Should UMD movie discs cost as much (if not more) than their DVD counterparts? It depends on how you want to argue the point. Apologists for the platform have long stated that, since UMD sales are so low, the price has to be high. Everyone with a grasp on reality would argue that sales are so low because the price is so high. And they would be right, as news today highlights a massive price-cut driven sales explosion in UMD sales in Japan.
Warner Home Video has announced that it has seen a sales spike since it hacked the price of a small selection of UMD movies to the impossible-to-refuse price of 980 yen (that's around £4.50GB). The range includes The Last Samurai, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Enter the Dragon, Batman Begins, The Island, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Black Diamond, The Goonies, Tom and Jerry, the Harry Potter movies and The Matrix Trilogy, and was only supposed to be available for a limited time. Rampant demand for the range saw its time extended, and today Warner stated it has seen a spike of ten times its normal UMD sales in the last month.
Of course, a sub-1,000 yen price point is not going to be a particularly profitable venture for the movie companies, though this does indicate that price is the key factor Sony and its partners need to address if the UMD format is to succeed. A price that leads people away from downloading pirate versions of their desired movie in favour of picking up a well-priced official alternative is surely a good thing for all concerned.
Warner Home Video has announced that it has seen a sales spike since it hacked the price of a small selection of UMD movies to the impossible-to-refuse price of 980 yen (that's around £4.50GB). The range includes The Last Samurai, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Enter the Dragon, Batman Begins, The Island, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Black Diamond, The Goonies, Tom and Jerry, the Harry Potter movies and The Matrix Trilogy, and was only supposed to be available for a limited time. Rampant demand for the range saw its time extended, and today Warner stated it has seen a spike of ten times its normal UMD sales in the last month.
Of course, a sub-1,000 yen price point is not going to be a particularly profitable venture for the movie companies, though this does indicate that price is the key factor Sony and its partners need to address if the UMD format is to succeed. A price that leads people away from downloading pirate versions of their desired movie in favour of picking up a well-priced official alternative is surely a good thing for all concerned.
Companies:
Sony
Read More Like This
Comments
ajmetz 6 Sep 2006 10:10
1/3
I wanted to publish small independant films on the format, for £5 or less, and sell through indie retailers. When UMD first launched though, it cost £4000 for authoring. O_O.
I sincerely hope authoring costs have since dropped, or £4.50 movies just won't be feasible.
I sincerely hope authoring costs have since dropped, or £4.50 movies just won't be feasible.
Joji 6 Sep 2006 13:33
2/3
Like I said ages ago, these price drops prove me right. UMDs are too high in price and to attract they need to be cheaper.
In the u.k, now I have my PSP, the only time i'd buy them is second hand on ebay. The dvd of any film or series is cheaper and more accessible on dvd anyway.
For £5, (though I know we'll never see this in the u.k) I'd be more tempted to try them out.
Think carefully now, Sony
In the u.k, now I have my PSP, the only time i'd buy them is second hand on ebay. The dvd of any film or series is cheaper and more accessible on dvd anyway.
For £5, (though I know we'll never see this in the u.k) I'd be more tempted to try them out.
Think carefully now, Sony
SPInGSPOnG 7 Sep 2006 06:26
3/3
ajmetz wrote:
I wanted to publish small independant films on the format, for £5 or less, and sell through indie retailers. When UMD first launched though, it cost £4000 for authoring. O_O.
Why did you want to publish them on a format that almost no-one watches movies on, and when they do, it's on a small screen? Why not just bung them on cheap, easy-to-master, DVD?
Assuming that you are in the UK, have you considered talking to Video Island/Screenselect and see if they want to emulate Netflix again - http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/netflix.html