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AnyStream is having some DRM issues currently, Netflix is not available in HD for the time being.
Situations like this will always happen with AnyStream: streaming providers are continuously improving their countermeasures while we try to catch up, it's an ongoing cat-and-mouse game. Please be patient and don't flood our support or forum with requests, we are working on it 24/7 to get it resolved. Thank you.
Warner goes Blu-ray exclusive
- Thread starter nameless.mailbox
- Start date
DivX isn't an open format. It's a proprietary technology from DivX Networks. XviD, on the other hand, is open-source...:agree:
SamuriHL
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Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of that resource.
I wholly agree, and I live in a country where blank media is not "taxed" to IP owners.
SwollenGoat, Aractus,
this already exists in many countries, for example here in Belgium:
0,12 EUR Excl. VAT per blank CD
0,59 EUR Excl. VAT per blank DVD, HD DVD or Blu Ray
Note: VAT is 21% overhere
...
These taxes are charged at the distribution/import point and invoiced directly to dealers by their supplier.
There are similar conditions in several other European countries for example. Some charge taxes on the writer (e.g. Germany).
If your country doesn't have it yet, I wouldn't shout about it too loudly & don't give your governments any ideas.
Strange though: usually the people who complain about this the most are those who do not make legal copies...
You are ofcourse right that you should be able to make copies of your own works, meaning: material to which you own the copyright. This is entirely possible here btw., but not unless you make enough of your own media. The organisation responsible for the administration of these taxes will only make up a file when enough money is involved. Otherwise it is simply not worthwhile to do the paperwork ... Your average enduser or small company will not be able to benefit much from it.
If the price difference between blank media is large, this gives people more incentive to copy then when it is small and not worth their time and effort to copy it...
IMHO the industry should first set up a LOGICAL pricing scheme, or can anyone explain to me why a CD often costs more than a DVD? I sure can't find any valid reason for it, yet it occurs very often...
If you look at it, if you want to have +2000 discs pressed it probably will probably cost you less than 1 EUR per disc to make a CD with a 4 colour print + simple lay in in a normal jewelcase. If you want a more advanced booklet or housing, maybe add some extra cost for the design etc. for that...
An average album cd often costs between 17 en 25 EUR over here, incl 21% VAT. The artist maybe earns 1-1.5 EUR excl. VAT for a full album if he has a really good deal (many don't get that much)... Now, where does the rest of money go?
I'll tell you:
- studiorecordings&equipment/instruments/catering/recordcompany/producer/artist's management/...
- promotion
- distributor
- shop/dealer
- freight charges (yes, it has to end up in your favourite store too..)
- local author rights body contributions (e.g. SABAM, RIAA, ...)
- VAT 21%
Overall, the actual CD would cost max. about 2-4 EUR per disc (often less) - effective cost for the cd with the artist's fee included - but the rest (the largest part) of the money is going somewhere else. Singles are usually loosing money unless they sell in really very high volumes (they are meant to promote artist's performances and their albums, not to make money)
I.o.w., large part of the reason the prices are so high is that there are WAY too many people pocketing their own (sometimes considerable) margins involved... Let us also not forget the taxes, as you can see here: in Belgium this represents slightly over 1/5 of the actual cd's price!
this already exists in many countries, for example here in Belgium:
0,12 EUR Excl. VAT per blank CD
0,59 EUR Excl. VAT per blank DVD, HD DVD or Blu Ray
Note: VAT is 21% overhere
...
These taxes are charged at the distribution/import point and invoiced directly to dealers by their supplier.
There are similar conditions in several other European countries for example. Some charge taxes on the writer (e.g. Germany).
If your country doesn't have it yet, I wouldn't shout about it too loudly & don't give your governments any ideas.
Strange though: usually the people who complain about this the most are those who do not make legal copies...
You are ofcourse right that you should be able to make copies of your own works, meaning: material to which you own the copyright. This is entirely possible here btw., but not unless you make enough of your own media. The organisation responsible for the administration of these taxes will only make up a file when enough money is involved. Otherwise it is simply not worthwhile to do the paperwork ... Your average enduser or small company will not be able to benefit much from it.
If the price difference between blank media is large, this gives people more incentive to copy then when it is small and not worth their time and effort to copy it...
