Why the cost difference between blu-ray and dvd

[floridaswamprat]

One of the things that bothers me about blu-ray compared to dvd is the cost difference. Are blu-rays more expensive because they cost more to manufacture (and is the excess manufacturing cost substantial enough for the retail price difference)? Or is there some licensing costs for blus? Or is it simply supply and demand?

I think that if the price of blu-rays were more in line with that of dvds, that the format would overtake dvd sales. I am sure that for some the $5 or so difference does work as a deterrent (especially to those who are not enthusiasts).

[jscoggins]

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=210922

[BLOFELD]

Originally Posted by floridaswamprat

One of the things that bothers me about blu-ray compared to dvd is the cost difference. Are blu-rays more expensive because they cost more to manufacture (and is the excess manufacturing cost substantial enough for the retail price difference)? Or is there some licensing costs for blus? Or is it simply supply and demand?

I think that if the price of blu-rays were more in line with that of dvds, that the format would overtake dvd sales. I am sure that for some the $5 or so difference does work as a deterrent (especially to those who are not enthusiasts).

You'll notice the majority of times there is only a small price discrepancy between BR and DVDs. Some of the factors include:

1. The costs of blank blu ray discs are more than dvds
2. Because of the larger file size it takes longer to write a blu ray than a dvd, which ultimately increases the cost as time is money.
3. The technology used to write a Blu-Ray costs more than DVD.

[floridaswamprat]

Perhaps to clarify: I was writing mostly in regard to new or newer releases. After titles have been out for a year or so, the difference does seem to narrow.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by floridaswamprat

Perhaps to clarify: I was writing mostly in regard to new or newer releases. After titles have been out for a year or so, the difference does seem to narrow.

There have been instances where the BD is cheaper than the DVD on release day.

[BLOFELD]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

There have been instances where the BD is cheaper than the DVD on release day.

Often times the DVD is higher because it is out of print while the BR is not.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by BLOFELD

Often times the DVD is higher because it is out of print while the BR is not.

On release day?

[BLOFELD]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

On release day?

not on release day. Out of print meaning the picture has been available on DVD for a while and just put on BR for the first time. The DVD will be considerably higher. For example Mill Creek is coming out with a reissue of "The Wild One" on March 17. The DVD transfer that I own is going for $55 on Amazon. Why? because it's out of print.

BTW I still believe DVD is still THE best selling format. My local Target has 0 copies of Birdman on DVD and a full rack on them on BR.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by BLOFELD

not on release day. Out of print meaning the picture has been available on DVD for a while and just put on BR for the first time. The DVD will be considerably higher. For example Mill Creek is coming out with a reissue of "The Wild One" on March 17. The DVD transfer that I own is going for $55 on Amazon. Why? because it's out of print.

BTW I still believe DVD is still THE best selling format. My local Target has 0 copies of Birdman on DVD and a full rack on them on BR.

I know what OOP means. You quoted my post, which referred to day-and-date releases for both formats.

[jacobsever]

Price really shouldn't be an issue anymore. The difference are minor. If you can shell out $15 for a DVD, you should be able to shell out an extra $5 for the blu ray.

[BillieCassin]

Blu-rays are simply more expensive to produce, from the top down (from the pressed media to the encoding necessary and everything in between). Conversely, DVDs are almost trivially cheap to produce at this point.

To be honest, I assume the prices are as close as they are still is because they have artificially kept the price of new release DVDs higher and the margins on Blu-ray a bit slimmer, if only to encourage the market shift. I'd be willing to bet that the margins on a DVD sale are generally higher than a Blu-ray sale at this point.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Originally Posted by BLOFELD

not on release day. Out of print meaning the picture has been available on DVD for a while and just put on BR for the first time. The DVD will be considerably higher. For example Mill Creek is coming out with a reissue of "The Wild One" on March 17. The DVD transfer that I own is going for $55 on Amazon. Why? because it's out of print.

BTW I still believe DVD is still THE best selling format. My local Target has 0 copies of Birdman on DVD and a full rack on them on BR.

The dvd value will drop like a rock when a blu comes out though, unless the blu is ****ed up somehow. If a decent blu comes out with all the features, that $55 will turn to $1.55 within a few weeks.
Most movie collectors don't care about first editions, they want the best editions, so when something better comes along, they will jump to it and leave the old stuff in the dust at the used store. That dvd is only valuable because it's the best way (and possibly only way) to get the movie right now. When the blu comes out, it will have competition and it will lose, unless the bd is botched. .