Then Again, Who Needs A New Disc Format, Anyways? Pt I

At least, that's what Irish tech company PortoMedia thinks. PortoMedia is rolling out video rental kiosks that load rental content onto flash media.

CNet: Coming soon: Movies on flash memory cards

While other companies see the Internet as the answer to that question, Armstrong has another idea. PortoMedia is setting up kiosks that will letconsumers download movies to a flash memory key or portable hard drive.
The kiosks will be packed with hard drives that can hold 350 to 5,000 titles. Users then plug in a memory device from the company, enter a PIN code, and buy or rent a movie. When consumers get home, they simply slide the memory device into a dock connected to a TV.
The key to the service is a proprietary USB interface that transfers data at a faster average rate than standard USB devices. A standard-definition movie can be loaded onto a memory device in 8 to 60 seconds, depending on the length and chip speed. High-definition movies, which won't be available initially on the service, can be downloaded in 18 to 45 seconds. The USB interface works just fine with the USB slots on PCs and notebooks.

Okay, it's not internet media, but it's an interesting twist, and it's probably one more nail in the coffin of optical disc media.

Believe me when I say that I will be watching developments in this space with great interest.

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DVD resellers make money even at bargain bin prices

I ran across a great article that explains the sudden boom in cut-price DVDs that have suddenly become available in every outlet from the grocery store to the gas station.

Seattle Post Intelligencer: DVD liquidator ensures you see the bigger pictures for less

Ryan Kugler is known as the video industry's scrap collector, but he doesn't mind.
He sees himself as doing studios a favor by buying up the surplus DVDs they would otherwise be stuck with, then reselling them to retailers.
Chances are that when you rummage through old movies in discount bins at Wal-Mart, Best Buy or even a local car wash, Kugler's fingerprints are on them.
"It's like guys who buy foreclosures -- they get the house they want for a lower price," said Kugler, who runs Burbank-based Distribution Video & Audio Inc. with his brother, Brad.
With the growth in DVD sales leveling off, and stores such as Sam Goody and Tower Records closing, Kugler's DVD liquidation business is booming.
Last year, the company grew by 40 percent, generating about $24 million in revenue on the sale of more than 17 million DVDs, CDs, video games and books.

Aside from the obvious lesson that ultimately, there's a market for every product, there's also the realization that when you look at the assortment of DVD movies available for sale in bargain bin locations, overestimating the total pressings of DVDs to produce in the first place has to be a fairly common and egregious error.

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