With the movies for rental, a greater portion of the decrease in the value of newly released movies would reasonably be realized in the first year, given the rapid rate of obsolescence in view of the large number of movies available. Therefore, depreciating this pool of assets by a greater amount in the first year using an accelerated depreciation method better approximates economic depreciation than depreciating it straight line.

With the movies for sale, there are two methods available for accounting as inventory. FIFO is appropriate for inventory that has a limited shelf life and LIFO is appropriate for inventory that does not deteriorate with age. Because the movies have a very limited shelf life and will greatly deteriorate in value with age, especially after the first year, FIFO is the most appropriate method of accounting for the movies for sale.