Atlantans interested in the newest movie releases on DVD may no longer have to go to their local rental stores to get them.

Media giant Comcast is using customers in Georgia's capital to test a new "day and date" program that offers select new movies on cable the same day they are released to video stores and the public.

Tracy Bennett/New Line Cinema (ENLARGE)

'Mr. Woodcock,' starring Billy Bob Thornton, is one of the new releases offered by Comcast. The cable company's 'day and date' program lets viewers watch select new movies on cable the same day they are released to video stores.

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The trial, which also is under way in Pittsburgh and Denver, is a reflection of the competition among media providers to grab or retain viewers as Americans increasingly find different ways in which to watch movies. If there is a significant appetite, the program could be taken nationwide.

"We've been talking about major enhancements to our video-on-demand products for a while," said Gene Shatlock, senior vice president for Comcast's Atlanta region.

He said Atlanta was chosen for the test because it's a good place to try new ideas.

"When we look at our different markets, Atlanta is appealing because its a very tech-savvy place," he said.

Getting it right is crucial, said Tim Mescon, dean of the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. Comcast faces competition from the telecoms, such as AT&T and Verizon, and Internet downloads from the TV networks and Netflix, which mails movies the day they are released.

"To me, the issue today is not so much Blockbuster because they are kind of floundering," he said. "It's really Netflix and how easy they have made it to get movies. It's also about what comes next. It's really getting to a much more interesting competitive landscape."

Last month, Comcast, metro Atlanta's largest cable TV provider, announced it planned to more than quadruple high-definition programming by the end of 2008 and to boost the number of on-demand titles sixfold by the end of next year.

On-demand is the future of the cable industry because that's how customers want their TV delivered. The networks, which initially were reluctant to make their shows available for on-demand, are more receptive as they have watched the growth of digital video recorders that let viewers watch TV when they want.

Reg Griffin, an Atlanta-based spokesman for Philadelphia-based Comcast, said in 2002 when on-demand was launched, there were 250 choices. This year, there are 10,000.

"You can see how dramatically this has grown," he said.

"Day and date" films, offered in a mixture of standard-definition and high-definition formats, will cost $4.99, Shatlock said. They will be available for 24 hours after purchase.

New releases include "Invasion," starring Nicole Kidman, Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?" featuring Janet Jackson and "Mr. Woodcock," starring Billy Bob Thornton.

"It's a mixture of movies," Shatlock said. "It's really up to what we obtain from the studios."

Comcast has a deal with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. to offer many of their movies, and select films from other studios. The cable provider is also packaging films in a series with new releases like the spy thriller "Bourne" trilogy.

"We're going to keep adding more and more choice," Shatlock said.