Have your say & ask the experts

The only Blu-rays I've bought in store were from Zavvi just before it closed.    Morrisons also sometimes have Blu-rays for under a tenner (never anything I want to watch, though!).

I agree that the HMV in-store prices are ridiculous.   I bought a DVD there a few weeks ago, and was asked if I would like to sign up for their loyalty card - 'free, is it?' I asked - and was astonished when told 'sorry, no it's not'!   It may be only £3, but Nectar and Tesco don't charge, neither do Game, who have a better selection of, er, games.

So far as Lovefilm is concerned, they do have the latest releases, but you may need to join the queue.   I'm trying to rent the Star Trek original series Blu-rays, to see if they're worth buying, but they should on my rental list as 'long wait' ...

I always buy my Blu Rays online from Amazon, RDVD.co.uk, DVD.co.uk and occassionally Play.Com.

I really enjoy going online and searching for bargains and usually buy 1 or 2 a week at knock down prices ie latest Indian Jones (Crystal Skull) at £8.00 (Rdvd.co,uk) Alien V Predator Requiem £5.45 ish, Horton Hears a Who at £5.00 etc etc

HMV is in my view one of the reasons that many people do not move over to Blu Ray.

They are a major influence and one of the main places where people will see the Blu Ray films for sale.

Seeing them at the prices discussed surely only serves to scare people off of adopting the format feeling that the difference in price is not warranted.

I am sure that HMV would make more money by shifting many many more items to potential new adopters at reduced price than by sticking to their current pricing strategy and attracting only the more dedicated fans of the format !

Robstar63,

I just went on rdvd.co.uk - it's got some real bargains on there (casino royale for about £5). Do you know if the stuff is all brand new, or do they also sell second hand stuff?

I may have to use that sight in my blu ray shopping arsenal together with play and amazon.

Thanks for that.

On a different note, there should be a forum dedicated exclusively to reviews of blu ray discs - more on picture and sound quality than the film (although that's always useful) where people can comment on films they've bought and how they thought it looked.

one thing that does get me is that you can pick up an offer like 3 for £30 when looking through you can get all 3 Bourne films, but if you want them as a box set then it will cost an extra £20. (£20 just for a card box!)

Chris

The reason that HMV prices online are so much less than in store is because, like Play and Amazon (via Indigo Starfish), they operate out of the Channel Islands and avoid UK taxes. If you've ever wondered why each BD (or CD or DVD) comes in a separate packet it is because there is a threshold (per parcel) under which tax is exempt. If 2 or more BD's were posted in one parcel they would attract tax.

You will frequently see signs in HMV stores proclaiming "Blu-Ray Discs from £10" only to find just a single offering at this price, on the end of the rack thus qualifying the offer.  

I was amazed yesterday to find BD's on clearance for £10 in WH Smith in Reading including Pan's Labyrinth, Hulk, Rambo to name but three.

rogueeelement is correct! HMV stores are not bumping the pricing up on purpose they are selling as cheap as possible! plus they have to store rent and staff costs etc.

 Online is cheaper and the way forward.

 i.e. jessops were selling a camera for £200 and I bought of Amazon for £149!  

Shimminator:

i.e. jessops were selling a camera for £200 and I bought of Amazon for £149!  

Yes, but the difference there is, with Jessops you can go in the store, get some advice on which would be the best camera for your needs, try the camera out in the store, make sure it's the right size for your bag / pocket etc. and all those other advantages in store browsing allow over buying online, thus the extra money gets you a service the online retailers can't give you. Of course you could do this, say no thanks and then buy online, but this is very unethical in my opinion.

However, there isn't any need to do any of the above with a Blu-Ray purchase (for me anyway) - I'm not going to decide whether to buy it based on the blurb written on the back of the box! Thus the only advantage is coming away with the product instantly, and this isn't worth an extra £10 - £15 over the online price - there's no way they are selling as cheap as possible at that price, even if you factor in the extra tax and overheads of a bricks and mortar.

professorhat:

- there's no way they are selling as cheap as possible at that price, even if you factor in the extra tax and overheads of a bricks and mortar.

I agree, I wasn't looking to justify their in-store prices, simply explaining why online is cheaper. I do read the back of the boxes though to check if a BD is carrying an HD soundtrack as it's not alway immediately apparent..... then order online  

The camera was just an example of how cheap they can be.

 But getting back to Blu Ray. it has very expensive manufacturing costs. Online DVD's will always £5 - £10 cheaper due to the tax breaks they receive.

 it is a fact!  

rogueelement:

I agree, I wasn't looking to justify their
in-store prices, simply explaining why online is cheaper.

Yup, understood was replying more to Shimminator's post.

Shimminator:

Online DVD's will always £5 - £10 cheaper due to the tax breaks they receive. it is a fact!

Are you suggesting UK retailers have to pay 50-60% more tax on Blu-Rays over an online retailer (which is around about what an extra £10 would be on a Blu-Ray)? And why does this tax hike not apply to CDs and DVDs which are generally much closer in price to their online rivals?

Not having bought many movies in the past I was pleasantly surprised just how cheap you can pick blu-rays up online.  I generally won't pay more than £10 a movie, over that it has to be something I really really want, or I'll just wait to it to come down.

 The pricing is odd to say the least- you can grab cult classics like kill bill, usual suspects, stuff that people would otherwise pay a premium for all day, every day for as little as £7 in deals like amazons 3 for 2, then you see movies that got universally panned for £18.

And whats with all the chick flicks on bluray?  Why can I buy "sex and the city" or "hairspray" but not aliens or leon? Do the studios understand their market?  Okay I'm sure someone will be along to point out that their hugh grant blu-ray boxset is their most treasured possession but seriously, surely there's more blu-ray owners willing to bust out the cheque book for anything from any reviewers "top 100 movies"?

Maybe great cinema is enjoyed only by a select few. The rest like the rubbish films, which generate lots of money.

p.s. i'm always game for a godd summer blockbuster though.

 Leon should be out soon. Can't wait for aliens though.

Re the query above on Blu Rays at Rdvd.co.uk - (are they second hand or new) - all are brand new and I have ordered many from them with no problems.

When you go to the checkout you will find that the delivery is dealt with by Amazon which gives you more confidence.

(please note though that some Blu Rays on offer are imports with foreign region coding and make sure you look for the one with region B or region free if you do not have multi region blu ray player)