When you are wanting to have a great home movie night, Blu-Rays can be a great way to accomplish this.
With a Blu-ray, you will be able to get great audio and visual experience from the comfort of your home.
The problem that some people have with the Blu-rays is that they are quite pricey.
The price of a Blu-ray is going to exceed the price of the DVD by quite a bit.
If you are wondering if these Blu-ray discs are worth it, let’s take a look at why they are so expensive.
Here are the top ten reasons a Blu-ray is so expensive.
Why Are Blu-Rays So Expensive?
1. Popularity Decreasing
When the Blu-ray discs were first released, they were very popular.
People were interested in getting something that was new and had high quality graphics and audio.
When they were first released, the technology was the best out there, and everyone wanted their hands on it.
At the time, the manufacturing processes were still very expensive, but people didn’t mind paying the higher costs.
Since Blu-rays have been around for many years now, the popularity is decreasing a bit.
Many people are choosing to stream content as opposed to having Blu-ray discs in their home.
One of the reasons for this is convenience, but some people simply do not want these collections and things filling up their homes.
Blu-rays have now been around for a few years, and the manufacturing process is not quite as expensive, but the pricing is still high.
This is partly because the popularity has waned on Blu-ray discs.
People are fine with choosing other forms of content, and the companies are having to keep their higher prices so that everyone can make a share of the money.
When you purchase a Blu-ray, there are many people who need to be paid out on it.
Every Blu-ray has lots of licensing fees involved, and that really keeps the price high.
With the popularity of these discs starting to decrease, the price does not budge, so that revenue stays high for the manufacturers producing the Blu-ray.
2. Higher Cost Compared to Digital
Digital content certainly leads the way in our world right now.
With internet speeds getting higher and televisions and computers getting faster, digital content is starting to completely replace the need for DVDs and Blu-rays.
People are finding that the digital content is more convenient as well.
Although some will argue that there is nothing quite like unboxing a new Blu-ray and having a true movie theater experience at home, most are perfectly satisfied with the digital technology.
Another great thing about digital technology is that the production costs are much lower.
Since there is no physical product, an entire leg of the sales process can be eliminated.
Of course, digital content takes a large number of employees and lots of creation and programming.
However, there will be no facilities needed to produce the actual disc and packaging, which helps to keep the price of digital content lower.
The product packaging and the facilities necessary to produce these products make the Blu-rays quite a bit more expensive than digital content.
3. Owning as Opposed to Renting
One reason that Blu-rays are so expensive is that you are going to own the product and be able to watch it over and over.
Most people who want access to a new movie will have to rent it.
When you rent a product, you will pay a portion for it but only get to keep it for a very limited amount of time.
With a Blu-ray, you own the product permanently and will be able to watch the movie over and over again.
There is certainly some value in this, but it is also one of the reasons you will pay more for a Blu-ray as opposed to other formats of entertainment.
If you are a person who likes to watch the same movie or show over and over again, then owning the Blu-ray version is a good idea.
If you think you will only watch something once, you will probably end up paying more than you need to for a Blu-ray.
Some people enjoy having a collection of classic movies, and the Blu-ray is a great format in which to own them.
You will get a better viewing experience, and since this is a newer technology, it should last quite a bit longer as well.
The debate on owning versus renting is going to be a personal one, but you should keep in mind that owning comes at a higher expense.
4. Higher Quality Graphics
Some people will say that some of the new technology developed is not all that much clearer than the technology from the year before.
However, when you put a Blu-ray in, you will notice a clear difference from a DVD.
The colors are going to appear brighter and more vivid, and the clarity of the images is also much better.
When you look at a city or a town that is far away, you will feel as though you are there and experiencing it right along with the characters in the movie.
Although a DVD can provide a good viewing experience, it certainly won’t be the same as the Blu-ray.
If you have a good television and a great setup for movies, the Blu-ray disc makes a lot of sense.
It also makes sense if you are watching action movies where clear graphics are going to make a difference to your viewing experience.
People like Blu-rays for action and science fiction movies especially.
If you are watching a drama or an older movie, you may not notice as much of a difference when it comes to the picture.
However, the higher quality of graphics is a major reason the Blu-rays are more expensive.
5. Better Sound
In addition to the better quality graphics, the sound is also going to be better with a Blu-ray.
A better sound quality experience is a major reason Blu-rays are more expensive.
If you are a person who always has to turn the volume way up to understand what people are saying, the Blu-ray is a good choice to consider.
The DVD format has some decent sound quality, but it will be no better than what you get with a regular television show.
With a Blu-ray, you are going to get movie theater-like sound in your own home.
One thing that people will want to make sure of is that they have a decent sound system in place.
