More like about $30 when dvds first came out, and that includes older titles. Many of them were pan and scan or non-anamorphic too. Hell, I still remember paying $30 for a pan and scan dvd of The Committments back in 1998 (Fox is always the worst it seems when it comes to prices and features, be it the early days of dvd or the early days of blu-ray). In fact, the price didn't really drop until the masses fully adopted the format, sometime around 2001 I'd say. Prices went lower and lower from there till they sort of bottomed out around 2006 or so.
I just don't understand why people feel they shouldn't pay more for added features (better picture, better sound)? Seems like everyone wants everything for free these days and somehow feel entitled to it. You want to talk prices, try paying $129 for Disney laserdisc sets you get the same content on dvd now for $20, or $89 for new release VHS tapes, which was the norm back in the priced for rental days. Seems DVD has spoiled everyone and now they want it all for nothing. You don't go complain to the dealership that you can't buy a Ferrari for the price of a Kia do you?
Prices will go down when there's a larger base installed, as with any consumer electronics format. Just chill. Furthermore, as I stated in another thread elsewhere, I don't see how it is that people can't figure out how to take advantage of sales. There's at least one a month, often more, and you can usually get blu-ray discs for $15 or less. Just wait a couple of months and most new releases wind up in the sale. Of the 130 or so blu-ray discs I have, I doubt I paid more than $15 for all but 30 of them.
So to sum things up: 1) Quit bitching. 2) Prices will come down in time - be patient. 3) Quit bitching. 4) Take advantage of sales. 5) Quit....you know where I'm going.
