Re: [dvd-discuss] Slashdot article - Canadian Tariffs

[Scott A Crosby <crosby(at)qwes.math.cmu.edu>]

On Tue, 12 Mar 2002, Charles Ballowe wrote:

> Some of these sound a bit out of line -- obviously the one writing the
> law has no clue as to the cost of some of these items.
>
> On Tue, Mar 12, 2002 at 12:57:14PM -0500, Arnold G. Reinhold wrote:
> > (b) 59¢ for each CD-R, CD-RW or each unit of any other type
> > of recordable or rewritable compact disc of 100 megabytes or
> > more of storage capacity;
>
> This at least doubles the cost of those media, how do they justify it?
>
> > (c) $1.23 for each CD-R Audio, CD-RW Audio or MiniDisc;
>
> What's the difference between these and the previous one? These are
> officially sold to hold music maybe? Technically no different?
> I know they're more expensive to buy because some money goes to the
> record companies or something -- kinda odd to me, but...
>


Yep, there are such things as 'audio CD writers', which were sold as
standalone. They check the blank to see if has a particular flag burnt on
it indicating that its an expensive audio disc, and refuse to burn if the
flag isn't there. Audio blanks have an additional royalty to 'compensate'
artists for piracy. (So, every garage band is funding Britney Spears)

Conceptually, the data-cd writers came in via the back door.

> > (d) 0.8¢ for each megabyte of memory in each removable elec-
> > tronic memory card, each removable flash memory storage
> > medium of any type, or each removable micro-hard drive;
>
> yow -- +$80 to the price of a 1G microdrive, not quite fair.
>

Nope. 1000 * $.008 = $8

> > (f) 2.1¢ for each megabyte of memory in each non-removable
> > electronic memory card or each non-removable flash memory
> > storage medium of any type incorporated into each MP3 player
> > or into each similar device with internal electronic or flash
> > memory that is intended for use primarily to record and  play
> > music;
>
> So, do they mean by the measurements that hard drive companies use to
> sell you a drive that sounds bigger than it really is (MB = 1000000 bytes
> instead of 2^20 bytes and GB = 1000000000 bytes instead of 2^30 bytes)
> Maybe this will keep the hard drive makers honest -- gotta find some
> good in the bad, right?
>
> > (g)  $21  for  each  gigabyte  of  memory  in  each  non-removable
> > hard drive incorporated into each MP3 player or into each simi-
> > lar device with an internal hard drive that is intended  for use
> > primarily to record and play music. "
>

Note that if you assume 1000 megs/gig, then $21/gig equals $.021/meg. It
seems that both use the same royalty rate.

> so -- something like the HP-de100 or whatever its called would go up
> in price $800 from it's already expensive $1500.
>

Haven't heard of it that device.

But if HD's increase in aerial density the rate they have, in two years
when they're shipping with HD's, thrice the size, such a levy would be
doubling the cost of the device....

Then again, knowing creativity in the business climate, they'll probably
sell devices without storage; and you just plug in whatever HD or flash
storage you want. (Retailers will bundle it with appropriate storage.)

The royalty on CD-R's and removable storage would bite; it would be harder
to work around, until people see that spindles of CD-R's cost over a
hundred bux.

Scott