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Dual layer DVDs too expensive
Why is it that dual layer media is so much more expensive than single layer?
Typically I pay around 48p each for branded, 25 quantity, DVD-R spindles, but dual layer DVD-R is anything from £5 or more each in CD cases for quantities of 5, the largest quantity readily available.
Given that virtually all current generation PC burners are dual layer and even my Pioneer HD/DVD recorder burns dual layer, why is the price still so high? There is no incentive to use dual layer at all at these price levels and it is a heavy premium for the convenience of fitting all your data/video on to one disc.
George Edwards
Canadian here.
Everywhere I've looked it's at least $2 per disc for dual layer, which has been around for a while now.
That's 10x more expensive than the medium-quality single layer discs I bought.
Is it because the media industry knows that we can now do 1:1 copies of DVD discs? (Instead of shrinking them down to fit on single media discs?)
Who knows. It still seems ridiculous.
Posted by Arlo | November 7, 2006 9:48 AM
It's still more expensive to produce them, and they are probably not produced in large enough quantities to make them cheaper.
On another note, It's funny that (at least in canada) with the $0.20 excise tax on CD-R, recordable DVD's are much cheaper per disc. around 15 to 40 cents in quantity compared to 30 to 70 cents or more for cd-r
Posted by Paul | January 22, 2007 8:04 PM
hi,in britain they are a ripoff aswell.I pay 75p a disc for 8x and they are only low grade dvds.
Posted by Laurie | June 24, 2007 11:50 PM
My best guess is that hollywood has something to do with it. DL's make it way easy to make perfect lossless copies of dvds in short order, whereas it takes longer and is more of a pain to shrink a dvd down to a 4.7gig single layer dvd. Either way, if you were using DL's to make copies... you are still paying only 1.5-2 dollars per movie, as opposed to 15-20 at the store
Posted by Todd | September 21, 2007 9:29 PM
The dual layered DVD's are also used for the XBOX 360 games. ...Microsoft makes the XBOX's so right there you know there's going to be some manipulation in the industry.
Microsoft already went out of their way to flex their muscle to discontinue certain burners and reader drives that were able to aid in the duplication of their expensive games. I know this, because back-up my XBOX 360 games.
So, I can guarantee that the entertainment companies are responsible for this.
I've had dual-layer burners for about 3 years and really have not seen the prices for the blank media go down at all. ..and their fail rate is higher than the single-layer discs...now those are expensive coasters!!!
Posted by Robb | October 14, 2007 2:25 PM