AfterDawn: News

Sony launches 'Classics by Request' service

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has launched "Screen Classics by Request" this week, an online service that allows classic movie fans to purchase films from Columbia Picture's catalog, on-demand, for the first time ever.

Visitors to www.Columbia-Classics.com can choose to purchase films released as far back as the 1930s, on-demand, for $20 plus shipping.



Some films are even available in Blu-ray and include the original theatrical box art when available.

The on-demand program will allow the studios to bring the the content to the market in the most cost-effective way, only when the consumer actually wants it.

"The launch of ‘Screen Classics By Request’ is an important step in the evolution of our multiplatform distribution strategy," adds John Calkins, EVP of global digital and commercial innovation with SPHE.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Sep 2010 0:23

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• 6 comments

• davidike

  lol here go sony again ripping off the public, all them movies should now be in the public domain but thanks to scum corporations sony & disney copywrite was extended retrospectively. Business before culture click the link in my signature.
  
  LUBE UP FOR SONY PEOPLE.
  

  "The public domain is a dicgrace to the forces of evil"
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

  21.9.2010 06:24 #1

• babelfish

  Originally posted by davidike: lol here go sony again ripping off the public, all them movies should now be in the public domain but thanks to scum corporations sony & disney copywrite was extended retrospectively. Business before culture click the link in my signature.
  
  LUBE UP FOR SONY PEOPLE. dont be a dick. if you create something - would you be happy giving it away? what if it was your only decent film? its not just sony that make the cash - there are directors and writers etc that want some cash for what they did. i dont go to work for free - do you?
  
  now, i will agree that its expensive for what it is - halve the cost and its more fair (or even quarter - since they will be the films that are £3 in supermarkets)
  

  :: If you were a woman i'd sock you - Peter Griffin ::

  23.9.2010 05:23 #2

• davidike

  Originally posted by babelfish: Originally posted by davidike: lol here go sony again ripping off the public, all them movies should now be in the public domain but thanks to scum corporations sony & disney copywrite was extended retrospectively. Business before culture click the link in my signature.
  
  LUBE UP FOR SONY PEOPLE. dont be a dick. if you create something - would you be happy giving it away? what if it was your only decent film? its not just sony that make the cash - there are directors and writers etc that want some cash for what they did. i dont go to work for free - do you?
  
  now, i will agree that its expensive for what it is - halve the cost and its more fair (or even quarter - since they will be the films that are £3 in supermarkets) after 14years works used to drop into the public domain so that we could advance and build on our culture, so any amount of money for old films is wrong but thanks to the likes of sony and disney copywrite now lasts 175 years just so these directors and writers who appear to live unnaturally long lives can be compensated as you say....
  

  "The public domain is a dicgrace to the forces of evil"
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

  23.9.2010 05:46 #3

• babelfish

  Originally posted by davidike: Originally posted by babelfish: Originally posted by davidike: lol here go sony again ripping off the public, all them movies should now be in the public domain but thanks to scum corporations sony & disney copywrite was extended retrospectively. Business before culture click the link in my signature.
  
  LUBE UP FOR SONY PEOPLE. dont be a dick. if you create something - would you be happy giving it away? what if it was your only decent film? its not just sony that make the cash - there are directors and writers etc that want some cash for what they did. i dont go to work for free - do you?
  
  now, i will agree that its expensive for what it is - halve the cost and its more fair (or even quarter - since they will be the films that are £3 in supermarkets) after 14years works used to drop into the public domain so that we could advance and build on our culture, so any amount of money for old films is wrong but thanks to the likes of sony and disney copywrite now lasts 175 years just so these directors and writers who appear to live unnaturally long lives can be compensated as you say.... so george lucas doesnt deserve any cash from sales of star wars? fair enough i think it should last until the rights holder has died. thats fair enough. 175 years is far too much... but credit to the people who make the stuff
  
  but if i write 1 killer movie, why should i only get 15 years profits? it might take 5 years to go from idea to release - maybe more. avatar took 10 years.
  
  why shouldnt paul mccartney still get money from the beetles stuff? etc etc.
  
  i can see what you are saying - big megacorps that did nothing shouldnt rake it in - but i want to see money going to decent directors - it keeps them working on good stuff.
  

  :: If you were a woman i'd sock you - Peter Griffin ::

  23.9.2010 06:08 #4

• Jemborg

  Originally posted by babelfish: Originally posted by davidike: Originally posted by babelfish: Originally posted by davidike: lol here go sony again ripping off the public, all them movies should now be in the public domain but thanks to scum corporations sony & disney copywrite was extended retrospectively. Business before culture click the link in my signature.
  
  LUBE UP FOR SONY PEOPLE. dont be a dick. if you create something - would you be happy giving it away? what if it was your only decent film? its not just sony that make the cash - there are directors and writers etc that want some cash for what they did. i dont go to work for free - do you?
  
  now, i will agree that its expensive for what it is - halve the cost and its more fair (or even quarter - since they will be the films that are £3 in supermarkets) after 14years works used to drop into the public domain so that we could advance and build on our culture, so any amount of money for old films is wrong but thanks to the likes of sony and disney copywrite now lasts 175 years just so these directors and writers who appear to live unnaturally long lives can be compensated as you say.... so george lucas doesnt deserve any cash from sales of star wars? fair enough i think it should last until the rights holder has died. thats fair enough. 175 years is far too much... but credit to the people who make the stuff
  
  but if i write 1 killer movie, why should i only get 15 years profits? it might take 5 years to go from idea to release - maybe more. avatar took 10 years.
  
  why shouldnt paul mccartney still get money from the beetles stuff? etc etc.
  
  i can see what you are saying - big megacorps that did nothing shouldnt rake it in - but i want to see money going to decent directors - it keeps them working on good stuff. Davidfish is right, nothing is really 100% original, it's all based on stuff that's gone beforehand. To put it another way nothing arises from a vacuum. That's why patents don't go forever.
  
  Maybe your right that 14 years is too short (how long is someone's patent btw?) but is it right that the descendants of William Burrows can still leach off his work, or that the "Estate" of Charles Chaplin can still sue over some reference to his work?
  
  
  ------------------------------------------------------
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  

  23.9.2010 09:52 #5

• six60six

  this is how it should be for anything digital. nothing should ever go out of print, ever. also if you're gonna sell me a movie download, sell me an .iso of the disc you are shipping ffs.

  24.9.2010 19:56 #6