Why are DVD's so damned cheap these days?
 

I realize BR and HD-DVD is more readily available than ever, but the majority of folks don't have the technology to play them.... so why do I seem to see EVERY DVD on sale these days?

I just picked up Seinfeld Seasons 6-8 and Prison Break Season 1 for under $100 including tax this afternoon. There were numerous other new releases for under $17 and many older movies for $5-$10.

Is BR and HD taking hold or are stores just clearing their stock? For the record, it seems that Target has these fantastic sales these days.

Sales are slumping, to many titles and the thrill is gone....

-popcorn-

VHS went down in price after it was first introduced. DVD is the main and pretty only way to own home videos now, so they can't still be $30 a pop.

Still not cheap enough I say... ;)

They've been cheap for a few years now, so I don't think it has anything to do with BD or HD DVD. They've reached the saturation point, and many of the sub-$10 titles have gotten multiple price drops over the years. There's also the possibility that they're pricing them lower to help counter piracy.

I think the prices are down because people are smarter than before and the titles aren't as good. Plus, you never know what you'll see cheap at Wal-mart, so people wait a bit on certain titles. Also, the cheaper the price, the more impulse buys.

There's only so many times people are going to pay $27.99 for a new release when in three months time it's dropped to $14.66, or significantly cheaper used.

well considering what manufacturing costs are, don't feel to bad for the studios. they're still making plenty of money at current price conditions.

My heart isn't bleeding for the studios. But to see Season or Trilogy compilations for $15 is amazing (older titles or not - ie Back to the Future, Indiana Jones Trilogy, etc).

R4 DVDs too have been following this trend but unfortunately the quality of packaging is downgraded to R1's. There is no more double-page printed artworks (chapter list and etc) because more lighter and non-transparent amaray cases are being standardised.

sorry but isn't supossed to be "DVDs" instead of " DVD's" i notice many ppl make this mistake online..

rotfl

Yeah, it drives me crazy when people misspell words or don't use proper punctuation in their posts.

If copying DVDs wasn't possible, the studios would still be selling that stupid shitty movie for $29.99.

That's a pretty silly question.

Too bad the music industry doesn't adopt this same pricing strategy as the film industry (which is weird, because in most cases, they're all the same companies).

They're too busy sueing grandmothers and kids in wheelchairs to develop a sound sales & marketing strategy (to say nothing of trying to develop new talent). :thmbsdwn:

It still amazes me that a CD released 20yrs ago still costs $15-20 but a movie barely a year old drops in price to $10 or less.

I'm not fussy about the prices of TV ON DVD sets. I buy alot of different shows on DVD & I'll pay any price mainly because DVD's (that spelling is just for you NoirFan) are about the only main item that I buy every week besides food so I'll spend the big bucks.
It is nice to see TV sets that I didn't pick up because it was either before I seriously started collecting DVD's or just missed there first day release. I recently picked up all the seasons of M*A*S*H for $18 (with the exeption of 3 seasons which I had to pay $37.99 for) & I picked up seasons 2-8 of Cheers on DVD with Wal-Mart's "2 for $35" special.
Like I said I'll pay anything for a DVD I want but it is cool to see season sets for such a cheap price, some cheaper than movies which isn't even half the content of a TV set.

I love it. There's almost no reason to buy a new release for $20, unless you really want it at the time. I see things that came out a month ago now selling for less than $10 during sales. Even TV sets that used to be north of $100 have gone down to amazing prices.

Drexl hit it on the head with one word - Saturation. Think about it - the most valuable commodity retailers have is space. Even e-tailers have warehouses. When stuff piles up you've gotta get rid of it somehow. Personally I think it's great that stores like Best Buy have great titles on sale once in a while for $4.99 (I picked up 15 Minutes that way last week). A majority of households have at least a DVD player nowadays, so there's content a'plenty.

i think most people know when you can go to the store and buy a stack of DVD or CD blanks at .25-.50¢ a disk... and they have industrial burners that can pump them out at a rate of hundreds to thousands and hour... and they now make them in Mexico and Asia so labor costs are a non-issue... etc. etc. etc.

most people now realize there is no great expense in making CDs and DVDs... it's data on a disk with a screen logo on the disk and a case with an insert...

the more relevant question is... how did they rape the consumer for so long?...

beyond Criterion Collection and Kino releases... which i will pay for as the work they do is awesome and important... and those two companies actually take on considerable expenses in collecting rare film... mastering their own DVD copies on the best equipment and with the best restoration men improving picture and sound... improving subtitles... etc... they do cost a lot more to produce that way...

other than that i always wait for the ~$9 down to ~$5 prices on many films... i only do the tuesday-friday Wally World discount on new films i'm really wanting to see and have been waiting on...

That's true. So many retailers selling DVD's makes it pretty easy to find a movie within a reasonable price, unless its OOP. Looking back, 5-6 years ago I couldn't have imagined seeing what prices dvd's sell for today. The $4.99, $4.88, BB, WM sales, and the 0.99 Hollywood/Movie Gallery deals are always enjoyable to check out.

It's been quite awhile, but one time I told a friend that Black Hawk Down was on sale for $4.99 and that he should pick it up. His response was "What!! that's a good movie, why is it so cheap for?"

Batman SE and Batman Returns SE costs less than $20 at amazon, however there are still some that are pricey. Like boxsets are still over $30 even after the DD 20%.

Yes, I think movies are getting pretty cheap, but I think buying seasons / entire TV series are still rather expensive, regardless of iTunes or xbox or DVD. Thats why I'm netflixing.


But the root of it all, I think, is dropping demand due to lack of quality, too much quantity, and alternative distribution channels:


1. movies have less replay value (as opposed to music), so the general population is less interested in "buying" as opposed to renting
2. faster / more convientent distribution channel alternatives: online (via iTunes or PPV or Xbox), DVR's, broadcast HDTV,netflix.
3. I don't think its from HD or Blueray, as the dualing standards does nothing but confuse the market. Look at SACD and DVD-Audio....nobody won. I have NO idea what the dualing camps where thinking.

Hell, I remember when a blank recordable CD was 6 to 8 bucks, EACH. As tech grows, price drops.