Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is to make certain niche and deep catalogue titles in its library available on DVD through a Hewlett-Packard service that manufactures the discs on demand.

The Sony unit said the service will allow it to offer a broader range of content, including classic TV shows and foreign films, to consumers, without incurring high production and distribution costs that would otherwise make the release of such limited appeal titles unprofitable.

Typically, DVDs are sent in large quantities to retailers, who then return portions of the discs that haven't been sold. Increasing limitations in shelf space and gluts of inventory within certain categories can lead to quicker returns, hampering the profitability of a given release.

HP's manufactured-on-demand service is used to produce a DVD of any movie, TV show or other video content, regardless of niche or popularity. For studios and retailers, it can cut inventory, packaging and return costs.

No title to be released through this system has been announced yet, said Jason Spivak, senior vice president of strategic development for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, but some of the titles may be TV shows or films that haven't been available on DVD, he added. Pricing will be left up to individual retailers who use the HP service.

Story filed 28.01.08