Does anyone know why DVD prices are so high compared to VHS? Examples: "Something About Mary" $24.95 on DVD but I can find it for $9.95 on VHS. "Diehard Trilogy", 31.95 on VHS $63.95 on DVD.

I think pressing a DVD is actually cheaper than a VHS tape and certainly should not double the price. I could give up the "extras" for a cheaper price.

Bob,

The question which you raised would be totally accurate if the comparison was made fairly, apple to apple. DVD provides a much, much higher video resolution than VHS, a much, much better audio system than VHS, thus requiring a much, much more complicated transfer.

The process of transfer to DVD is much more complicated than VHS. Due to the inherent "low" resolution of VHS, a film can be transferred very easily to VHS, without any video/audio calibration. The same easy transfer process can be accomplished to DVD if "the DVD disc can hold the whole movie without compression". But in reality, it can't. So MPEG-2 compression is involved, which is a lossy compression format. The higher the compression, the lower the quality. Because of this, a lot more things need to happen, such as: black-level calibration, video-quality levels... plus a bunch of "technicals" such as layer change location, menus...

And we're not even discussing audio yet..

Bob,

By the way, you might want to check out "www.dvdpricesearch.com" to find the best prices on DVD.

DVD lowest prices as of today:
There's something about Mary, $14.85
Die Hard Trilogy, $38.65

Supply and Demand, mainly. It's true that once an initial master DVD transfer is made, production of a DVD should be easier than producing copies of a tape. However, there are millions more VHS buyers out there than DVD buyers, so volume comes into play. As more and more DVD players are sold, and demand increases, expect the price to come down.

Dave

I'm going with Dan on this one. You have got to do research to find the best prices. And, for the most part, you can beat VHS prices for DVD's on almost any new release.($10.65 for the Matrix). Also, I would much rather pay $3-$4 difference in price for the much improved DVD format.

The older movies that have been converted to DVD are going to be more expensive because they are likely to sell far less copies than the new releases. I think you will begin to see a HUGE price drop in DVD's over next couple months leading up to Christmas, with DVD players and movies likely to be the hottest gifts of the year.

I would like to see the retail stores catch up to the internet in prices a little faster, but that will come in time.

My $.02(Non-negotiable and non-transferable)


Tom

Because the studios are greedy, and (for now) people are buying them.

A cassette tape costs more to manufacture than a CD, but CDs cost more because there's a higher perceived value (digital sound, easy cueing, etc.) so the record companies charge more (and people keep buying the things). Same principle applies to VHS and DVD, with a couple of additions:

-Making a DVD (menus, digital transfer, extras) does cost money above what VHS releases cost them. Duplication costs are probably comparable now, but will favor DVD as costs come down for multi-layer discs and the storage cases.
-Studios are trying to have their cash cows (VHS) and eat them, too (DVD).

Would they be better off promoting the heck out of DVD? Maybe. But even if that's true, studios do not have a good track record of acting in their own best interest - just look at VHS. When the format first surfaced Hollywood actually sued to try to kill it.

It's not greed, it's profit motive and market forces.

Businesses are SUPPOSED to price their products so as to maximize profits. Market forces set the price point that results in the maximum profits. That's how our economy works. Businesses attempt to find that ideal price point by adjusting their price and monitoring the results.

--LB

The whole process of creating a DVD is much more complicated than VHS. With VHS, the film is transferred to a master and dupes are basically made from that. With DVD, the video and the audio are compressed (separately) and menus are created by graphics houses. The video, subtitles, and audio are put back together again with the menus in a process called "authoring". Authoring DVD's takes time; it's also where all of the navigation is programmed into the disc. Then, like VHS, everything has to be QC'ed, which is another time-consuming process. Replication isn't a sure thing, either. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get a good stamper. It's alot more complicated to make DVD's--most people just think that you record it linearly like a VHS tape or CD-R. Nope. So many people are involved, I'm amazed that DVD's don't cost more!