. On the other hand, the major studios have already made their choices and with the exception of one, they are backing Blu-ray.
‘Programs like this one from Amazon lower barriers to entry for independent artists and provide audiences with increased access to high-quality, high-definition content,’ said Christian Vesper, senior vice president of programming, acquisitions and scheduling for Sundance Channel.
Sundance Channel will be reviewing the high-definition features for potential broadcast on the network as well as making its own HD original eco-series, ‘Big Ideas for a Small Planet,’ available for purchase through Amazon’s HD DVD program.