Low Stock and High Price - Why ?

[lgans316]

Replicators Are Experiencing Growing Pains in Going Blu

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/new...ticle_ID=12404

[iNCREDiPiNOY]

Why?

[AlexCruz]

Wow that was a good read. I had no idea they had to go through all that. Maybe that explains a little on why we have delays from Universal and Paramount?

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by AlexCruz

Wow that was a good read. I had no idea they had to go through all that. Maybe that explains a little on why we have delays from Universal and Paramount?

No. They just made stupid business decisions.

[jpthomas27]

Not really sure what your asking with the title.

The article seems to make sense to me. Smaller studios with much less cash flow and lower volumes of sales will have a hard time coming up with the initial invetment to set up thier Blu-ray production lines.

Classic example (only on a larger scale) of small businesses having a hard time competing with huge corporations. Think of Wal-mart versus a local record shop. Why can Walmart sell a CD for $11.99 and the local shop sells it for $18.99? Simple, Walmart can buy larger volumes to get a better price and has more flexibility to make a smaller profit per unit but make up the difference in volume...Apply this to the Blu-ray market.

For this reason, the smaller studios are much more hesitant to dive into the technolgy, it's a much larger risk for them and they have much more to lose.

[Mermen79]

Hmm... makes me wonder if HD DVD was better in that regard...

[lgans316]

HD DVD was easy to replicate. Do check the comments from AVS member Kosty posted here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post13493826
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post13493918

[iNCREDiPiNOY]

But why?

[LeoneFan]

Originally Posted by lgans316

HD DVD was easy to replicate. Do check the comments from AVS member Kosty posted here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post13493826
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post13493918

HDDVD was easy to replicate because it was obsolete technology built on existing DVD replication techniques. Blu-ray replication issues, if any exist, will be sorted out in the coming months and unlike HDDVD we won't have to live with "good enough" quality for the next 10-15 years of high def on optical. Take you garbage threads and go back to AVS where you can have a circle jerk about HDDVD replication with the rest of the butt hurt HDDVD supporters.

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by lgans316

HD DVD was easy to replicate.

Well I hope so! It was built on old DVD technology that's only been around for 10 yrs....you don't think they would have the process figured out by now????

Trying to make HD DVD look good because it was built on obsolete technology is weak. The fact that HD DVD was relying on this older technology had lots to do with it's limitations as a future technology when compared to Blu-Ray....thankfully HD DVD is DEAD!

[WickyWoo]

Bobby Henderson is right on

There will be no problem with replication capacity for Christmas.

The real bottleneck is getting more authoring houses online, and people trained up

[Bobby Henderson]

The Blu-ray steering committee or whatever it is called needs to do something to make it easier for optical disc pressing plants to install BD replication lines. Further, they need to get good technical support on helping those smaller outfits have those new production lines working at optimal yield rates right out of the gate with minimal "learning from the mistakes" bullcrap involved. Additional to that, the Blu-ray group needs to help those smaller companies network with Hollywood studios to get product replicated as fast as possible.

I still believe 100% that Blu-ray can be a white hot sales item for the 2008 fall/holiday shopping season. BD replication capacity needs to be there to meet demand.

Unfortunately, I am pessimistic about certain movies hitting Blu-ray anytime this year regardless of how BD replication capacity improves.

For one, I have a strong feeling that Warner Bros. will wait until Spring 2009 to finally release a Blu-ray version of The Matrix. The obvious reason for this is that movie's 10th Anniversary will arrive at that point. So maybe they have some super-duper special edition in the planning stages.

Lots of other titles will be held back, just like they were in the early years of DVD, until the installed base of Blu-ray players reach a certain "critical mass" acceptable to Hollywood studios. Until then, we have to hope new movies just getting released will hit big. New movies will be the main thing that drives continued success of the Blu-ray format and does more to get more optical disc replication companies to install more BD replication lines.

Want to help with that? Visit the best movie theater near your home at least a couple or more times this summer. Help certain movies become even bigger hits to push them harder as they rush onto Blu-ray.

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by djepic112

Hmm... makes me wonder if HD DVD was better in that regard...

If it was better, they would have more manufacturers instead of just Toshiba.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by mdm1699

If it was better, they would have more manufacturers instead of just Toshiba.

Disc replication != hardware manufacturing.

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by reiella

Disc replication != hardware manufacturing.

Didn't DVD start out the same way? HD-DVD(which I own) is a tad short on specs. I love the PQ but it just does not have enough to build on.

