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CMC holds off on Blu-ray Disc production
Posted on 07/03/08 22:59 by Seán Byrne
Between weak demand for Blu-ray media and the high costs involved between royalty charges and production equipment, CMC Magnetics has decided to hold off Blu-ray disc production until the global Blu-ray disc market takes off, according to this DigiTimes Systems source. In the meantime, CMC will invest in Blu-ray recreation and development to improve its technological capabilities according to the company chairman, Robert Wong. He predicts it will take 2 to 3 years for the global DB market to take off.
While Blu-ray disc production equipment is very expensive, the high royalties makes matters worse, particularly since there are as many as 21 owners of Blu-ray Disc patents who plan claiming royalty charges. Taiwan-based makers need to negotiate royalty rates with the individual patent holders, which mean that between all these royalty charges, the investment cost of production equipment and low demand, this is currently keeping a high price tag on BD-R and BD-RE blank media by the time it reaches the shops.
Thanks to DamnedIfIknow for letting us know about this news and making the following comment: "Since as many as 21 owners of BD patents plan to claim royalty charges, there are many problems that need to be solved while charge rates are expected to be high . . ." WOW, I didn't see that coming. :)
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"While Blu-ray disc production equipment is very expensive, the high royalties makes matters worse, particularly since there are as many as 21 owners of Blu-ray Disc patents who plan claiming royalty charges. Taiwan-based makers need to negotiate royalty rates with the individual patent holders, which mean that between all these royalty charges, the investment cost of production equipment and low demand, this is currently keeping a high price tag on BD-R and BD-RE blank media by the time it reaches the shops."
These people all belong in jail. BD REALLY needs to fail.
Yay, go Bluray supporters!! But wait, they are not to be found. I wonder why? 
how many patents were involved with hd dvd 
must be massive cause there wasnt any hd dvd writers about or blank media lol last time i checked 
must be massive cause there wasnt any hd dvd writers about or blank media lol last time i checked
Well with the introduction of LTH the production cost of BD-R should go down a lot since LTH discs can be produced with a slight modification to the equipment used for DVD production. Btw LTH discs are available for 9US at the moment and until it reaches the US and Europe you can be sure that the price will drop.
This is why HD-DVD was cheaper to produce, at least in the product lines, according to articles I read before. It was easy to modify excisting production.
This shows that blu-ray is expencive to produce. So the price will not come down anytime soon, this is bad for consumers when the price per DVD-R is so cheap.
Not to talk about royalties, wonder if they will be smart and charge less so the format takes of, they could kill it in the long run. And then we will have no high-def format.
CRAP.
The time is not right for Bluray or even 1080p. The sweetspot is 720p. Most homes do not have displays large enough to appreciate 1080p.
Now, with the economy in the dumpster (at least in the US) the dollar at an all time low, making it even harder to produce a device to play a Bluray disc, I would not be surprised to see the HD disc production stop entirely.
A DVD just works! It has simple CSS so we can rip and stream or play from a HDD the file size is awesome and you cna get some great quality on a 50 inch or smaller display.
When you add all the crap Sony has up their sleeve for DRM management of our actions, this ship is going down! 
There are only about 450 to 500 titles on Blu ray and mostr of them suck. DVD- you can get anything you want. 
Oh I almost forgot! Now we have HD download on demand from providers for like 4 dollars and you don't even have to get off your ass to view it.
Bluray is doomed to a VERY small niche market for many many years. IMHO.This message was edited at: 09-03-2008 04:18
By
Vic_M (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 13:38
It's quite clear, for many reasons that people do not really care that much about hi-def at the moment. Personally I think we all tend to think that this is a natural progression of technology, and don't really feel like we should pay any extra for it.
Hi-def is nice, but with divx or x264 we can view our media from PC's or other media players without blowing huge amounts of cash on new hardware.
This isn't about just the player - okay, blu-ray has been chosen by the movie studios as 'the' format (note it didn't WIN any war, as it was the suits that decided for us which way it was going to go).
The Television is also the problem. As has been pointed out here people just don't have the hardware to fully appreciate hi-def... or do they ? I'm watching hi-def through my media player on a nice 100hz CRT TV - and it looks fantastic.... so why the optical discs... the price per gigabyte is huge. I prefer hard disks - and really, WHO is going to bother re-buying their DVD collection in hi-def... as most of the older movies sold are not remastered but simply upscaled to 'hi-def'. So... er... why not just upscale your DVDs ? Sure, the prices will drop at some point - but the way we watch TV / Movies has changed so quickly in the last 18 months - divx... no time wasting adverts to watch... cool !
And the troubled PS3 - no... don't even get me started on that.
By
micro$soft (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 15:52
Vic_m wrote "And the troubled PS3 - no... don't even get me started on that."
