Do you think the flexibility is needed though? So far, from what I've heard, the plants haven't been doing these types of conversions.

Only if studios pick their preferred disc based on production costs. Considering that Disney and Fox went with BD in the first place, knowing that it'd at least initially cost more, it seems they had other considerations in mind. Those other considerations aren't going to just disappear if suddenly most consumers can play HD DVD as well as BD.

I'm sure they got a deal on the costs through Sony as did all of the studios.

So the deal on this discs would suddenly go away if machines went dual-format?

It's likely that the rumored subsidies on both sides will only last so long.

Ah, so there's rumored subsidies on both sides. I understand that such deals would only be finite, but it seem silly to think that the point when dual-format enters the equation would be the point one side or the other would stop such subsidies. If anything, the direct competition over which discs to use would seem more likely to impel such subsidies rather than curtail them.

It used to be easier to find them. But everyone started making HDMI cables to real specs instead of old VGA-style crap.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/print...&page=10&pp=60

Cheaper production is arguable. At the time a universal player would be released, PS3 will be in full swing and tens of millions of games would have been sold. Economies of scale tells us this lower the costs per disc. It is extremely possible that BD can be cheaper than HD DVD to produce due to volume.

If costs can be lowered to below HD DVD, isn't capacity the only other determining factor?

Are you suggesting there will be more BD discs produced than DVDs? I think not.

I don't know how you inferred that from his last statement. He is talking about BDs having a lower cost than HD-DVDs.

HD DVDs can be produced on current DVD lines for very little time and money spent. So you can factor in the production of DVDs into any estimates for HD DVDs.

I disagree. The cost of making a BD vs. the cost of an HD DVD have been well documented as have the costs of building the production line. I am not saying there will be savings for the consumer, but that the studio would see a slightly larger margin per disc, but on an economy of scale a small margin is very important.

You are grasping again.

That's the rumor, at least. The word floating around is that Toshiba has been subsidizing the cost of hardware to the end users, while Sony has been subsidizing the cost of software to studios.

You're assuming, though, that HD DVD costs will remain stagnant, which will not be the case. Next, please.

No, I am just contemplating the possibility that Blu-ray discs costs will fall faster because of more production. Yes, initial costs are higher for Blu-ray than HD DVD, but if you are producing more discs, then the initial costs are spread across more discs, lowering the cost per disc.

And with the 360 add-on creating more demand for HD DVD, more HD DVDs will also be manufactured.

Just because PS3 has Blu-Ray does NOT mean Blu-Ray will start selling millions of discs, damn. What is you're logical thinking in this? HD is wiping the floor with Blu-Ray right now, just give up.

Actually, Gizmo, josh is right that production on BD25 will ramp up because all PS3 games are mandated to be on Blu-ray discs. So a lot of discs will be printed for games, which will lower the production costs for BD25 discs in general. I doubt it will have much impact on BD50, though.

Oh, I fully understand that. Bu the movie aspect will not change much.

I don't think the PS3 will help sell too many movies, but the game production will help drive down costs of BD25 production in general.

Disc production includes both movies and games. The machines that physically make the discs don't care what data is stored in 1s and 0s. So it will have an impact on both. Question is just, "how much impact"?

Josh is right in that the increased need for Blu-ray PS3 games will increase the potential production capacity for Blu-ray discs. But DVD and HD DVD will still be cheaper in the near term.

Under any forseable circumstance that will remain far below HD DVD production capacity and per unit cost for several years.

Game production is literally an order of magnitude lower than DVD production (though likely on par for BD production for middle of the road games), so it will take awhile for this cost reduction to show.

I totally disagree with the fact that the PS3 will not help sell movies. The PS2 was and still is a primary DVD player for many people. I know some friends who still use it. Plus the fact that many game enthusiasts are also movie enthusiasts like myself. So to say that the PS3 will not help sell movies is totally offbase.

The only factor that will hurt is the obvious short supply of PS3s in the near term, but it's no matter what it's going to help sell some BDs no question about it.

anybody who did and still uses a PS2 for DVD's will not give a shit about HD quality. Nor will they want to pay the premium for the HD version.

You can quote me on that.