DVD/VHS prices

[Tom Mes]

>Still, from a video rental shop owner's point of view, why the huge gap in 
>price for first release films on VHS and >DVD?  Is it part of a move to 
>encourage these shops to stock more >films on DVD, or another scam by the 
>studios?

Well, this kind of pricing, which as I mentioned happens in many countries 
outside Japan too and not just since DVD, I believe are a way for the 
distributor to cash in on the margins of a rental store. If a rental store 
owner could buy a tape at retail price, he would only have to rent it out a 
few times before it turns a profit. Especially with new releases which 
generate a lot of consumer interest. With these inflated prices, the 
distributor can milk that interest a bit longer. Also, the price tag 
reflects the "damage" suffered by the copyright holder from the fact that 
their work is being rented out, which as you probably know is normally not 
allowed with copyrighted materials.

>I guess that both VHS and DVD retail is a hyperinflated market here.

Very true. Not exactly value for money in a lot of cases either.

And for the people who were looking for a place to buy Japanese VHS and DVD, 
CD Japan is indeed the place to be. I have ordered from them before and this 
always went very smoothly. Their catalogue is pretty big, but don't always 
expect English subtitles. Also they recently redesigned their website which 
is now a lot more easy to use, with improved product information. And it's 
all in English too.
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp

Tom Mes
Midnight Eye - japan_cult_cinema
http://www.midnighteye.com
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.