On Demand DVDs for a Recession

Thank you to Dan Farber, president of editorial at CNET Networks and editor in chief of ZDNet, and his Jan 11 mention and quote from Jeff Kaplan -- and I quote directly below:

"With 'recession' permeating the air, on demand services are looking even more attractive to CIOs and investors. Jeff Kaplan, managing director of THINKstrategies, wrote: Escalating oil prices, the uncertain political landscape and faltering financial institutions beset with the aftereffects of the sub-prime lending debacle could mean a tough year for the economy. In this tenuous climate, consumer and executive confidence could decline, leading to an economic slowdown. As a result, many companies could hold back on their capital investments to mitigate their risks. The ability to adopt on-demand services on a pay-as-you-go basis will be a perfect sourcing strategy for businesses seeking greater cost-controls and flexibility."

Acutrack already knows that On Demand services are the future because of customers who are happily garnering the rewards. This is a system that allows customers to manufacture CDs & DVDs on an "as needed" basis, eliminating the up-front costs normally associated with CD/DVD production.

"We give the highest marks to Acutrack for their DVD On Demand solution. We are thrilled with the level of services that they provide SimpleStar," said David McKie, vice president of business development.

This is a company that develops software products and services to help consumers share their memories in new ways via its photo platform called PhotoShow, an easy-to-use photo platform. The software is distributed through partners such as cable companies, digital media software providers, online photo services, retailers with photofinishing services and hardware manufacturers.

SimpleStar has been working with Acutrack for three years, for its PhotoShow DVD service, enabling fulfillment of online slide shows that people want to share with family and friends. A combined solution, SimpleStar and Acutrack have mastered on demand video encoding and one off DVD manufacturing. They use Acutrack for SimpleStar branded customers and service other customers.

SimpleStar customers view the slide show and then they can select custom packaging for CD or DVD labels and cases. They preview the show, order it. Acutrack then provides the back end for manufacturing services, therefore the quality of Acutrack’s printing and fulfillment services is an integral part of SimpleStar’s business.

The bottom line is that while SimpleStar does the rendering, Acutrack burns, prints, and handles the packaging including, labels, covers, cases and shipping.