IMHO the industry should first set up a LOGICAL pricing scheme, or can anyone explain to me why a CD often costs more than a DVD? I sure can't find any valid reason for it, yet it occurs very often...
If you look at it, if you want to have +2000 discs pressed it probably will probably cost you less than 1 EUR per disc to make a CD with a 4 colour print + simple lay in in a normal jewelcase. If you want a more advanced booklet or housing, maybe add some extra cost for the design etc. for that...
An average album cd often costs between 17 en 25 EUR over here, incl 21% VAT. The artist maybe earns 1-1.5 EUR excl. VAT for a full album if he has a really good deal (many don't get that much)... Now, where does the rest of money go?
I'll tell you:
- studiorecordings&equipment/instruments/catering/recordcompany/producer/artist's management/...
- promotion
- distributor
- shop/dealer
- freight charges (yes, it has to end up in your favourite store too..)
- local author rights body contributions (e.g. SABAM, RIAA, ...)
- VAT 21%
Overall, the actual CD would cost max. about 2-4 EUR per disc (often less) - effective cost for the cd with the artist's fee included - but the rest (the largest part) of the money is going somewhere else. Singles are usually loosing money unless they sell in really very high volumes (they are meant to promote artist's performances and their albums, not to make money)
I.o.w., large part of the reason the prices are so high is that there are WAY too many people pocketing their own (sometimes considerable) margins involved... Let us also not forget the taxes, as you can see here: in Belgium this represents slightly over 1/5 of the actual cd's price!
digitalfreak
Well-Known Member
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Well, it's pretty obvious from the software sales figures that consumers were making the decision. In the end, studios don't give a rats ass how many players are sold, only how many of their titles are. Toshiba loved to throw around it's player numbers, but they meant nothing when they don't include every player sold, which includes PS3s.
From a DRM perspective, I too would have preferred for HD DVD to prevail. However, they just didn't have the momentum to do it. People can spout BS about $500 million dollar payoffs all they want, but I think Warner saw the writing on the wall and decided it would be more beneficial to support one format. Who knows the real reason they chose Blu-ray, though I suspect it has to do with software sales, capacity and BD+. I'm just glad that it looks like we'll be getting a single format real soon, so everyone can move on.
My original post was just to piss off the HD DVD fanboys.
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well i hope its not over yet, i think this war keeps the pressure to reduce prices. i had gotten in on HD DVD in the beginning due to there low prices and i was/am waiting for prices to come down on Blu Ray ( if that ever happens now) i think both formats can live together with dual format players being the norm if Toshiba does not panic and quit, and if they do it does not mean Blu Ray will be widely accepted, its not like these formats will ever beat out sd dvd any time soon, i really believe these formats will never be more than a niche product, oh and i would not be supporting any hdm if it was'nt for slysoft and the ability to back up movies because i will not by any movie i cant back up
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Fun read:
http://www.betanews.com/article/Bluray_Early_adopters_knew_what_they_were_getting_into/1199841379
"Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform."
I am sure, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic & Co. are all delighted to hear that.
"When BetaNews asked why these manufacturers rushed out players that were not fully capable and potentially buggy due to their BD-J implementation, the Blu-ray partner pointed blame across the room to HD DVD. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation," he said. HD DVD was already coming and the BDA had no choice but to launch Blu-ray."
http://www.betanews.com/article/Bluray_Early_adopters_knew_what_they_were_getting_into/1199841379
"Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform."
I am sure, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic & Co. are all delighted to hear that.
"When BetaNews asked why these manufacturers rushed out players that were not fully capable and potentially buggy due to their BD-J implementation, the Blu-ray partner pointed blame across the room to HD DVD. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation," he said. HD DVD was already coming and the BDA had no choice but to launch Blu-ray."
DrinkLyeAndDie
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Fun read:
http://www.betanews.com/article/Bluray_Early_adopters_knew_what_they_were_getting_into/1199841379
"Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform."
I am sure, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic & Co. are all delighted to hear that.
"When BetaNews asked why these manufacturers rushed out players that were not fully capable and potentially buggy due to their BD-J implementation, the Blu-ray partner pointed blame across the room to HD DVD. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation," he said. HD DVD was already coming and the BDA had no choice but to launch Blu-ray."
