New DVD Rival? China Breaks Out Its Own EVD Spec

[av_phile]

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Guest : av_phile,

Thanks for the information of hard numbers. I was only guessing  how much VCDs and DVDs would cost in Asia.  I have a question, how much does it cost for local (not Hollywood) movies on VCD and DVD, legal AND illegal, over there?


Abe

Abe,

Local movies (in the Philippines) on DVD are legally priced somewhere in between the regular VCD and regular DVDs (P350, or about $6).  But they are awful, with little or no special features and look like mere VHS transfers.  

There are very vew local movies that are on pirated DVDs.  The ones i saw sell the same as pirated Hollywood DVDs.  But pirated ones on VCD abound and they sell at the same price also as pirated hollywood stuff on VCD.</font>

 

[av_phile]

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hawke : I wonder if some of this has also got to do with licensing fees for the DVD discs themselves, which is a Japanese product.

informational link

I have the impression, rightly or wrongly, that the manufacturers of DVD players have to pay license fees or royalties to the DVD consortium of japanese and american manufaturers like Sony, Philips, IBM, etc.  

On the other side, DVD discs makers have to pay the royalties for the MPEG technology used, don't know to whom.  THis, in addiiton to royalties to the artists and/or movie producers.

All these royalties are sidestepped by the pirates.  

But it makes me wonder  what portions of a newly released $18 DVD disc goes to royalties and which goes to production/marketing/distribution  and which goes to profit mark-ups.  If as the article says only $0.05 goes to technology royalties, and if my information is right that only a few cents goes to movie moguls, then a pirated DVD that is virtually identical to the orig, costing only $1.20/disc at the stands here in the Phils. must already cover for the production and distribution plus profit mark-ups for the pirates and its sellers.  The pirated DVDs may not have the slick packaging of the originals, but how much do that cost?  Makes me wonder where the rest of the $18.00 go.  Let me guess:  Corporate Greed?</font>

 

[Audioholics]

<font color='#000080'>In bulk, DVDs cost less than $1.30/ea packaged in Amaray cases with full color inserts.</font>

 

[av_phile]

<font color='#000000'>Thanks Hawke.

Now I understand how movie moguls can drive around in chauffeured limousines. &nbsp;

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[abe]

<font color='#000000'>av_phile,  

Thanks for the info on prices.  So here is the bulk part:

legal DVD:    local movie=$6,  Hollywood movie=$18

illegal DVD:   all=$1.2


Let's go back to the original question, that is why EVD will benefit the consumers economically.  Only part EVD can save on a DVD is the production part, i.e., the cost of the blank disc+writing data+packaging+distribution =<$1.2.  So here is price comparisons by assuming EVD production cost is ZERO:

LEGAL:     local movie  DVD vs. EVD = $6 vs. $4.8
               hollywood    DVD vs. EVD = $18 vs. $16.8

Don't see big saving here for sure!  And this is exactly my point that, by introducing a new format EVD, consumers DON'T gain benefits economically.   So this is more of a political issue than economical.  

Don't want to go into illegal copies here since they are NOT affected by this EVD at all.


Abe</font>

 

[pam]

<font color='#728FCE'>H

There was Beta and VHS. Beta was more expensive and better... VHS won.

There was PC and Apple. IBM was an open box where everyone could connect and Apple was totally proprietary. Apple was the best for 17 years (from 1981 till 1998). They have only 10% of the market.

The was Solaris, Aix, Windows and Linux. Linux is getting to be the most popular for server now. After that we will see it come to the PC world (already there).

Now there is DVD and EVD. I understand that all studios are now backing DVD... On the long run I would almost always bet on some less expensive, open source version.

Over the time open solution (PC, Linux) wins over the proprietary version (Apple, Windows).

Who wants to pay someone to copy something to sell it.

PS Sony did you understood that (Yes I understand, SACD seems better that DVD-A, so was Beta over VHS)?</font>