Digital distribution is getting a little more love from some content providers this season as they experiment with releasing digital downloads of shows before the DVDs become available to consumers. However, this trend remains in the experimental stage, despite years of studios dipping their toes into the simultaneous- and early-release pool, and some providers remain steadfastly against giving the Internet any sort of advantage over their precious (and dying) DVD sales.

Two examples of providers who are tipping their hats to online distribution come via the Wall Street Journal. One is Sony Pictures, which has begun making the animated movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs available for rent to the owners of "some Sony TVs and other devices," even though the film won't be on DVD until January 5. The same also applies to Showtime's Weeds. The producer, Lionsgate Entertainment, chose to put episodes of the latest season online a week before they come out on DVD—a good move, since DVD sales are no longer allowing studios to print money like they used to.

Along the same lines, the hit AMC series Mad Men has been releasing its episodes online the day after airing, like many broadcast network shows—this has kept fans happy and buzz on the Internet strong. Similarly, other movie studios have spent this year closing the release window between DVD and video on demand (VOD) availability through certain VOD services.

Still, this doesn't mean that everyone's getting on board, or that those who are experimenting are doing it in a way that most of us would like. Weeds fans would have undoubtedly preferred to get those episodes a bit earlier, like when the season was still airing. Other Showtime shows, such as the latest season of Dexter, have also been infuriatingly missing from the Internet world (except on P2P networks, of course) and will probably remain so until the DVDs come out. By that time, many who would have paid for the episodes online or watched ads for them will have already pirated the entire season just to get their fix.

As an Apple TV owner, I can testify that one of the most frustrating things about the iTunes Store is finding a movie you want to rent and seeing that while it's available for purchase now, rentals will have to wait for another one, two, or three weeks. (I guarantee you that's a good way to ensure that I will walk away and then forget about the movie altogether when that three weeks rolls around.) That's on top of the fact that movies that are available for rent or purchase one day may eventually disappear altogether thanks to certain licensing agreements. This means my friend can't buy the same movie on iTunes that I bought a year ago, even though the movie in question is older and more tired now than when I bought it. So much for embracing digital distribution.

The reality is that the industry is still feeling out how it wants to handle the Internet, and some studios are more progressive than others. At some point, however, they will have to converge upon some accepted standard release window for TV shows and movies, and they will have to throw Internet users a few more bones if they want to keep their viewership.