Netflix ups the monthly subscription price for Blu-Ray movies

No one ever said that the latest hi-def format was going to be cheap - and the folks at Netflix have gone ahead and proved that point. Announced this week, Netflix is upping the monthly rental subscription model of all their plans by $1 to $9, depending on the number of discs out at a time. Here is the breakdown:

• 1 DVD out at a time (2 DVDs per month): $1 increase for Blu-ray discs
• 1 DVD out at a time (Unlimited): $2 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 2 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $3 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 3 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $4 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 4 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $5 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 5 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $6 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 6 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $7 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 7 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $8 increase for Blu-Ray discs
• 8 DVDs out at a time (Unlimited): $9 increase for Blu-Ray discs

Netflix is the first major disc-by-mail company to raise their rates for Blu-Ray videos, citing the higher price of Blu-Ray discs as the major cause.

No word yet from the major competitor, Blockbuster Online, as to whether they will also be raising their monthly rates for Blu-Ray discs.