Another Sony Basher...What about the RROD on XBOX and the Millions it's costing Microsoft.
By
Vic_m (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 17:02
micro$soft wrote... "Another Sony Basher...What about the RROD on XBOX and the Millions it's costing Microsoft."
I wasn't talking about Microsoft, so please don't bring that company into the equation. The RROD is a problem, but it doesn't put people off getting a 360, enough said.
The PS3 has poor games sales (per unit) - and any developer with any ounce of sense isn't going to write software for a system which doesn't have a very large user base.
The PS3 will not get exclusives unless the devs are bought by Sony, that's the way it is.
You can't hide the facts. A lot of people are buying PS3 simply for blu-ray (and NOT for games) - and blu-ray will be beaten by downloads and the continuing strong sales of DVD ( for years to come) - until the price comes down to what DVD is now.
I'm not a console fan - but when you consider most people who buy a PS3 have already got an Xbox 360....
By
micro$soft (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 17:13
Vic_m wrote "I wasn't talking about Microsoft, so please don't bring that company into the equation. The RROD is a problem, but it doesn't put people off getting a 360, enough said. "
You're like the majority of CDFREAKERS anything SONY is bad...just grow up.
By
micro$soft (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 17:22
Vic_m wrote "You can't hide the facts. A lot of people are buying PS3 simply for blu-ray (and NOT for games)"
That is such an outrageous statement that it beggars belief.Where are your Facts Sonybasher?
By
camp blu (guest),
Sun 9 Mar 2008 18:43
"Oh I almost forgot! Now we have HD download on demand from providers for like 4 dollars and you don't even have to get off your ass to view it."
just wait when they start charging you for the more you download like in some states already. anyone buying HD downloads will pay for their usage and the movie so I dont think it will be worth it.
Everything is going HD why not "DVDs" blu-ray won and yeah its got DRM so people dont STEAL. I d/l movies too but im not going to cry when I cant steal anymore. You got away with it now they are out smarting the average joe who steals movies.
Blu-Ray is the future of HD movie accept it. and when you can steal it or it gets cheaper you may buy a player because now i can stal movies ill justify buying one then. LAMO
By
josho (guest),
Mon 10 Mar 2008 06:58
ok camp blu youre a do-gooder. Sorry but everyone "STEALS" movies these days, get with the program allright.
We want our downloads and we want them FREE, and not locked up with some kind of crazy DRM. This is why hd-dvd was going to take off, and nobody should have any ideas otherwise.
the only reason dvd took off is because it could be RIPPED. there is no sense in locking up stuff anyways because copyright is totally dead and obsolite.
information wants to be free and it will be or it will fail.
none of this matters anyways because digital downloads will kill blu ray right away. we already have it on the xbox 360 and on the apple TV in HD, it's all you need.
drm and shiny discs are dead. downloads to the hard drive and free content (if you want to call it STEALING go ahead it isnt) are the way its going to be.
By
micro$soft (guest),
Mon 10 Mar 2008 07:44
josho wrote"there is no sense in locking up stuff anyways because copyright is totally dead and obsolite" In that case why lockup your property?why not leave it open for anyone to enter and take your stuff.
"In that case why lockup your property?why not leave it open for anyone to enter and take your stuff."
That hardly warrants a reply. But I will anyhow. If you leave your property open to anyone then you deserve what you get. Plus you 'lose' physical items. Digital media is different. You are just making a copy. A copy is not taking away anything but what they would claim is a potential lost sale. But who is to say you would have bought the physical 'container' (I.E. the disc) in the first place? Plus it's copyright infringement not theft. That is a civil matter not a criminal one. Learn the difference.
On Sony. Have you noticed how prices of BluRay hardware has actually gone up or stayed static since the anouncement that HDDVD is dead? Nice. Sony et al now have the market cornered so they continue to fleece the consumer. I don't buy it. I'll stick to my HD rips for now thanks.
By
micro$soft (guest),
Mon 10 Mar 2008 13:16
DeadMan wrote"On Sony. Have you noticed how prices of BluRay hardware has actually gone up or stayed static since the anouncement that HDDVD is dead?" If Sony was
giving it away, guys like you would still try to bash sony...
The HD war discussion and the anti-Sony opinions are always a riot. 
First it was HD-DVD that would crush Blu-Ray and the later would become the next Betamax. We already know how that played out and what the next Betamax is...
The PS3 would not make any difference on the HD format war because it was simply going to fail and was too expensive. We already know that it was obviously the PS3 that made HD-DVD crash and burn...
Now that HD-DVD is dead and buried the new song is that Blu-Ray is going to fail because HD downloads are the way to go. I find this ridiculous but we'll see what happens. Time will tell as it always does.