If you have a premium sound system in your home, you can experience the full benefits of the Blu-ray.
If you don’t have a premium sound system, you may not notice much of a difference in the sound between a DVD and a Blu-ray.
The higher quality audio experience is something that makes Blu-rays more expensive.
6. Higher Manufacturing Costs
Since a Blu-ray has these characteristics which make it higher performing, it also costs more to manufacture.
A facility that manufacturers Blu-ray is going to have more expensive and higher quality materials and equipment.
The facility will also have employees who understand the importance of this high-quality manufacturing process.
The employees need to be trained on how things work and how to inspect for irregularities in the Blu-ray discs as well.
The materials used to make a DVD are going to be less expensive than those used to make the Blu-ray.
In addition, the actual writing of a Blu-ray product from the producer and creators is going to cost more than that for a DVD.
These higher costs are due to the detail in both the graphics and the sound as well.
Overall, you are going to find that there is some justification in the Blu-ray pricing because of the way that it is manufactured.
7. Production Cost of the Blu-Ray Disc
When you learn about the process for producing Blu-ray discs, you will see how much waste is involved.
Each Blu-ray that is created will need to be inspected before leaving the factory.
Any tiny imperfections can have a large impact on the way that the Blu-ray plays.
This can ruin the viewing experience for the customer, and companies will try to avoid this at all costs.
The production cost of the Blu-ray disc is also high because of the packaging of the disc itself.
You will have to produce packaging that is visually appealing and looks as high tech as the movie is going to be.
To get the proper graphics and high-quality audio, graphic designers will spend a lot of time writing the Blu-rays.
Converting that to something which can be mass produced is a difficult and expensive process.
When you purchase a Blu-ray, you are certainly going to be paying a good portion for the production of the Blu-ray.
8. High Profit Margin for Higher Tech
When better technology is involved, the profit margin for products tends to be quite a bit higher.
You will notice this across the entire industry and not just with a Blu-ray disc.
If a company can provide you with a better experience, something that is more cutting edge, you are going to have to pay more for it.
The price of Blu-rays has everything to do with the fact that they are offering a premium and unique technology which is not available on a DVD.
Since these companies are able to offer you a better experience, they are going to want a higher profit margin.
This is really a basic principle in economics and something that has been a part of our society for many years.
9. Extra Digital Content
When you purchase a new Blu-ray, you will find that there is usually quite a bit of extra digital content included.
This extra content is going to include things like behind the scenes or trailers.
There could also be interviews with actors and actresses who were in the movie.
Sometimes if there is a documentary or something related to the actual movie, that will also be included.
The extra content on a Blu-ray disc is unique to the Blu-ray experience.
If you download digital content, you are not going to get this same type of information to look through and enjoy.
In fact, some people say that the extra digital content is the main reason they will purchase the Blu-ray format.
When you get content that is unique and hard to find in other locations, it is going to be more expensive.
Since the cost is related to additional and unique content, people tend to be more willing to pay more for it, and the price of Blu-rays stays high.
If you are a fan of something like Star Wars or a certain television series, then the Blu-ray is going to be an experience you will want to add to your home theater.
Getting access to this extra content that not everyone has access to certain adds some value.
10. New Releases Tend To Be Blu Ray
Another reason Blu-rays are so expensive is that many of them tend to be new releases.
A new release is always going to have a higher cost than something which has been around for many years.
These new releases have a lot of interest and appeal because they have content that people haven’t seen yet.
Most of the time, when a Blu-ray comes out, it is a movie that was just recently shown in the theaters.
People who do not enjoy going to theaters are going to want to get their hands on the new release as soon as possible.
This is a known fact by those who develop and produce the Blu-ray discs.
Therefore, they will set the pricing quite high.
After a movie has been out for a long time, you may start to see the pricing drop on the Blu-rays.
This is simply because it has been seen by the majority of people and has lost some of its appeal.
If you want to find a deal on a Blu-ray, you can look for something that has been on the market for quite some time.
How To Save Money On Blu-Ray Discs
As expensive as a Blu-ray Disc may be, the good news is that they often go on sale.
If you want to save money on Blu-ray discs, try and find something on sale.
Sometimes, if you purchase two or three at once, you can get a percentage discount off the total price.
Also, purchasing Blu-ray discs at large discount stores like Walmart and Target can sometimes save you some money.
When you purchase at Barnes and Noble or Best Buy, the pricing tends to be a little higher.
Around the holidays, you may see additional sales on certain Blu-ray discs.
If you can avoid purchasing the movie as soon as it comes out, you will also pay a slightly lower price.
There are ways to save on these expensive Blu-ray discs, but it is certainly hard to replace the experience they offer.