[Anthony P]

HD DVD was easy to replicate. Do check the comments from AVS member Kosty posted here.

lol, has anything he ever posted ever even remotely resembled reality?

like the article pretty much states, the ones that added HD DVD wasted money and the ones that used the war as an excuse now need to jump in or get shut out. The issue is not the cost of BD (or HD DVD) but now that there is no more war BD is taking off fast and replicators can't sit on the sidelines if they don't want to get closed out of the business.

[unreal1080p]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Low Stock and...

Replicators Are Experiencing Growing Pains in Going Blu

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/new...ticle_ID=12404

Damn! I thought this thread was about Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

My favorite part of that movie --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA1bdb_wBF0

@ the 03:09 mark

Thug #1 "He's got the guns... go ahead you get them (speaking to Thug #2)"

Thug #2 "Why me?"

Thug #1 "You're supposed to be the hard case..."

Thug #2 "You go get the guns! I drrrive the carrr"



To the OP and the subject of this thread:

Why polute this forum with FUD threads about replication
Let the BDA handle their business (we're not about to tell them how to do their jobs and would'nt have anything to contribute via the production/replication process anyway). As long as they get movies in my hands... that's all I care about. Knowing or caring about what happens behind the scenes is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO 99% of Blu-Ray fans. We don't care if the costs of producing a Blu-Ray is more expensive then HD DUD or DVD...that's not our problem. We just want the movies. The BDA will figure out a way to bring their costs down and production levels in line (if there even is an issue there to begin with ) without us believe me.

BTW... the author of this article, Chris Tribbey, is an IDIOT HD DUDDER!

Just read the article in the latest issue of Home Media Magazine on P.16 entitled "Pity the plight of the HD DVD owner"

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ques...3008/index.php

He describes how his sister is all pissed off because she wasted thowsands on 150 DUD movies

Where do you think she got the idea to buy HD DUD? Her Brother in the industry no doubt.

This guy is a LOSER and I would'nt listen to anything he has to say since his brain allowed him to "recommend" HD DUD to his own sister

P.S. People should'nt pity the plight of HD DUD owners... they should revel in their pain caused by their own defective brains

[Bobby Henderson]

BD replication is a serious issue, especially for smaller replicator companies who are considering adding the capability.

Currently businesses are stuck in a very serious, very real credit crunch. It's pretty difficult to get "investment capital" (bank loans) and do so without getting gouged for high interest rates in the process.

Not just anyone can walk into a bank and ask for upwards of $3 million to add a Blu-ray replication line to an existing optical disc pressing plant and expect to get very reasonable interest rates either. The big companies can manage it or simply fund the expansions right out of their own pockets rather than having to borrow to do it.

Another negative factor: small companies that replicate discs don't get nearly as many lucrative projects as the big companies. Even though the largest disc replication companies are swamped with work that is no guarantee a small company will get lots of overflow business. The major studios prefer to do business with well established companies. They see smaller, upstart companies as a bigger risk.

In the end, a small replication company could actually put itself out of business by gambling $3 million on a BD replication line that could end up not getting used enough to get a profitable return on investment.

It's also true there is a serious "learning curve" for making 50GB dual layer BDs with high yield rates.

It's eye-rolling stupid for that news article to bring up the "downloads are going to kill optical discs" phoney baloney FUD. But the other issues are legit.

It's logical to see why optical disc replication plants wanted HD-DVD to succeed. It required minimal changes to an existing DVD replication line. With BD replication you have to install all new equipment and learn how to use and adjust that equipment properly.

To be fair, HD-DVD was not without its replication problems either. There were numerous "combo disc" titles that had problems.

[Clark Kent]

I think people are confusing some issues here. There is no current problem with the fundamental practice of replicating BDs, either BD-25 or BD-50. Millions of BDs have been mass produced for videogames and movies. It is proven technology that will only continue to improve with better cycle times and lower reject rates.

The real problem is that independent dvd replicators are unwilling to invest the necessary capital to move their equipment from dvd to BD production. This is a very key point. This is a temporary BD pressing capacity problem because many replicators made the wrong decision and backed HD DVD. Unless you work for a dvd replicator or own stock in one no BD owner should worry about this problem. It has no effect on the end consumer(ie virtually everyone reading this). I don't feel sorry for businesses that make poor decisions.

This meme about replication issues was simply a talking point invented by the HD DVD PR group during the format war. The only reason it gained traction was that it seemed plausible on its surface and HD DVD insiders and viral marketers kept repeating it over and over to the faithful.

[Anthony P]

Not just anyone can walk into a bank and ask for upwards of $3 million to add a Blu-ray replication line to an existing optical disc pressing plant and expect to get very reasonable interest rates either.

more like 1M from what has been said by replicators in the past. But yeah it is still a lot of dough