Blu-ray Disc Petition

To say that the whole Blu-ray Disc situation is a mess does not begin to describe the chaos in which the independent producer is caught.

We can shoot HD.

We can edit HD.

We can output HD.

But when it comes to distributing HD, we have a series of unpleasant choices:

1. Down-converting our HD materials to SD and distributing on an SD DVD.
2. Burning each DVD individually, which is fine for small runs, and disaster for large runs.
3. Paying exorbitant license fees, containing highly-restrictive policies, to get our High-Def DVDs replicated in large quantities.

Blu-ray Discs are not guaranteed to succeed. In fact, if current policies continue, it will make much more sense for independent producers to avoid them all-together and concentrate on distributing their high-def materials on-line using digital downloads. It is inexcusable to require license fees which can exceed $4,500 for your first title — EXCLUDING manufacturing costs — from small producers seeking to help grow the Blu-ray format.

Bruce Nazarian, president of the DVD Association, has been trying to get the Blu-ray Association to realize that excessive fees, restrictive policies, and an unbending attitude will destroy the Blu-ray format before it even gets started.

If you are interested in supporting their efforts – and I encourage you to do so – please visit the DVD Association website and sign their petition to get the folks at Blu-ray to realize that if the current situation does not change, they will find themselves riding a dead horse.

Website: www.dvda.org

Survey: www.dvda.org/survey/

Petition: www.dvda.org/petition/

Thanks.