Former 20th Century Fox chief Bill Mechanic has suggested that Hollywood may have made a costly misjudgement when it decided to market Blu-ray Discs as the next big wave in home entertainment. During a time of recession, he told the Independent Film & Television Alliance's production conference in Santa Monica Tuesday, many consumers are likely thinking, "If I can buy Titanic for under $5 in some stores, why am I so eager then to rush out to pay $30 or so when it's released on Blu-ray? Is the quality that great? How many formats are yet to come?" Mechanic maintained that the downturn in home video sales was "completely self-imposed" by top management who failed to assess the impact of their decisions on the marketplace. "No one asked what buying great [older] movies at cheap prices would do to new releases, which may not be as great. Give a consumer with less expendable dollars a choice between Legally Blonde for $5.00 or All about Steve for $20.00 or $30.00 -- which do I want to buy?"

30/09/2009