Warner Archive Launches Streaming Service Beta

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February 10, 2013

Oh, my, my. This is a dream come true for a number of old-movie fans. I love the Warner Archive for bringing so many classic and lesser-known films to DVD. Now comes word that they’re working on a subscription streaming service, currently in restricted beta, called Warner Archive Instant.

They’re promising access to their rare movies, TV shows, and cartoons through computer (PC or Mac using Microsoft Silverlight) or TV (in high definition through a Roku box). No mobile or handheld yet, but they mention plans to add additional devices in future. I’m very curious to see how much they’ll charge for this and when it becomes generally available.

2 Responses

James Schee writes:

February 10, 2013 at 9:46 PM

Hopefully they price better than the Redbox Instant beta I was a part of. Very small range of movies for the $8 a month rental fee, then $4.99 and up to rent or buy online to watch a slightly larger selection of movies.

Jim Kosmicki writes:

February 15, 2013 at 8:23 AM

I got my beta invitation on the last day they sent them out. I don’t normally like watching streaming on my laptop, but since it won’t work on the iPad yet, that’s what I’ve got. The selection is nice. But the rub, as indicated by James Schee and yourself, will be what they want to charge per year or month or movie.

If it’s cheap enough, it’s a nice way to preview some of the more obscure Archive releases to determine if I want them in my collection. I can see this working very well to increase my purchases from Warner Archive, if they’re willing to price it appropriately.