Blockbuster ExpressHow patient are you? Do you want to see one of this week's big releases on DVD? You can rent one for just $1.00 per night from thousands of kiosks across the country -- if you're willing to wait 28 days, that is.

If, on the other hand, you're in a hurry to see them and are willing to pay three time as much, Universal Pictures will soon be pleased to accommodate you.

Universal is preparing to test out a new pricing scheme that would make select titles available for rental at Blockbuster Express kiosks the same day they go on sale, according to the Los Angeles Times. The price might be as high as $3.00 for the first night and $2.00 for additional nights. (The price will drop back to $1.00 after 28 days.)

Operated by NCR Corp., more than 7,000 Blockbuster Express kiosks compete nationwide with more than 23,000 locations for Redbox and other smaller DVD kiosk operators.

Universal got into a legal fight with Redbox last year because they wanted a 45-day window before making new releases available for rental, eventually settling for the same 30-day window insisted upon by Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.



RedboxNaturally enough, interest in a title on DVD is always highest during its first week of release. Rental operations, whether kiosks or physical stores, usually prepare for this by purchasing enough titles to accommodate all the potential renters who are only interested in seeing what's new. If the rental operation buys too more copies -- paying out more than than it can eventually recoup through rentals -- it loses money.

Therefore, it's not necessarily a bad thing, financially, for Redbox, Blockbuster Express and Netflix to be forced by some studios to wait 28-30 days before renting new titles, as long as they don't lose customers who are unhappy that they have to wait that long. (Despite recently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Blockbuster said its kiosks will continue to operate.) The thinking has been that if someone really wants to see a new release, they can buy it, resulting in more profit for the studios. And not all studios have forced the consumer to wait before renting. For example, 'The Karate Kid' was released by Columbia Pictures this week on DVD and Blu-ray and is available at Blockbuster Express, Redbox and Netflix.

The question swings back to you, the consumer. What's more important: price or convenience? How much are you willing to pay to rent a movie from a kiosk? How patient are you? In these tight economic times, what's the optimum price to pay?