Amazon and Microsoft have teamed up to form the 1,000 HD
DVD Indies Project. According to their press release, the project will provide free authoring and setup services for up to 1,000indie
titles. These titles will then be produced on demand by CustomFlix.
Amazon.comInc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), and Microsoft Corp.
(Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced the1,000 HD DVD Indies Project, designed to lower the barriers to entry forfilmmakers to produce and
distribute movies in the HD DVD format throughthe innovative manufacturing-on-demand technology of CustomFlix, a part ofan Amazon group
of companies. Jointly sponsored by Amazon and Microsoft,the project will provide free authoring and setup services for up to
1,000selected indie titles.
"This collaboration with Microsoft is a great opportunity forindependent filmmakers to reach
Amazon customers with their films via theHD DVD format," said Peter Faricy, vice president of music and movies atAmazon.com. "By working
together with Microsoft and leveraging the provenCustomFlix DVD on Demand model, we can lower the barriers to entry forindependent
filmmakers and dramatically increase the selection we offer ourcustomers."
The project will be spearheaded by CustomFlix,
which will bring as manyas 1,000 feature-length independent films to Amazon customers using theCustomFlix DVD on Demand technology, which
produces and ships DVDs only asthey are ordered. This model greatly improves the cost structure forindependent filmmakers by eliminating
the need for costly inventory.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. If indie film makers take advantage of this
project, it just might be what HD DVD needs to jump back in the lead. Full details can be found here.
