Well, it's a little bit surprising. Remember, it's not a buy/sell situation. They are renting it to you, and all of the other transactional costs (which make up a significant portion of the total rental cost) are the same.
So, will it take them longer to recoup their initial investment? Yes. But they could also very likely attract a more loyal audience interested in Blu-Ray if they didn't charge a premium.
Also, even back in the day of VHS tapes, and then DVDs, they did not differentiate the rental rate even though the purchase price of material varied hugely. Some VHS movies used to cost $79 and up, while others were $29. But the rental charged was the same.
Having said all that, I do recall that when DVDs first came out, they charged a premium relative to VHS. But I don't think it lasted that long. The market won't bear it for long.
My $.02.
Rich
