Cost questions dog Blu-ray DVD’s lead
Sony’s Blu-ray disc technology appears to be the front-runner in the nasty fight to determine how the DVDs of the future are produced, movie studios and disc manufacturers are beginning to realize the cost of manufacturing the discs. According to a top manufacturing executive, a manufacturing line for HD DVD discs produced nearly twice as many usable discs as a similar line producing the Blu-ray format.
According to a top manufacturing executive who asked to remain anonymous, a manufacturing line for HD DVD discs produced nearly twice as many usable discs as a similar line pumping out the Blu-ray format, over the same period of time. That translates into higher costs for Blu-ray producers. Moreover, component costs for Blu-ray can be nearly double HD DVD costs, because elements are still hard to find, the executive said.
Blu-ray’s rival, the HD DVD format, relies on a reasonably well understood process. HD DVDs are constructed very similarly to existing DVDs, and the basic discs can be made with relatively minor modifications to existing DVD manufacturing lines.
Blu-ray discs, on the other hand, require completely different equipment. Most of the major disc replicators–the companies that make DVDs and CDs–now have a test line or two up and running, but hard data on production costs remains scant.
Source: news.com
Read also The High Definition DVD FAQ.