So... essentially they hoodwinked unsuspecting buyers into paying insane prices for a product [from the BD partners] that was rushed out the door and lacking implementation of features that came later. Only one product, the PS3, actually is worth paying for... Wow, we sure did end up with the better product winning here... *sigh*
It'd be nice to see a backlash from early adopters all demanding compensation for what was originally a standalone BD player but ends up being a paperweight or doorstop.
What you quoted makes me laugh, sad, and angry all at once, James.
Webslinger
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Yes, exactly
I'm not sure even the PS3 is worth buying. It galls me to even consider buying a console. Goes against my religion
TM2-Megatron
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Well, I guess that's a risk early adopters take by being early adopters, lol.
Personally, not a whole lot of my sympathy is reserved for those who were able to afford $1000+ for a 1st-gen Blu-Ray player. There are people in this world with much bigger problems than paying too much for a glorified DVD player. If they could afford a grand or more then, they can easily afford a few hundred for another one today.
Personally, not a whole lot of my sympathy is reserved for those who were able to afford $1000+ for a 1st-gen Blu-Ray player. There are people in this world with much bigger problems than paying too much for a glorified DVD player. If they could afford a grand or more then, they can easily afford a few hundred for another one today.
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And in Canada, and I'm well aware of all that.
"yet"? You seem to think that I live somewhere that hasn't already had this discussion.
- Sony has taken modchips to the High Court of Australia - and lost.
- Warner printed "This Disc is not for Rental" onto retail DVDs; the AVRRA (Australian Video Rental Retailers Association) took them to court and won - forcing Warner to destroy tens of thousands of DVDs - or maybe even more.
- The Copyright Act 1968 formally declares that a regional-lockout does not constitute a technological protection measure; and as such can never be legally protected against cracking.
And I can't find any reason why a DVD costs more then a book (besides the fact we have parallel importing on books).
Yes, and clearly you don't have parallel importing, or your prices would have to be globally competitive. The average CD price in Australia in Euros would be about 9-14 EUR.
RE: James, great catch! I enjoyed reading that website very much, and Slinger I fully agree that the PS3 is junk - largely due to the fact Sony ripped of the Australian market - and continues to do so. $699 for the 40GB PS3? And no 80GB model available!
Webslinger
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I was joking actually. I am a PC Gamer and generally refuse to game on consoles.
Aractus,
not everybody lives in Australia. About paper tax: you mean you do not pay taxes for waste? (we do!)
You may not be realising it: but parallel importing and exporting is not just something you can freely do in de EU. There is such a thing as import taxes on anything you import from outside the EU and customs checking packages that come within the EU borders. Higher freight charges, and addition of import tax (for media usually something like 3-6%) and VAT (21%) often make it less interesting to import from other regions. Importing from other regions, in the case of Blu Ray or DVD's means you need to use some hack to circumvent regioncoding (hence AnyDVD and why I am on this forum). A good reason for making parallel imports like ordering from e.g. amazon.com or playasia.com is a wider selection of titles. Titles, that in some cases may not be available over here. My decision to purchase the discs abroad is not price based, but rather availability based.
Also parallel importing would exclude regionalised versions of said books, cd's, dvd's... You seem to forget that Europe is not exactly one block of people speaking a single language. Most books here are purchased in local language versions.
I'm not exactly pro taxing blank media, my point is that the industry should provide more of an incentive to people NOT to copy illegaly.
Meaning:
- rationalising prices of an original so that CD of the same album X does not cost more than concert/audio DVD of the same album X
- offering CHEAPER ORIGINALS and optional BACKUP copies to original buyers with damaged media.
- narrowing the price difference between blank media and originals would provide more of an incentive for people to buy the original (and actually support the artist). At a certain point it nolonger becomes interesting to make a copy. I certainly wouldn't waste time, resources on it any more of the price difference between the original and the copy were only 0.5-2 EUR.
Would you?
As for the media prices here: those can greatly differ from product to product. Sure, you can find 9-14 EUR CDs and DVDs here too.. But some popular international titles can sometimes be even more expensive ... Actions like sub 9 EUR DVD's have only come up the last half year-year or so...
