It has been nearly 10 years since Criterion entered the world of DVD, following up a successful foray into the world of laserdiscs where they made their name on quality products.

It is amazing to me that it has taken this long for them to pull together a 2-disc set for Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, largely considered to be the greatest film in motion picture history. But that's the world of DVD for you, a world wrought with many licensing issues and broken dreams. Fittingly, Bicycle Thieves is out February 13th in time for Valentine's Day - so here's a great opportunity to express your love to the film buff of your choosing. So far it's looking really good (as it should): collection of interviews with De Sica's colleagues, new documentary on neorealism and more.

Looking forward, Criterion will be reinforcing their already fantastic collection of classic Asian titles starting in February (20th) with Mikio Naruse's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs featuring Hideko Takamine. In March we get two more Kon Ichikawa titles; The Burmese Harp and Fires on the Plains - both stern reflections on Japanese involvement in World War II.

Further ahead, Criterion gives us two more Dassin noir thrillers, 1948's The Naked City and Brute Force, starring Burt Lancaster and Hume Cronyn - both featuring audio commentaries and a host of features.

I'd be interested to find out Criterion's plan for the future of its catalog. Having nearly 400 titles in their DVD library, it would be unfortunate to see them split formats for either HD or Blu-Ray... especially as some of their titles look just about as good as they can where they are. Still, having made so many advances in the world of DVD one can only assume their talents could be put to good use anywhere they go.

If you're like me, you hate going to the movie store since they probably won't have what you want anyway... and if they do, someone already got the one copy they did have. So of course NetFlix is booming because of what they offer consumers - a huge catalog of over 65,000 titles and fast, free shipping.

It may suprise you to know that BlockBuster is actually doing NetFlix one better - allowing the same online access to a massive catalog (over 60,000 by current estimates) and allowing in-store returns for free movie rentals and faster queuing of shipped titles. Check out some of the quick facts about this exciting new service and check back soon for a review of how it works out. So far I am pretty impressed with their speed and selection.

- BLOCKBUSTER Total Access gives online customers the option of returning their DVDs through the mail or exchanging them at a participating BLOCKBUSTER store for free in-store movie rentals.

- For each online rental exchanged in the store, customers can receive a free in-store movie rental, essentially allowing them to double the number of movies they can access each month. In-store movies are still subject to store rental terms, including due dates, and must be returned to the store from which they were rented.

- Online subscribers never have to be without a movie - it's online renting without the wait.

- BLOCKBUSTER Total Access allows subscribers to generally get their online movie(s) a day faster than if they had dropped the return movies in the mail, because when subscribers return their online rentals to a participating BLOCKBUSTER store in their return envelope, the store check-in automatically initiates the process of shipping the next available movie(s) in the subscriber's rental queue.

- BLOCKBUSTER Total Access provides online subscribers with the greatest ease, convenience and choice by combining online rentals with in-store returns and free in-store rentals.

- It's the best of both worlds - no other online rental service offers the convenience of renting movies online and the choice of return by mail or in-store where you can exchange them for free in-store rentals.

10 Benefits of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access:

1) Huge selection: 60,000+ online titles.

2) Double your movies: Free movie coupons for every DVD you return in-store.

3) Hot-swap: Change your mind about a movie? Swap your DVD in-store for a new title.

4) Discover new movies: BLOCKBUSTER's movie recommendation engine will suggest new movies based on your ratings and past selections.

5) More Options: Subscribers have the choice of mailing back online movies, exchanging them at any participating BLOCKBUSTER store, or a combination of both.

6) No Waiting: Subscribers can instantly satisfy their spontaneous rental needs by exchanging a movie in the store for a new one - they don't have to wait for their movie to arrive in the mail.

7) Faster Shipping: Since the store check-in process will automatically initiate the process of shipping the next available movie(s) in the rental queue, customers generally will get their online movie(s) a day faster than if they had dropped the return movies in the mail themselves.

8) No Extra Charge: All current and new online rental subscribers were upgraded to the BLOCKBUSTER Total Access program at no additional monthly fee.

9) More movies: Subscribers will also receive a free in-store rental coupon each month. Movies received through the in-store exchange or via free rental coupons do not count against the total number of DVDs an online customer can have out at one time per their subscription plan.