Blu-ray rental stores go high, low on prices

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"...Philadelphia-based TLA Video...hopes to encourage customers to try high-definition by not attaching a premium...."

Cubist commentary

Both major retailers and smaller distributors continue to wrestle with pricing models for Blu-ray. Recent news from indie distributor Cinevolve Studios and others that they would continue to price their Blu-ray Discs at the same level as DVD came close on the announcement from Netflix that Blu-ray subscribers must pay a surcharge for their access to Blu-ray product. This battle is just one of the signs of the pressure for Blu-ray costs to come down -- in licensing royalties, in authoring and in replication, which in turn lead to the higher cost at retail or rental. It won't be the last time we'll hear about this conflict, but we predict that Blu-ray's premium status, and the top prices it can command, may not last much longer. With enough competition from national companies like Blockbuster and local independents like Redmond, WA's DVD NOW! and Philadelphia, PA's TLA Video, we might even see Netflix rethink its controversial surcharge.

File under: Blu-ray News