But I invite you to take a look at a few retail stores, you can make up your own mind and compare... (keep in mind the prices are in EUR, not USD)
www.freerecord.be
www.mediadis.be
www.fnac.be
...
not everybody lives in Australia. About paper tax: you mean you do not pay taxes for waste? (we do!)
You may not be realising it: but parallel importing and exporting is not just something you can freely do in de EU. There is such a thing as import taxes on anything you import from outside the EU and customs checking packages that come within the EU borders. Higher freight charges, and addition of import tax (for media usually something like 3-6%) and VAT (21%) often make it less interesting to import from other regions. Importing from other regions, in the case of Blu Ray or DVD's means you need to use some hack to circumvent regioncoding (hence AnyDVD and why I am on this forum). A good reason for making parallel imports like ordering from e.g. amazon.com or playasia.com is a wider selection of titles. Titles, that in some cases may not be available over here. My decision to purchase the discs abroad is not price based, but rather availability based.
Also parallel importing would exclude regionalised versions of said books, cd's, dvd's... You seem to forget that Europe is not exactly one block of people speaking a single language. Most books here are purchased in local language versions.
I'm not exactly pro taxing blank media, my point is that the industry should provide more of an incentive to people NOT to copy illegaly.
Meaning:
- rationalising prices of an original so that CD of the same album X does not cost more than concert/audio DVD of the same album X
- offering CHEAPER ORIGINALS and optional BACKUP copies to original buyers with damaged media.
- narrowing the price difference between blank media and originals would provide more of an incentive for people to buy the original (and actually support the artist). At a certain point it nolonger becomes interesting to make a copy. I certainly wouldn't waste time, resources on it any more of the price difference between the original and the copy were only 0.5-2 EUR.
Would you?
As for the media prices here: those can greatly differ from product to product. Sure, you can find 9-14 EUR CDs and DVDs here too.. But some popular international titles can sometimes be even more expensive ... Actions like sub 9 EUR DVD's have only come up the last half year-year or so...
But I invite you to take a look at a few retail stores, you can make up your own mind and compare... (keep in mind the prices are in EUR, not USD)
www.freerecord.be
www.mediadis.be
www.fnac.be
...
Of course you can! In 1996, I believe it was, parallel importing for CDs was allowed in Australia. This meant that a retailer no longer had to stock the version released by the Aussie distributors - they could instead import legal copies from cheaper overseas distributors. All parallel importing means is that you are importing a product for sale without the consent of the IP owner. Here retailers can import books and CDs from overseas distributors, and it keeps the price down because Aussie distributors have to compete. It would also work great for DVD/movies and Computer Games.
See, I've been spoiled - every retailer in Australia sells region-free DVD players/recorders.
1. That's called price fixing - and I'm sure you have laws against it.
2. In Australia a distributor is bound by law to replace defective media if your original disc was not in working order.
3. That's just stupid. The blank media market should not have its prices dictated to by a bunch of IP owners. Just like I don't expect to pay $20 for 500 sheets of A4 paper to discourage copying books.
Out in the Blue (Jimmy Barnes), at freerecord.be = €21,99 (approx $36.47)
At jbhifionline.com.au = $19.99 (approx €12,05)
Furthermore, I'll note that the 2-disc version is 5 on JB's top-selling list, their online price is $21.99, which would be €13.25
Also in JB's current top 10 list is Mothership (Led Zeppelin):
At mediadis.be: €18,49 (approx $30.68)
At jbhifionline.com.au: $24.99 (approx €15.06)
I don't know exactly what you were getting at with blank media. I get my media from JPL, something like this.
Aractus,
About importing: at import from outside the EU you have to pay taxes: import duties + VAT of 21% will be added for endusers. This doesn't generally make purchases abroad more interesting, since there may be a higher freight charge involved too and if a product is malfunctioning it would often need to be returned to the original region of sale. I have found many IT products in the USA being about 40% cheaper than in Europe, if you compare store prices to endusers. Ofcourse: this is deceiving, since the same warranty does not always apply and USA prices are advertised excl. VAT, while here they are including VAT (for sale to endusers). To my knowledge, no state in the USA has 21% of VAT (value added tax)...
