Sony to launch Blu-ray in China

19 Nov 08 21:56 by Randomus in category Uncategorized To news archive

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is going to be the first major Hollywood studio to distribute Blu-ray movies in China.

The movie studio plans to sell only 30 movie titles on the Chinese market, with titles including Hitch, Kung Fu Hustle, Hancock and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and the Spiderman trilogy.

The movies will be available for 205 yuan, or ~$30 each, which is a high amount considering the low income among many citizens in China.

Sony will launch the BDP-S350 Blu-ray player in China on Nov. 21, and may expand its Blu-ray product lineup later.

Warner Bros. and Disney are expected to launch Blu-ray movies in the near future, with other movie studios still weighing their options. Most studios plan to wait and see how consumers like Sony’s lineup, and how the company battles piracy, before mass releasing movies.

Despite Chinese pirates already manipulating Blu-ray movies and selling counterfeit movies to consumers, there will likely be a strong push to try and legitimize the Blu-ray market in China. The pirated movies aren’t Blu-ray, but are AVCHD-quality movies pirated on to DVDs.

AVCHD discs can be made using regular blank DVDs but are playable in Blu-ray players — and movie studios are extremely concerned about AVCHD movies being pirated and sold as Blu-ray movies.

The Motion Picture Association fears AVCHDs will account for as much as 10 percent of all pirated movies in China within six months, as the number continues to grow.

If Sony is able to combat pirates and convince Chinese consumers to purchase legal Blu-ray movies, then it will create local production facilities in several locations.

Assuming Sony and other movie studios are serious about releasing Blu-ray in China, they’re likely going to have to reduce the cost of Blu-ray movies, or consumers will continue to pirate content.

14 Comments

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 19 Nov 08 23:45

Kung Fu Hustle and Close Encounters? 30 dollars each in China?!?! They only need to sell one disc of each film and the Chinese will take over from there. 30 dollars seed money will set up a nice product for sidewalk distribution.

Kung Fu Hustle [Blu-ray] ~ Stephen Chow, et al. (Blu-ray - Dec 12, 2006)
Buy new: $17.99
47 Used & new from $13.75

This is Amazon- I didn't even check eBay. Probably get it there for 3-4 dollars.

How in the hell can they think they can sell these discs in China for more than they TRY to sell them for in the US? http://www.cdfreaks.com/jochem/../im...6/confused.gif

debro: Posts: 11645; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 00:18

How can they predict their losses from piracy?

Absolute Stupidity.

Randomus: Posts: 1917; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 00:24

I'm sure Sony will quickly realize that trying to sell the movies for $30 each will not get them very many customers in the future.

I feel bad for the people who are getting duped into thinking they're buying a Blu-ray disc when in reality they are purchasing nothing but a pirated DVD.

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 00:29

Quickly realise? But- we know this is a silly idea and we are just regular people! Sony HAS to know how crazy this is and how other folks in the Industry must be either laughing or scratching their heads. One minute they whine that their warez are being peddled for a penny on the dollar- the next minute they are trying to price gouge the very same group!

How come Sony is even going to the expense to try something like this? It makes no sense...surely they must be up to something...

Hemispasm: Posts: 5273; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 00:43

I dont know why you dont get it.. it seems pretty simple to me; as to now the Chinese market is closed for Sony right? What does this mean? zero profit - nada - nothing in the pocket. Right?

Now, if they open the market, they will by no doubt start selling. I understand that, given the piracy status in China, the percentages will not look very good; lets say that in the 'X' european country 50% of sales is legit and another 50% is through piracy. And lets say that the percentages for China will be 5% and 95% respectively.

Now can anybody do the simple math and compare the 5% of the Chinese market and the 50% of lets say France? Oh well.. it's simple math http://www.cdfreaks.com/jochem/../im...es/2/smile.gif

Randomus: Posts: 1917; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 00:58

As much as some people around here like to bully Sony for the mistakes it's made over the years, the company is still very successful.

I'm sure (at least hope) the company's executives have some type of secret game plan that isn't being revealed at the moment.

Maybe Sony hopes consumers with deeper pockets realize that the pirated AVCHD movies still are no where near Blu-ray quality, and will be able to play off that.

It seems Sony is working off Hemispasm's logic, and just want to get the Sony brand in China -- money is money, after all.

Kerry56: Posts: 7977; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 01:11

It does however take money to import the disks and market them. If the return is as low as most of us expect, then they may not break even. Is a toehold on the Chinese market worth so little return on their investment?

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 03:20

The reason I don't get it is because the average wage in China is less than 300 a month. I cannot fathom someone using 10% of their monthly income to purchase Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I mean how many Richard Dreyfus fans are there over in Bejiing, just itchin to watch him model the Devils Tower for an hour? That movie is like 15 years old and is on TV every freakin week! This would be like someone in the US buying the same disk for 300 dollars. Hell, we wont even spend 300 on a player!

I'm telling you, this is some kind of ploy. Sony is up to something.

Hemispasm: Posts: 5273; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 03:37

But i am just telling you, its just about absolute numbers.. agreed lets say 99% of people in china can not afford to buy the freaking blu-rays.. the remaining 1% that can is 1% of a f***** zilion people!!! More than in Greece/Italy and Switzerland combined! What more can i say? It makes sense to me at least. And of course the numbers are fictional, and of course it's gonna be more than 1% that can afford it.

And consider also the fact that with time Sony is going to pressure the chinese government to do something with the piracy (lets say by promising opening 3 factories over there). Hence sales will gradually go up.

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 08:30

HA! It will never fly! Chinese people already hate overpriced stuff! That's why DVD piracy is so high. BR is even more of a rip off, and the Chinese will NEVER go for it. Anyway, I'm happy I can already get those BR movies on DVD through the technique they mentioned above. Works on any DVD player and looks better than regular DVD. Each disc is only $7 here in Canada in China town, and they look so freakin' real, like the original retail versions! SWEET!

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 16:02

I agree with Hemispasm as numbers go.
Also look at growth in western world for next couple years, it is next to nothing, where China predict next year 9% and with government intervention 13%.
If you want to play it, you need player!!!

guest: Posts: 15288; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 16:10

I agree with Hemispasm. Even in the US and other developed countries, Blu-ray is obviously not for average people, it is only for small market as of now. Maybe only 5% market. Sony is brave enough to open up Blu-ray for a percent of 3 billion people at a lost cost considering it won't sell. But yes as Crabby said, Sony is up to something -for a long term plan. Remember how the lost money selling PS3 for years but now they break even and more. Maybe that's what they are up to with Blu-ray. China economy is still stronger than the US.

Crabbyappleton: Posts: 5757; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 19:42

Well maybe Hemi is right then, because after all, Sony is trying to peddle these discs over there. I guess time will tell! Lets hope a follow up story is posted in 6 months so we can see what the result was....

debro: Posts: 11645; Posted on: 20 Nov 08 23:03

At those prices ... only the pirates will be buying ... to rip & make copies, and the tourists

Although I'm sure that many will be disappointed that the DVD's decay before they complete their trip

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Sony to launch Blu-ray in China

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