...magnitude compared first generation of inspection systems, many replicators find this equipment busts their budgets, Schwab added.

Prices are all over the board depending on the machine and the company. While equipment manufacturers would not offer retail pricing, replicators said they are prepared to pay anywhere from $20,000 to $80,000 for a piece of in-line inspection equipment. Following the initial, substantial investment in the system (PC, equipment rack, software licences) it depends on the options, but a fully loaded player for CD can cost between $20,000 and $25,000. A 1x DVD drive costs around $50,000 and a 2x DVD drive costs around $80,000, according to Markham Deal, manager optical disc production, at replicator Evatone. Lower cost systems are available out of Asia, but Deal added that he did not have personal experience with them.

While downward sales are also in part due to market maturity, it seems often replicators are just cutting corners and not updating equipment not only because it is too expensive to buy, but too time consuming to run, which cuts into profits further. That leads to a destructive circle. If quality product disappears from the market, consumers will be more apt to download. If more consumers download, replicator profits will be down and they will cut corners further.

One DVD may not be proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but as the cliche goes, timing is everything. With the exception of admitting to a few problems with printing, in interviews, replicators have denied over and over that there are disc quality problems in the marketplace. Then, The Best of American Idol, Seasons 1-4 DVD ended up in the hands of One to One. Keep in mind, American Idol is beyond hot in the US--it is the number one television show by a long shot! This year's finale grabbed 35.4 million viewers. The DVD was put into a new DVD player. It didn't work. The same disc was put into another player and then into a computer. It didn't work in either. Since the disc was purchased in New York, it seemed appropriate to return it in another state, Connecticut, to see the scope of the problem. That disc didn't work either. In fairness, One to One did approach some prominent retailers in...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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