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Sony pushing early high-def VOD window - June 27, 2008

Not clear if it's related to the MPAA's full-court press for a waiver of the FCC's rules restricting the use of selectable output controls on set-top boxes, but Sony Pictures has definite plans for to open a new, early VOD window this year. In unveiling Sony Corp.'s new, integrated corporate strategy yesterday, chairman Howard Stringer announced that Sony Picture's summer theatrical release "Hancock," starring Will Smith, will be available for streaming later this year, ahead of its DVD release, by owners of Sony Bravia HDTV sets that are connected to the Internet.

Access to the early availability of "Hancock" by owners of network-enabled Bravia TVs does not require a cable or satellite subscription, so it would not be covered by the SOC rules, which don't apply to Internet-delivered video. Moreover, Bravia sets have no video outputs to turn off, so the question is moot. No waiver is required for Sony to go ahead with its plans.

Sony is also heavily invested in Blu-ray Disc. Making movies available ahead of their DVD and Blu-ray release beyond the relatively small market of Bravia owners could undercut Sony's efforts to promote the Blu-ray format.

But Sony's "Hancock" plans are another indication that optical discs are on their way to losing their primacy in the post-theatrical food chain. In Sony's case, the move toward an early VOD window may be driven as much by a desire to promote networked-enabled consumer electronics devices as by any impetus from Sony Pictures. But for everybody else in the food chain, the effect is the same.
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