FUD alert: "Blu-ray more expensive than HD DVD"?

[hijeff1]

I admit I'm new to Blu Ray. Let me start by saying that I already bought 27 movies in 2 months . Not including what I pre-ordered. I consider myself a smart shopper and I wont spend alot of money on movies. Alot of those movies I got either through Amazon.com's sale (buy 2 get 1 for free) or through other online sales.

I've read all over the place that Blu Ray movies are more expensive than HD-dvd movies because the encoding is more expensive. But when I check websights or regular stores, the prices for blu ray movies and HD movies are the same. Is there really a difference in price or is that something that was true at one time?

[lch]

the codec use for encoding the movie have to pay for royalties, and the amount is dependent.
maybe the duplication cost for hd may be less than bd as they are just re-fitting normal dvd line to produce hd, but they are not passing the saving to consumer.

[DealsR4theDevil]

I believe, correct me if im wrong, Blu-ray movies are more expensive for studios to make but they are sold for pretty much the same price. Actually, HD DVDs are sometimes more expensive if they are the "combo" ones, where u get HD DVD on one side of the disc and DVD on the other. Even though Blu-rays are more expensive to make (agian correct me if im wrong), studios find the cost worth it due to the additonal DRM and the overall product superiority of Blu-ray discs. Although nobody is really using Blu-ray discs to their full potential, we might see a start to that when BD-J is introuced.

[WickyWoo]

The differences in cost is pennies

It's simply propoganda

[jbuttler007]

from what I see, and I have over 100 BDs, most BD cost $23.95 on the release day and HD-DVD are $19.99. For me, the four dollar difference is no biggy. Some might argue that it'll add up in the long run. I think so, but if I were to be buying HD-DVDs instead I would be out an ass load of $$$ at the end of the war.

[buckshot]

from what i have heard since m$ is throwing so much money away at hd dvd they're giving discounts (sometimes free) to those wanting to use their compression software to put their movies on hd dvd. thats just what i've heard.

[WickyWoo]

from what I see, and I have over 100 BDs, most BD cost $23.95 on the release day and HD-DVD are $19.99

Huge majority of HD releases are catalog titles priced cheaper. New releases are actually MORE expensive because they use combo discs.

[howarmat]

if you go to WBs site, the HD and BR are the same price, unless its the combo then the HD is more. I dont think that you will find many titles with BR being cheaper or vica versa. They will be the same price for the same movie....and you cant compare them in any other way because then you have different movies and the different costs, $4, can be justified

[Copywriter]

Soon they'll be handing out free HD DVD's when you walk into Best Buy like they did with AOL discs in the 90s.

They make great coasters.

I honestly don't understand combo discs. You obviously have the HD player since you're buying the HD disc. It's like buying a First Class plane ticket and then asking to sit in coach.

Maybe they are hoping non-HD people buy them and then dream about owning a HD player some day. Who knows.

[WickyWoo]

I honestly don't understand combo discs. You obviously have the HD player since you're buying the HD disc. It's like buying a First Class plane ticket and then asking to sit in coach

Their hypothesis is that you'll buy it now, play the DVD side and the HD side later

Not taking into account that at $30 street price and DVD at half that, no one wants it

[supersix4]

lol most are crappy movies tho maybe 20 titles max id buy even if they were all on blu-ray thats probly as many hdud titles I'd want

[reiella]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Their hypothesis is that you'll buy it now, play the DVD side and the HD side later

Not taking into account that at $30 street price and DVD at half that, no one wants it

It's a marketing tool to give the illusion of being the successor.

When you consider they have the obvious successor name, it's not too far fetched.

That said, gah I hate paying for something I'm not using.

[peter99]

In Denmark is the price the same. The normal price is $46.

[bhampton]

Peter,

Thanks for that post. Knowing someone is paying more then double what I am for Blu Ray discs makes me feel a little better about spending all my spare cash on them.

I actually considered exporting Blu Ray's to other countries but I don't imagine I could really do it for less then a place like Amazon could do it.

=Brian

[Anthony P]

Is there really a difference in price or is that something that was true at one time?

it was never true the FUD starts from the BS that HD DVD is cheaper to replicated due to (use any or all of these untruths)

1) expensive new lines needed for BD (truth BD lines are a bit more expensive but HD DVD also needs expensive new lines and the difference is amortized over the life of the machine)
2) yields are low for BD (no one knows the yields for BD or HD DVD except replicators)
3) cycle time is high (see#2)
4) BD is expensive because it requires ACCS (true that HD DVD does not require ACCS but studios don't release content that is not protected)

the reality is that replication cost is never a factor of cost, a 30$ new movie is not cheaper to replicate then the 3$ movie in the discount bin. Even at that looking at several independent replicators shows that BD is relatively the same (in some cheaper in others a bit more expensive).

[darkpoet25]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Their hypothesis is that you'll buy it now, play the DVD side and the HD side later

Not taking into account that at $30 street price and DVD at half that, no one wants it

I think it also causes confusion. Most consumers see these with DVD in the title, not knowing it won't play in their DVD player, and making the purchase. I think it's this way even with the combo discs. It's a bit misleading since there are consumers who have no idea it won't work in their player.

[Slapper]

Originally Posted by darkpoet25

I think it also causes confusion. Most consumers see these with DVD in the title, not knowing it won't play in their DVD player, and making the purchase. I think it's this way even with the combo discs. It's a bit misleading since there are consumers who have no idea it won't work in their player.

I agree. They see HD in the title and think "oh, this will work with my HDTV" not knowing that they will need to get an HD-DVD player.

The name itself, HD-DVD, seems to make the average joe more accepting of the format. "Blu-ray? What's that? No I don't need that. I need HD-DVD because I have an HDTV."

It's going to take a lot of advertising, far more than Sony and Disney are doing now, to really get the brand awareness out there and make blu-ray a comfortable household name.