Sony First to Put Prices on Blu-Ray

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment today became the first major studio to put a price tag on Blu-ray Discs when they become available in U.S. stores later this year.

Catalog Blu-ray Disc titles will wholesale for $17.95, about the same as DVDs when that format came on the market in 1997. New-release Blu-ray Discs will wholesale for $23.45, a premium of about 15% to 20% over what suppliers were charging for new theatrical DVDs.

At the same time, the studio unveiled what many observers believe will be a key component of the next-generation, high-definition optical disc’s marketing strategy — bundling various formats together to give consumers more flexibility and mobility.

The first titles are expected from the studio early this summer. In addition, the studio has suggested that it may bundle Blu-ray Disc titles with versions of the same film compatible with other formats. So you might be able to buy a combo pack that contains both Blu-ray and UMD versions of the film, or Blu-ray, DVD and UMD all in one pack. The studio has already announced DVD/UMD combo packs of several titles. Ultimately, the studio may offer you a way to... say... buy the Blu-ray Disc version physically, along with the option to download the film in other formats. You can To read more at Home Media Retailing .