Parallel circuits can have advantages and disadvantages, they are not exactly 100% legal and can cause problems with warranty, product support and e.g. compatibility with localised standards (e.g. powerplugs, AC power standard, TV standards, non localised keyboard, requirements for use of telecom/wireless equipment that aren't met, certificates that allow use in the EU etc..) and they will often not support local language & have non-localised manuals. This is done quite often with for example GSMs, the result is you get loads of warranty issues - + sometimes cheap quality battery problems and such you would want to avoid as a dealer/reseller. There are certain rules and quality/warranty laws manufacturers have to adhere to for sales made to the EU or certain countries within the EU. These rules do not always apply outside the EU, thus such product - if parallel imported may in fact be illegal for sale in (or specific countries of) the EU aswell.
Ofcourse, this does not apply so much to sale of media like CD/DVD/Blu Ray - other that it may circumvent distribution agreements made by the IP owner and their local distributionpartners. Since there is free trade within the EU zone among countries that signed the Schengen accords, it would be possible to buy e.g. blank media outside of Belgium. BUT: then you are the importer, and thus responsible for reporting and paying the auvibel tax directly to auvibel. If you don't: I can assure you, they keep an eye on many distributors in other countries aswell and several people and distributors have already received fines or have been warned they have to charge these taxes if they sell to Belgium and send the funds to Auvibel.
1) Your point being? It is pure reality for us: there are several cases where a CD is actually more expensive than a concert DVD. Often there is no logical or justifiable explanation. Same for e.g. camera's: can you explain to me why e.g. a Canon camera retailing normally at 300-400 EUR would be approx. 100 EUR excl. VAT (distribution cost!) cheaper in Germany than in Belgium? It's pure reality - we had this before and complained to Canon about it, why: Canon's distributionprices in Belgium are simply HIGHER (in this case by an abnormal amount)! If it is pricefixing, it is not at the dealer's this is happening!
Ofcourse: if the local manufacturer's department is that much more expensive, all you can do is complain about it and hope it helps - if you want to follow the appropriate channels that is. We even see large differences within the European Union in terms of pricing between different regions of sale within the EU. It does however not mean that all products are exactly the same all the time.
2) You are assuming I was talking about products being defective within 8 days after purchase or product with manufacturing defects (which would both fall under consumer warranty here). I was talking about offering cheap original copies of products that go defective within use, e.g. by scratching/dirt/kid breaking it etc.. as a service to their customers. These are not the manufacturer's responsability. Offering an easy and cheap means to replace damaged originals would nullify the need for endusers to make their own copies. Afterall, why would you otherwise want to make backups other than making sure you still have a copy if your original gets damaged (if no piracy is involved that is)? Ok, I see several people coming up with : streaming media players over network etc. But this would be ILLEGAL in many countries IMHO... Some countries will allow one backup by law (provided ofcourse you own the original and do not share it with others), others will not.
3) We pay something called auvibel tax per disc (0,12 excl. VAT per cd and 0,59 EUR per DVD or high def blank), we pay recuperation tax for waste processing (depends on the type of product - e.g. 2,48 for a computer LCD, 7,69 for a plasma, 0,5 for a laptop, ...), we pay tax for batteries (bebat, 0,12 EUR Excl VAT per battery), we pay tax for scanners/copiers/AIO printers that have copying function (it's called reprobel tax, the tax is somewhere from a few EUR to a few hundred EUR depending on the number of copies the machine can make per minute). The list goes on! For example: if a fitness club or pub play music they have to pay taxes to an organisation called SABAM for that, depending on what they play - the duration, the size of the space they are playing etc... Add to that VAT of 21% and count in higher freight costs & more time needed to efectively get much of these products from Asia (where much of it is made) to Europe. So yes, ofcourse we pay more.. This is not imaginative or something that has yet to be discussed/voted about, it is already an EXISTING REALITY in some countries.
Again: I do not live in Australia, when will you understand that the same conditions do not exist around the globe? Feel fortunate you get better prices and that get blank media very cheaply...
I could give you a few examples about blank media prices if you like...
