Warner Archive Collection Launches Streaming Service

Over the past few years, we’ve seen folks like Netflix and Hulu dominate the world of streaming online video. The Criterion Collection still has select titles available for streaming on their website, but they are now primarily connected with Hulu Plus. Ultraviolet has yet to fully take over the digital copy marketplace, so long as many folks look to Apple’s iTunes as their way of renting and purchasing digital content. Warner Brothers is one of the main investors and proponents of Ultraviolet, but they are now dipping their toes into a new, niche streaming service.

We’re all huge fans of the Warner Archive Collection here at the site. In the past they’ve sponsored the podcast, and we’ve teamed up for our meet-up at Comic Con. They release some of the most obscure titles around, digging deep into the salt mines for films that might have an audience. They’ve recently started releasing titles on Blu-ray, with films like the Hudsucker Proxy on the way.

Tonight, their new streaming service: Warner Archive Instant, went live. Well, live as in you’ll need to be included in their beta, but the public facing page is live, so I can write about it.

Here is what they have to say about the service, from their FAQ:

Warner Archive Instant is the new streaming service of the Warner Archive (WarnerArchive.com). Warner Archive Instant lets you instantly view hundreds of rare and hard-to-find movies, TV shows and cartoons, culled from Warner Bros. library – the largest entertainment library in the world. Now is your chance to discover – and rediscover – rare movies and TV shows you can’t find anywhere else (and some favorites you can) from Warner Bros., MGM, RKO, New Line, Monogram, Allied Artists, Lorimar and more.

Right now if you want to watch their content through your television, you’ll need a Roku box. But with a Roku box, you’ll be able to get 1080p content on select titles.

There isn’t currently a price listed on the site for the service, but it will probably be comparable to a Netflix or Hulu subscription, hopefully under $10 per month. If you are someone who is constantly shelling out $15-$20 for the Warner Archive titles each month, this subscription is a no-brainer.

I’m curious to hear what you all think about this new streaming service, so I’ll turn on the comments for this post. Have at it!