Blu Ray vs. HD DVD Duplication, What Differs?

Posted by Ivan j Finch

Have you ever purchased something at a store and then asked yourself, “I just paid $40 for this but it probably only cost 40 cents in materials to make?” It’s sort of a natural instinct, especially for anyone who’s worked in retail, to size up the value in their heads.

When browsing the new selection of Blu Ray titles, one will naturally wonder, “Why can I get a DVD at Wal-Mart for $10, but these new discs are retailing at $40?” Are you paying extra for the interactive features and additional hours of video, or is it just that much more expensive to burn high-definition? In essence, it’s more expensive all around, especially if you’re in the business of HD DVD duplication.

According to optical disc industry officials, the cost of DVD duplication for a Blu Ray disc is quite high. A single layer HD DVD, with the capacity or 15GB, costs $1.15 to manufacture. A 25 GB Blu Ray disc costs $1.30, whereas your standard Dual Layer DVD would cost $0.50. This of course is all assuming that you’re buying 25,000 discs at a shot. Across town, at another Blu Ray DVD authoring plant, single-layer Blu Ray discs are going for $1.35 - $1.45, while the 50 GB dual-layer Blu Rays are going for $2.15 - $2.25! If you’re doing the math, that’s roughly 45 cents per GB. Also, don’t forget there’s a setup cost that could be as much as $5,000 per line.

Pioneer and Mitsubishi Chemical Media have opted to create a new disc using an “organic dye recording layer, which is sometimes referred to as “LTH format,” that will reduce material costs and also allow existing CD-R and DVD-R manufacturers to upgrade their facilities to BD-R, using modified equipment, rather than a whole new line.

Consumers will need a firmware update to be able to play LTH format in their Blu Ray Disc players. Mitsubishi and Pioneer said they hope their BD25SL BD-R discs and LTH BD burners will be on the market this spring. Additionally, they are pioneering a metal nitride recording layer that will improve burn speed from 2x to 4x or 6x.

Maybe in the future, HD DVD duplication won’t be so brutal, but right now it’s unwise to think you’ll be raking in huge cash or getting the best deal by burning your high-definition movies at home.

Until new blue laser/large capacity/multi-layer burning technology is available to catch up with the latest innovations, you’ll be saddled with higher costs no matter what. If you’re not the patient type, then your best bet is to buy the system and look for Blu Ray sales at Amazon, Blockbuster, Circuit City or Best Buy.

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