(Special Report) - As HD DVD and Blu-Ray debate tirelessly raged on at CES, some disc makers said they expect cost-per-disc for HD DVD and Blu-Ray media to fall to $5-ish levels. We were surprised to hear these numbers considering last year's figure of double digit prices, one of the halting points for new format growth.

HD DVD Future Continues to be Unknown

Not all companies expect to see such prices. In fact, many of them believe $5.00 per disc is too reasonable, and it'll take at least another couple of years for prices to drop. They go back to the basic supply and demand ratio, and it's a catch-21 deal where the prices are dependent on high demand and high demand is dependent on excess volume (or supply). What a messy situation!

Either way, US is going digital in February 2009, and media companies should see a growth spike soon after the official conversion. Personally, that's when we believe the prices will simmer down, towards the end of 2009, that is. In the meantime, let's hope 2008 brings something interesting to the table with low prices. Not that you would want to store a lot of data on either format considering the battle's unknown results anyways.

Click here to check out the latest prices on Blu-Ray discs!