For example, I'm just picking a few random items:
FUJI / 48162 BLU RAY DISC JEWELCASE BD-R 25GB 1-2X 5PACK 72,00 EUR VAT Incl = 14,4 EUR per 25GB once writable Blu Ray disc
SONY / BNR50A BLU RAY -R DOUBLE LAYER 50GB 270MIN 32,00 EUR VAT incl. for a single 50GB once writable Blu Ray disc
43572 Verbatim DVD+R/8.5GB 2.4x AdvAZO DoubleLayer 25sp 73,00 EUR VAT Incl. = 2,92 EUR per dual layer DVD+R disc
PHILIPS / DR4S6B50F/00 DVD+R 4.7GB DATA 16X 50-SPINDLE 52,00 EUR VAT Incl = 1,04 EUR per DVD+R 4.7GB disc
SONY / 50CDQ80NSPMD CDR 80 MIN 700MB SPINDLE 50PK . 18,00 EUR VAT Incl = 0,36 per CD
I guess it would be a small war in the land of Oz if people asked you to pay that, no?
If you look at the prices of the blank Blu Ray or DVD+R dual layer media, you see where I'm getting at: if they 'd sell original DVD's at 5-9 EUR and cd's at 4-7 EUR + Blu ray 15-20 EUR - there would not be much of a point for many people to put any effort in copying it on blank media (illegaly or not) - would it?
I'm definately not pro these taxes, my point is they have to give more incentive for people to actually BUY the originals and one of the ways to do that is make prices more competitive&more honest, another is to offer cheap replacements for original discs that have become damaged of defective. Third means is to explain to people why it is better to buy the original and support the artists involved: make them feel they are doing the right thing by justifying/explaining what's involved in the prices of their products.
Uptil now the industry has been thinking that annoying people with loads of unwanted protection schemes is the way to go. We have to convince them it is not.
Then again, I hear from people in IT business that quite some IT products are hard to obtain or much more expensive in Australia too - so my guess not all is perfect in Australia either ...
About importing: at import from outside the EU you have to pay taxes: import duties + VAT of 21% will be added for endusers. This doesn't generally make purchases abroad more interesting, since there may be a higher freight charge involved too and if a product is malfunctioning it would often need to be returned to the original region of sale. I have found many IT products in the USA being about 40% cheaper than in Europe, if you compare store prices to endusers. Ofcourse: this is deceiving, since the same warranty does not always apply and USA prices are advertised excl. VAT, while here they are including VAT (for sale to endusers). To my knowledge, no state in the USA has 21% of VAT (value added tax)...
Parallel circuits can have advantages and disadvantages, they are not exactly 100% legal and can cause problems with warranty, product support and e.g. compatibility with localised standards (e.g. powerplugs, AC power standard, TV standards, non localised keyboard, requirements for use of telecom/wireless equipment that aren't met, certificates that allow use in the EU etc..) and they will often not support local language & have non-localised manuals. This is done quite often with for example GSMs, the result is you get loads of warranty issues - + sometimes cheap quality battery problems and such you would want to avoid as a dealer/reseller. There are certain rules and quality/warranty laws manufacturers have to adhere to for sales made to the EU or certain countries within the EU. These rules do not always apply outside the EU, thus such product - if parallel imported may in fact be illegal for sale in (or specific countries of) the EU aswell.
Ofcourse, this does not apply so much to sale of media like CD/DVD/Blu Ray - other that it may circumvent distribution agreements made by the IP owner and their local distributionpartners. Since there is free trade within the EU zone among countries that signed the Schengen accords, it would be possible to buy e.g. blank media outside of Belgium. BUT: then you are the importer, and thus responsible for reporting and paying the auvibel tax directly to auvibel. If you don't: I can assure you, they keep an eye on many distributors in other countries aswell and several people and distributors have already received fines or have been warned they have to charge these taxes if they sell to Belgium and send the funds to Auvibel.
1) Your point being? It is pure reality for us: there are several cases where a CD is actually more expensive than a concert DVD. Often there is no logical or justifiable explanation. Same for e.g. camera's: can you explain to me why e.g. a Canon camera retailing normally at 300-400 EUR would be approx. 100 EUR excl. VAT (distribution cost!) cheaper in Germany than in Belgium? It's pure reality - we had this before and complained to Canon about it, why: Canon's distributionprices in Belgium are simply HIGHER (in this case by an abnormal amount)! If it is pricefixing, it is not at the dealer's this is happening!
