After failing to pull off what The Wall Street Journal described as a "thinly veiled power grab," Warren Lieberfarb was fired last Friday as president of Warner Home Video - a post he had held for 20 years. Lieberfarb launched his DVD odyssey 10 years ago after realizing that the video rental business faced extinction from video-on-demand: consumers would not bother renting bulky VHS tapes if they could order films from home. But they would buy videos if the quality and price were competitive. He began investigating optical disc technology in 1992 and joined forces with Toshiba Corp to develop what would become the DVD player.

According to sources, Lieberfarb had been complaining about Time Warner's strategies and had been accused of inspiring discontent and low morale. The WSJ also is reporting that Lieberfarb had been urging the company to release movies on home video, pay-per-view and on video-on-demand services simultaneously, along with significant price cuts for DVDs that would encourage consumers to buy instead of rent. Lieberfarb will be replaced internally, with executive VP James Cardwell and fellow Warner Home Video executive Marsha King expected to be given additional duties. Warner Home Video is likely to undergo a slight restructuring in early January.