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The European Comission is looking into fair trade between the world biggest businesses and their ability to segregate the DVD world. Apparently they are probing the issue of the price of DVDs in America and Europe and asking the biggest producers why there is such a trans-atlantic difference in price, they are also looking into why DVDs cost, on average £7, more than videos when it costs them roughly £3 more to make them.
This is the latest in a long line of Rio-Off Britain in the newspapers and one which will come under massive scrutiny and be widened to the whole of the Home Entertainment Sector. It is not just DVDs which cost us more money, CDs, Clothes and trips to the cinema all cost more in the UK than in the States.
But what I would really like to see is the same scrutiny being applied to the computer games industry. Here in Europe we pay more than most other countries to buy the latest console hardware and games. Consoles and their games are subject to the same regional restrictions which DVDs are put under, but this is not highlighted as much by the users. How many people do you know who buy region 1 DVDs becaus ethey are cheaper and usually have better quality extras?? The same should be applied to games, games palyers should buy american games because they are faster and cheaper.
Just think of having your PS2 chipped at an extra cost, but saving that on the money you saved buying imported games off of the net. All that is needed are a few sites which have a cheap delivery service. The only problem in this ideal situation is, thats never going to happen.
All we can hope for are the politicians to get their act together and fight for cheaper home entertainment for us all. Until then we are stuck with our more expensive and inferior hobby compared to the rest of the world. Oh well, so much for consumer power, we are all manipulated by big business and there is nothing we can do about it on our little island.
This is the latest in a long line of Rio-Off Britain in the newspapers and one which will come under massive scrutiny and be widened to the whole of the Home Entertainment Sector. It is not just DVDs which cost us more money, CDs, Clothes and trips to the cinema all cost more in the UK than in the States.
But what I would really like to see is the same scrutiny being applied to the computer games industry. Here in Europe we pay more than most other countries to buy the latest console hardware and games. Consoles and their games are subject to the same regional restrictions which DVDs are put under, but this is not highlighted as much by the users. How many people do you know who buy region 1 DVDs becaus ethey are cheaper and usually have better quality extras?? The same should be applied to games, games palyers should buy american games because they are faster and cheaper.
Just think of having your PS2 chipped at an extra cost, but saving that on the money you saved buying imported games off of the net. All that is needed are a few sites which have a cheap delivery service. The only problem in this ideal situation is, thats never going to happen.
All we can hope for are the politicians to get their act together and fight for cheaper home entertainment for us all. Until then we are stuck with our more expensive and inferior hobby compared to the rest of the world. Oh well, so much for consumer power, we are all manipulated by big business and there is nothing we can do about it on our little island.
The European Comission is looking into fair trade between the world biggest businesses and their ability to segregate the DVD world. Apparently they are probing the issue of the price of DVDs in America and Europe and asking the biggest producers why there is such a trans-atlantic difference in price, they are also looking into why DVDs cost, on average £7, more than videos when it costs them roughly £3 more to make them.
This is the latest in a long line of Rio-Off Britain in the newspapers and one which will come under massive scrutiny and be widened to the whole of the Home Entertainment Sector. It is not just DVDs which cost us more money, CDs, Clothes and trips to the cinema all cost more in the UK than in the States.
But what I would really like to see is the same scrutiny being applied to the computer games industry. Here in Europe we pay more than most other countries to buy the latest console hardware and games. Consoles and their games are subject to the same regional restrictions which DVDs are put under, but this is not highlighted as much by the users. How many people do you know who buy region 1 DVDs becaus ethey are cheaper and usually have better quality extras?? The same should be applied to games, games palyers should buy american games because they are faster and cheaper.
Just think of having your PS2 chipped at an extra cost, but saving that on the money you saved buying imported games off of the net. All that is needed are a few sites which have a cheap delivery service. The only problem in this ideal situation is, thats never going to happen.
All we can hope for are the politicians to get their act together and fight for cheaper home entertainment for us all. Until then we are stuck with our more expensive and inferior hobby compared to the rest of the world. Oh well, so much for consumer power, we are all manipulated by big business and there is nothing we can do about it on our little island.
This is the latest in a long line of Rio-Off Britain in the newspapers and one which will come under massive scrutiny and be widened to the whole of the Home Entertainment Sector. It is not just DVDs which cost us more money, CDs, Clothes and trips to the cinema all cost more in the UK than in the States.
But what I would really like to see is the same scrutiny being applied to the computer games industry. Here in Europe we pay more than most other countries to buy the latest console hardware and games. Consoles and their games are subject to the same regional restrictions which DVDs are put under, but this is not highlighted as much by the users. How many people do you know who buy region 1 DVDs becaus ethey are cheaper and usually have better quality extras?? The same should be applied to games, games palyers should buy american games because they are faster and cheaper.
Just think of having your PS2 chipped at an extra cost, but saving that on the money you saved buying imported games off of the net. All that is needed are a few sites which have a cheap delivery service. The only problem in this ideal situation is, thats never going to happen.
All we can hope for are the politicians to get their act together and fight for cheaper home entertainment for us all. Until then we are stuck with our more expensive and inferior hobby compared to the rest of the world. Oh well, so much for consumer power, we are all manipulated by big business and there is nothing we can do about it on our little island.
Im with you Bonus, the industry has got to start respecting British Gamers. Theres no reason why we should pay so much for games that have been out in the states for six months.
Yeah I hate waiting!
My gets most of his DVDs as imports from America. Becasue they are so cheap over there, after postage and packaging he still pays less than what we have to pay in British shops!
But its got to do wiht supply and demand i suppose. DVDs seem to be selling very well at the moment, so the companies have no reason to put the price of them down. We are prepared to pay that price. The only way it would change if we were all to stop buying buying them.
But its got to do wiht supply and demand i suppose. DVDs seem to be selling very well at the moment, so the companies have no reason to put the price of them down. We are prepared to pay that price. The only way it would change if we were all to stop buying buying them.
Dollar's plummeting at the moment though...down to $1.37 to the pound...always think of it as $1.5
yeah its at its lowest point in somthin like 15 years innit.