Will There Be Enough Blu-ray Discs?
Format's sudden victory has companies scrambling to produce more titles.
By Swanni
But Video Business reports that some industry executives are concerned that there won't be enough discs to go around.
“As with all formats that are growing in popularity, there is the potential to have spot shortages during peak seasons,” says Jim Twiggs, vice president at Sony DADC Americas, which replicates discs. “At this point, there are no shortages, and the market is adding capacity as fast as possible to ensure adequate capacity for all.”
Sony and other Blu-ray replication companies are rapidly investing in new plants to increase disc production. But the problem is that few expected Toshiba to leave the business so soon, ceding victory to Blu-ray. (Toshiba announced last month that it was pulling the plug on HD DVD at the end of March.)
Companies that were charged with making HD DVD copies will have an even more difficult time making the switch.
“HD DVD lines cannot be switched over to make Blu-ray discs,” said a spokeswoman for Cinram International, another disc replicator, according to Video Business. “We are still in discussions with the studios and are looking at industry data points to obtain a clearer picture so that we’re able to better assess how we’re going to invest in the Blu-ray business going forward.”
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
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