Ofcourse: if the local manufacturer's department is that much more expensive, all you can do is complain about it and hope it helps - if you want to follow the appropriate channels that is. We even see large differences within the European Union in terms of pricing between different regions of sale within the EU. It does however not mean that all products are exactly the same all the time.
2) You are assuming I was talking about products being defective within 8 days after purchase or product with manufacturing defects (which would both fall under consumer warranty here). I was talking about offering cheap original copies of products that go defective within use, e.g. by scratching/dirt/kid breaking it etc.. as a service to their customers. These are not the manufacturer's responsability. Offering an easy and cheap means to replace damaged originals would nullify the need for endusers to make their own copies. Afterall, why would you otherwise want to make backups other than making sure you still have a copy if your original gets damaged (if no piracy is involved that is)? Ok, I see several people coming up with : streaming media players over network etc. But this would be ILLEGAL in many countries IMHO... Some countries will allow one backup by law (provided ofcourse you own the original and do not share it with others), others will not.
3) We pay something called auvibel tax per disc (0,12 excl. VAT per cd and 0,59 EUR per DVD or high def blank), we pay recuperation tax for waste processing (depends on the type of product - e.g. 2,48 for a computer LCD, 7,69 for a plasma, 0,5 for a laptop, ...), we pay tax for batteries (bebat, 0,12 EUR Excl VAT per battery), we pay tax for scanners/copiers/AIO printers that have copying function (it's called reprobel tax, the tax is somewhere from a few EUR to a few hundred EUR depending on the number of copies the machine can make per minute). The list goes on! For example: if a fitness club or pub play music they have to pay taxes to an organisation called SABAM for that, depending on what they play - the duration, the size of the space they are playing etc... Add to that VAT of 21% and count in higher freight costs & more time needed to efectively get much of these products from Asia (where much of it is made) to Europe. So yes, ofcourse we pay more.. This is not imaginative or something that has yet to be discussed/voted about, it is already an EXISTING REALITY in some countries.
Again: I do not live in Australia, when will you understand that the same conditions do not exist around the globe? Feel fortunate you get better prices and that get blank media very cheaply...
I could give you a few examples about blank media prices if you like...
For example, I'm just picking a few random items:
FUJI / 48162 BLU RAY DISC JEWELCASE BD-R 25GB 1-2X 5PACK 72,00 EUR VAT Incl = 14,4 EUR per 25GB once writable Blu Ray disc
SONY / BNR50A BLU RAY -R DOUBLE LAYER 50GB 270MIN 32,00 EUR VAT incl. for a single 50GB once writable Blu Ray disc
43572 Verbatim DVD+R/8.5GB 2.4x AdvAZO DoubleLayer 25sp 73,00 EUR VAT Incl. = 2,92 EUR per dual layer DVD+R disc
PHILIPS / DR4S6B50F/00 DVD+R 4.7GB DATA 16X 50-SPINDLE 52,00 EUR VAT Incl = 1,04 EUR per DVD+R 4.7GB disc
SONY / 50CDQ80NSPMD CDR 80 MIN 700MB SPINDLE 50PK . 18,00 EUR VAT Incl = 0,36 per CD
I guess it would be a small war in the land of Oz if people asked you to pay that, no?
If you look at the prices of the blank Blu Ray or DVD+R dual layer media, you see where I'm getting at: if they 'd sell original DVD's at 5-9 EUR and cd's at 4-7 EUR + Blu ray 15-20 EUR - there would not be much of a point for many people to put any effort in copying it on blank media (illegaly or not) - would it?
I'm definately not pro these taxes, my point is they have to give more incentive for people to actually BUY the originals and one of the ways to do that is make prices more competitive&more honest, another is to offer cheap replacements for original discs that have become damaged of defective. Third means is to explain to people why it is better to buy the original and support the artists involved: make them feel they are doing the right thing by justifying/explaining what's involved in the prices of their products.
Uptil now the industry has been thinking that annoying people with loads of unwanted protection schemes is the way to go. We have to convince them it is not.
Then again, I hear from people in IT business that quite some IT products are hard to obtain or much more expensive in Australia too - so my guess not all is perfect in Australia either
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