Ever wished that you could choose, at a moment’s whim, between purchasing a movie on DVD or through your cable provider? From 2009 onward, the option should become increasingly more available.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Summit Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are leading the effort, as studios gain confidence in the sales of video on demand (VOD).

Simultaneous release is common protocol for Summit, which will release “Twilight” across multiple formats in March. Universal, relatively new to the idea, will make “Changeling” and “Flash of Genius” available on the iTunes Store, cable VOD services and DVD come February 17. Fox, meanwhile, plans to release “Bottle Shock,” “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Choke” on VOD and DVD later this month, and “The Happening” in October.

Typically, DVD releases have followed the theatrical launch by an average of six months, with the VOD option not appearing for weeks longer, after DVD sales

tapered. Summit, however, releases films based on their findings that simultaneous VOD releases do not negatively impact DVD purchases. If the company’s reasoning continues to prove fruitful, Universal, Fox and others may adopt this model fully in the future.

The next step would seem to be simultaneous theater/DVD/VOD releases, but major movie chains remain generally fearful of ticket sales being cannibalized. With the average ticket price for American theaters standing at $7.18, and showing no sign of decline, consumers may need to be satisfied with a choice between DVD and VOD over the weekend.