Sony Pictures, the movie arm of the consumer electronics giant has set the bar for the price of Blu-ray DVDs in the US. As the primary mover behind the Blu-ray format, it is unsurprising that it is the first to announce a pricing structure for its Blu-ray films when they, and the players, become available later this year.

Sony says that movies from its back catalogue in the Blu-ray format will sell for $17.95. The company points out that this is around the same price as DVD movies when they first became available in 1997. New movie releases on Blu-ray Disc will sell for $23.45, which represents a fifteen per cent premium above the 1997 price for new-release DVDs.

'The premium is for a way better format and to remind retailers that at the time we launched DVD, VHS was selling for $55 wholesale in the first window,' Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said in a statement. 'The higher pricing structure for new releases is meant to accommodate the sell-through and rental markets.'

Find out more about prices of Sony Blu-ray DVD movies at http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/83392/sony-prices-bluray-movies.html.