New BD plant opens

There was also this one also in europe. (old news)


Infodisc, a German optical disc manufacturer, has announced that they have taken delivery on BD-ROM manufacturing equipment from Oerlikon. In the coming days, Infodisc will install the hardware, making them the first independent Blu-ray disc manufacturer in Europe. This will allow independent studios in Europe to get their movies distributed in the Blu-ray format easily and conveniently.

They have to up production so supply can meet demand this Christmas.

How much does it cost to retrofit a DVD plant to produce HD DVDs?

Depends on how old the line is, newer ones are sold with in-built "compatibility" so that the upgrade is relatively cheap ~ $10,000 per line. Older ones need to be completely re-tooled and retrofitted which can run into millions of dollars for a fully functional facility.

For the record, a Blu-ray line costs in excess of $10m, for a fully functioning facility and the ability to produce BD50s it can cost up to $100m. A very large capital investment is required from the pressing companies or subsidisation from the BDA. Atm it is a bit of both I imagine.

Wow, 2 commercial BD lines, neither of which do BD-50's. Meanwhile, what, a hundred commercial lines that can do DL HD-DVD?

Very interesting indeed.

Where does it say they don't do BD-50s? I didn't see that in the article.

Just because they don't do BD50 now, doesn't mean they won't do it forever.

Sony or Panasonic will provide the expertise required for BD50 production to any company that wants it. Cinram is a great example.

What are all these commercial lines doing since nobody is buying the disks they produce?

Exactly. Before these replicators spend $$$ to upgrade all of those old lines to produce hd-dvd they will ask the all important question: show me the ROI!
If hd-dvd remains a small fraction of the total HD optical market then it could be a very long wait for those 'hundreds' of lines to be upgraded. Replicators will follow the market.

If they could do BD50, they'd be talking about it I imagine.

"We are very proud that Blue Ray Technologies has produced the first American-made single layer Blu-ray disc with GE Plastic's products and technical support," said Charles Crew, president of GE Plastics.

I'm also amused the GE doesn't mind making a buck on the competing format (when they own Uni, who is HD DVD exclusive).

so WAIT! let me get this.... Universal's parent company are now manufacturing BLU-RAY DISCS???? HAHAHA not a good sign for hd-dvd!

Is a BD plant BD hardware or a place where BD software is made?

Pressing discs.

So this thread belongs in the BD hardware forum. Thanks.

...They are making money selling plastics. How did you ever get "GE is manufacturing Blu Ray discs" ?

You know that Toshiba also helped develop the CELL chip inside the PS3?

It means nothing.

All that capacity, and very little demand, what a shame that is. The Neilson sales figures strongly indicate that HD-DVD is not constrained by production capacity

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz....

What? Oh... wake me up when you have ten independent BD plants (not paid by Sony or Panasonic) who are able to produce BD50.

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Could this be what The Digital Bits was talking about months ago when they reported that Uni (GE) was inspecting BD plants?

Just go Blu!

No thanks. Give me a sub $300 player and I'll think about it.

Not really. 45 titles, or 17%, of HD DVDs are smaller than 25GB Blu-Rays. On the other hand, 172 titles, or 63%, of Blu-Rays are smaller than 30GB HD DVDs.

Did you notice the BDA talking points?

"Hansen says, "The competition is over. Blu-ray won, with more than a million players in the U.S. market and growing."

Have they told him the majority of those owners have no idea what BD is?

I love how misleading this title is.

The company is called Blue Ray Technologies and they make discs at this new plant for DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Doesn't this thread belong in the BD forum?

Another one... well actually another 2, but they mention a third is on the sideline.

Taiwanese optical disc manufacturer Bestdisc has procured a production line for the manufacturing of Blu-ray movies. While relatively small compared its competitors, Bestdisc plans to compete for orders in Japan along with market leaders Sony DADC and Memory-Tech. No specific date was given for when set-up would be completed.

U-Tech Media, one of the bigger optical disc manufacturers in Taiwan, is in the process of developing a Blu-ray production line with assistance from parent company Ritek, and expects to finish develop by the end of this quarter. Feng Sheng Technology is waiting for demand to rise before they begin Blu-ray production.

Dude, the discs ARE the media on which Blu-ray movies are conveyed. This is the software media discussion thread.

Wow, a hundred commercial lines? Let's see, take the relatively small number of HD-DVD movies being sold, divide that by a hundred and you get .... piss poor return on investment dude. Anybody who invests good money to produce an HD-DVD production line ought to have their head examined.

At some point I think I'll start a thread on predictions for what month/year peak HD-DVD sales will be reached. You know, before the inevitable decline in sales.