Sony Opens Blu-ray Plant In Australia

Sony has announced the very first Blu-ray Disc production facility in the southern hemisphere will open here in New South Wales.

According to Sony, “the opening of a new, multi-million dollar Sony DADC Blu-ray Disc plant in Huntingwood, New South Wales… will mark a significant milestone in the adoption of the storage format, reflecting the continued growth in consumer confidence and demand for Blu-ray content, with disc production beginning in Australia for the very first time.”

The new plant includes three Blu-ray lines; one dedicated solely to the production of PS3 games and two for movie and other content, with a production capacity between them of 12 million discs per year.

By comparison, 3.5 million PS3 games have been sold in Australia in the two-plus years since launch, meaning that the approximately 4 million PS3 discs produced by the new plant per year will service far more than just this country.

A clearly pleased Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, said, “Australian consumers are already adopting Blu-ray faster than DVD, pushing Australia forward as one of the global leaders of the format growth, with the third highest per capita attachment rate behind the USA and UK. Research shows that as a brand, Sony is by far the most associated with Blu-ray technology, leading the market. The opening of this local production plant should send a clear message to consumers that Blu-ray is now a permanent fixture on the format landscape and that their investment in Blu-ray hardware will be relevant for many years to come.”

Don’t expect this to change the current pricing of PS3 games and Blu-ray movies, however.