Here is the reply sent to a person on another forum who sent the organization a letter inquiring about BR fees.

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For a small size company like you, we have a cost free license agreement called Logo License Agreement.

This permits you to use an official Blu-ray logo for your advertisement and promotion at no cost. I presume that the BD disc you intend to distribute is BD-R disc containing wedding and event video and the number of copies are small unlike movies.

Appreciate if you can download the Logo License Agreement application and send it back to us http://www.blu-raydisc.info/license_app/lla_apps.php


Thanks,

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Blu-ray Disc Association
License Office
10 Universal City Plaza, T-100
Universal City CA 91608 USA
Fax: 1-818-763-9027
E-mail: license@bdamail.com

Excellent information, DGates.

If this is the case, it's a nice accommodation for folks like us. Sounds like the FUD was from BD rivals after all.

was there any doubt?

at least THESE guys let you use the Logo.. DVD didnt even let u use the logo unless you paid 10k or so..

I just got a written quote from my replicator about this, insofar as it makes sense to use a replication service for 1000 or more disks. The prices he just quoted me are for qty 1000 come out to 4.77 per disk single layer (includes case, wrap, shrink, etc) + a title fee of 1785 per master and 399 fee for glass mastering the project. So for 1000 it comes out to just under $7 a disk before taxes and shipping. Dual layer is more, higher qty is less per disk.

This was with cdtechnical.com, a kick-butt resource I originally got from this forum.

That's the kind of info we need, thanks.

Now for some info on authoring.

Bob.

David,

What would you sell each disc for?

How about if you just replicated an AVCHD disc onto standard dual layer DVD. That should be just regular DVD rate and you could have a little over an hour of 1440 x 1080 video. Costs should be a fraction of a true Blu-ray, and the end user experience would be very good.

Laurence, if you create a DL AVCHD disc, there are no additional fees. It's just a DVD at that point. The replicating house however, won't be able to qualify and verify media, as Eclipse can't read the AVCHD data, so you'll not be able to receieve a certificate of compliance. Doesn't matter, but for some replicators, they won't do an uncertified run because they risk a bad batch of DVDs, and don't want the hassle of trying to get you to pay for them. There are others that will. Zomax and Evatone both will run them, MasterDisc will too. I won't recommend Evatone, but they do run these. Cost (depending on quantity) runs in the area of 1.40 to 2.10. You won't be able to get them to put the BD logo on it, of course.

Real World possibility. A school asks me to tape a performance of the "King and I", A license to videotape is paid ($300). The cast is large and 100 orders are taken for Blue Ray disks. (Iknow this will be a year down the road.) I find a small order replicator. Will he tell me that I am required to pay the $1585 per title fee?
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Great! A bad high school/college musical IN HI-DEF. THAT'S necessary!! Thank God for HD!

Without it, i'd miss the pockmark in Russel Crowe's cheek in the hi-def release of A Beautiful Mind 2: Armageddon.

Discs...way of the dodo soon imo.

Ahhh.. but what about those of us who ARE trying to sell movies? Do we get socked for those fees, but the "event" videographers don't? I'd be willing to bet those wedding guys make a higher net profit than those of us peddling independent features or docs.

And how the heck do they tell the difference between an "event" disk and a "documentary" disk, anyway? If I sell it to the people who are in it, it's an "event," and if I show it at a film festival, it's a "documentary?"

I just sent an e-mail to the Blu-Ray Association asking this very question. If I get an answer, I'll let you know what I find out.

Did you send a letter to the DVD association too?

Should I?

they were pretty quick for me...

i did my forms and now i await their response.

HOW you use the logo is determined by whether or not your granted the license

DGates asked:
"David,

What would you sell each disc for?"

Depends on all the usual factors. It would just be another expense in the project. I would really, really weigh all the factors involved before deciding to do it this way, I only provided that info to show some real numbers of producing fully compliant bluray discs. I think producing bluray compatible onto a standard DVD-9 as others have outlined is a pretty slick alternative.

Fred: Did you ask the DVD Association about fees too?

Brian: Should I?

Well they have the same fee structure too. This "sky is falling" thread makes it seem like the BR fees are an unusual and greedy thing, but the fact is that VHS, Betamax, CD, DVD, Dolby, DTS, and HD-DVD are ALL trademarked and patented formats that require fees in certain circumstances (such as if you mass-produce a movie or CD and want the official logo on it).

fwtep and everyone else, just to clarify, Dolby Labs Inc request no license fee for use of artwork or technologies.

I know this for a fact as I am one of a handful of companies in Aus licensed with them

fwtep and everyone else, just to clarify, Dolby Labs Inc request no license fee for use of artwork or technologies.

Best clarify that this is on the content creators side. For a software developer to license Dolby's logo and technology (which pays for your use of their technology in creating product) the licensing isn't at all cheap.

So, is Ulead still the best option for AVCHD? I have heard some whisperings of Nero as well? I have been using Ulead but really would like more to work with.

Well, below is the answer I got from the Blu-Ray Association. I'm cautiously optimistic. (Though I am a little leery of there being only one source in the USA for certified Blu-Ray media. Lord only knows what they'll charge.)

As I look at this, this seems to be primarily about using the "Blu-Ray" logo, although Mr. Morishita does seem to imply that copy protection is optional. If I don't use the logo, I presume I can replicate my own disks.

I think the real question is: Will standalone Blu-Ray players play home-brewed disks without copyright protection?

Anyway, I said I'd share, so here it is.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Mr. Standing,

Thanks for your interest to Blu-ray Disc format and your inquiry.

For an independent producer like you, we do have a free of charge Logo
License Agreement to use BD logo for your BD disc promotion and
advertisement http://www.blu-raydisc.info/license_app/lla_apps.php

If you would like to be listed as a BD licensee in our web site and your BD
disc to have Regional Protection Code, then you have to apply for Content
Participant Agreement-Light for the amount of $500 per year.

Our minimum requirement for an independent producer like you, is to make
sure that you place your order to a BD licensed disc manufacturer(authoring
house/replicator). It assures that licensed manufacturers are qualified disc
manufacturers which have proven the compatibility with the BD players in the
market.
For the list of licensed replicators, please visit our site.
http://www.blu-raydisc.info/flla_licensee_lists_ROM2.php

Regards

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Blu-ray Disc Association
Kappei Morishita
License Officer
10 Universal City Plaza, T-100
Universal City CA 91608 USA
Fax: 1-818-763-9027
E-mail: agent@blu-raydisc.info

Thanks for posting the response, Brian. BD is a lot more open about the logo that DVD. I think DSE tried to explain this earlier but "complaining about Sony" seem more of the issue than checking out his links.

Hopefully, Sony SCS group will release a separate BD authoring program for the vegas group, so a fresh approach to BD menus can be used vs. trying to integrate it into DVDA.

[i] I am a little leery of there being only one source in the USA for certified Blu-Ray media. Lord only knows what they'll charge.[/]

Oh, it's not bad at all.

Sony announced yesterday (in the same release where they told people to hold off on buying BD players until fall or possibly summer if they weren't too needy) that they would be selling DL BD-R disks for only $60.00 each.

They didn't say anything about DL BD-RE, so I suggest we all marry artistic spouses who can decorate and sell the coasters we make on eBay under "Collectibles" or "Art, Other."