I wonder what the next anti-Sony song will be?
By
EPiPH0N3 (guest),
Mon 10 Mar 2008 16:31
LOL.....get ready for HD-VOD kids.......
By
micro$soft (guest),
Mon 10 Mar 2008 16:37
johnzap wrote"I wonder what the next anti-Sony song will be?" The Sony Bashers are crying in their milk due to the success of BLU-RAY.
By
camp blu (guest),
Tue 11 Mar 2008 01:53
josho, HD downloads will not take over. The USA has one of the slowest (on average) internet infrastructures. Companies are already complaining that people are using to much bandwith and they will start billing you for how many GB you download. I believe its comcast that is already testing this out in a few states.
The same thing happened with DVD it took a few years to really take off and people said we dont need it its to much money. Wait till its CHEAP then you can buy a it. When stuff comes out its expensive then it drops bottom line.
as for DRM it sucks but its protection from theft. If you had a buisness or a house how would you like it if i broke in and stole your stuff. Thans why we have security systems. Same $hit.
Blue-Ray is not for everyone now, soon the average street plower and drive thru worker will be able to afford blur-ray, untill then just the ones who want it now.
Dude, people in the US download HD all the time! It's called "Movies on Demand" thru Comcast etc. They don't use their "Internet" connection for these movies. You just pay a flat fee. Remember, Internet is a "new" sideline for cable, that they started to kick the telco's in the nuts about 10 years ago.
You can get 10801 just like you get the TV shows instantly. So, to get up and shell out for a 1080p Bluray player and then either rent a movie to play on it for the same price or shell out another 20 to see that idiot Will ferrell prance around like a preteen is just not worth it, UNLESS you have a laid down the hard earned for a 50 to 65 inch display so you can tell what kind of a sharp picture you get.
And that is *If and onlyIF* your hardware can verify you are not a freakin pirate, otherwise it's downrez city or worse yet, the darn thing wont even play at all.
I really think this along with the HDMI HDCP BD+ , region coding ( and ICT is coming baby- bend over for it now!!) scratched discs sh*tty movies and all the other restrictions coming down the pipe - this bird aint gonna fly wiothout some super discounting and even then it's a giant risk.
DIE BLURAY DIE!!! *Stabs several times* This message was edited at: 11-03-2008 03:25
By
camp blu (guest),
Tue 11 Mar 2008 02:00
hey DeadMan, give my your bank account and I will not take anything just move some digital information into mine.... cut the bull$hit anyway you cut it its theft/stealing whatever you call it, you stole the movie you did not pay for it and now you have it....lost sale, theft! dont try to justify it.
"I didnt kill my wife I just stoped her heart." you are a loser DeadMan
By
camp blu (guest),
Tue 11 Mar 2008 02:15
dude its technology pay for it and shut up. dont be tight and spend the cash, and agreed if you dont shell out for the 50-60\" tv then no need. but thoes who want blu-ray dont watch it on a 32\" TV, DVDs have reigon coding and get scratched but people love them, why because its cheap and for the masses
Also try to play a dvd player through a VCR ya cant, another form of copyprotection they tried....no one is crying the blues over that one are they.
plus buy any decent tv with HDMI and its HDCP compliant....my 26" monitor for my computer is, you just have to spend. you probably are complaing about going digital too now you cant split your cable to all 6 tvs you have to pay per outlet
Hahhaha Camp Blu- I guess I hit a nerve. 
Grab a marshmallow on a stick and come set by the fire. I don't have to pay for it and I wont this is my choice, it is also my choice not to "shut up" , but thanks for the advise==ce, I just disregard it, thank you. If you want to debate fine, if you want to act like a child telling folks to shut up that's finne too, but it does nothing to support your arguement and makes you look foolish.
I will continue to berate this new format as it places more restrictions upon the consumer, all in the name of fighting piracy, which we all know is a load of crap. The studios just want to bleed us for more revenue and I wont fall for it. Maybe they just give the record industry a jingle and ask them what happens when you shackle your warez. 
You can count the percentage of folks with those displays you are crowing about on one finger! If you think they will keep expensive Bluray production lines running for these elite few- you are living in a dream world. ( by the way, most of these folks bought them for Monday Night Football and don't know a Bluray from a manta ray) Money makes the world go round and there is not enough profit in Blue laser tech to support the light bill for manufacturers, let alone all other overhead. Hell I bet they throww out half the diodes they produce. Didn't you notice the player shortages?
I'm bored at work, surfing the 'net
Lots going on at CDFREAKS, I'll bet
I see Toshiba fans and Sony nuts
I see CAMP BLU, and other f*ck ups
Blu-ray has won, and I'm really p*ssed
I'm off to a torrent site, hope there's nothing I've missed.
