Midwest Tape Now Offers Warner Bros. Archive Movies on Demand

In an effort to show continued dedication to film preservation, Warner Bros. has made Hollywood’s largest film vault available to the public in the form of the Warner Archive Collection¹. Through our partnership with Warner Bros., we now offer this collection, which currently consists of over 300 titles with additional titles added each month.

The Warner Archive Collection provides classic titles, most of which may have never been offered for sale through retail vendors due to the high cost of remastering, producing, and promoting², from over 60 years of Warner Bros. Studio history.  The titles—all from pre-1986 MGM, RKO Radio Pictures, and Warner Bros. films, such as Once upon a Honeymoon, I Was a Communist for the FBI, and Sunrise at Campobello—are made available through DVD on-demand¹.

What is DVD on-demand?
According to Warner Bros., “DVDs produced on-demand are similar to, but not quite [the] same as, DVDs you'd buy at the local video store. DVD movies you buy at the local video outlet are manufactured from a mold via a stamping process whereas on-demand DVDs are 'burned.' Each carries information read by the DVD player; [however], the physical properties of the two are different”³. Therefore, Archive Collection titles are individually burned based on order, rather than churned out in bulk amounts and disseminated to retailers and media distributors. 

Warner Bros. continues, explaining that their “on-demand DVDs are manufactured using the most widely accepted [DVD] format, DVD-R”³.  As noted in an earlier News & Views post (DVD-R vs. DVD+R), DVD-Rs are developed through duplication (disc burning) with retail DVDs that are manufactured with a cost-effective violet dye, thus creating the violet or blue disc bottoms.  Almost all contemporary DVD players can read the DVD-R format.

How can I find this collection at Midwest Tape online?
There are several ways you can access Midwest Tape’s “Warner Archive” collection via the Midwest Tape website:

• Select “Warner Archive” while browsing DVD collections via Browse.
• Search via SmartBrowse stock number prefix WDO to access all available Warner Archive Collection titles.  
• Select the “Warner Archive” collection displayed on the Midwest Tape homepage.

¹http://losangeles.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2009/03/23/daily2.html
²http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_bloodshot_eye/2009/12/warner.html
³http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE_FAQ,default,pg.html

Playaway Changes How They Package Audio Players

Playaway is making a change to the way they package all Playaway audio players.  Starting January 1, 2010, all Playaway audio players will be shipped with the batteries uninstalled.  A battery will still ship with each Playaway; however, it will now be located inside the case rather than inside the unit.

Findaway, the creator of Playaway, devised this solution after receiving a great deal of customer feedback regarding battery issues, namely excessive battery drain.  Leaving the battery outside of the product during shipping ensures longer battery life.

Does your library circulate Playaway audio players?  What feedback have you received about Playaway from your patrons?  Share your Playaway feedback and experiences here as comments. 

If you have any questions regarding Playaway’s change in product handling or Playaway products in general, please contact Customer Service at 1.800.875.2785. 

Midwest Tape’s Normal Cart is Back!

Based on customer feedback, we’ve made a few changes to our website.  Now customers can transition between the SmartCart and Normal Cart with a simple click.  To transition from SmartCart to the Normal Cart view, simply click the “Normal Cart” icon in the top menu bar (see below; click image to see a larger view).

And to transition from the normal cart view to SmartCart, simply click the icon on the top right-hand side of the normal cart screen (see below; click image to see a larger view).

Your comments fuel our development as a company and the continuous improvement of our online tools; please share your feedback about or post any questions regarding our cart functions here as comments.

Additionally, if you have any questions regarding the Smart Cart or Normal Cart, please contact Customer Service at 1.800.875.2785.

Have a happy holiday!

Described Video Now on Select Sony Box Office Films

In an article in Home Video Magazine, Chris Tribbey notes that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the latest studio to release DVDs with described video, or Descriptive Video Service (DVS)¹.  DVS—pioneered by WGBH Media Access Group—provides audio descriptions of key visual elements within such visual media formats as TV and film to visually impaired and blind audiences².  WGBH, the Public Broadcasting Station in Boston, Massachusetts, developed its Media Access Group roughly 30 years ago with the mission of creating and delivering captioned and described media “to people in their homes, classrooms, at work, and in the community”³.  With over 20 million people in the U.S.—12 million of them movie watchers—possessing some form of significant visual impairment, major studios are stepping up to enhance the public’s media-viewing experience⁴.

Such studios as PBS Home Video and Universal Studios Home Entertainment provide described video on select DVD titles.  Now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will provide described video on select DVD and Blu-ray Disc™ releases of box office feature films, starting with The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and followed by such hits as District 9, The Ugly Truth, and Julie & Julia⁴.

According to Home Video Magazine, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment lists the described video feature as an audio option in the languages menu of their DVDs and Blu-rays¹.  And while some studios simply state “Described Video Services” or “SAP” on the packaging of any titles that feature described video, others note the option on their packaging with symbols (examples below).

When looking for titles that feature described video on the Midwest Tape website, search via SmartBrowse™ keyword “described video” to view the DVD (and now Blu-ray) titles we’ve categorized as having the described video feature.

¹ http://www.homemediamagazine.com/sony-pictures/sony-partners-with-wgbh-deliver-descriptive-video-service-dvds-16939

²http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/resources/the-abcs-of-dvs.html

³ http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/about/

⁴ http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6687351.html

Year End is Around the Corner and Midwest Tape is Standing By

Our superior customer service is free.
We understand your needs as a library, and it is our goal to make this process as manageable as possible. We are offering assistance to make your year end experience successful and stress-free.

Here's how we can help:

• We can provide product in hand and invoiced by a specified date.

• We can offer the necessary information to reconcile what you’ve already spent.

• Our collection development team can aid you in fulfilling remaining budgets.

Let us help you. Call ahead and speak to one of our customer service representatives. It is important to give your representative time to handle your inquiries and requests.

Contact us today at 800.875.2785.  Thanks, and Happy Holidays!