Blu-ray Disc Gaining Consumer Confidence, Spending

Blu-ray Disc "No Country for Old Men" dents DVD sales


As much as technophiles and home theatre addicts preach the wonders of high-definition movies on the latest LCD and plasma displays, nearly the entire mass market is still squarely focused on standard DVD movies. That, however, could begin changing this year.

According to Home Media Magazine, sales of Blu-ray Disc have finally begun to carve out a noticeable groove from DVD sales. Nielsen Videoscan numbers say that 9.8 percent of No Country for Old Men home video sales were from Blu-ray Disc, and an even more impressive 12.6 percent of Hitman sales were on the high-definition format. Transformers, currently available in high-definition only on HD DVD, sold 4 percent in the high-end format.

The two recent Blu-ray Disc releases fared considerably better than even the top movies of 2007, which saw 2 or 3 percent share on the format. For example, on Blu-ray Disc the Simpsons Movie captured just 2.8 percent, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End accounted for 3.7 percent of total sales.

Analysts resort point to the end of the high-definition format war as the root of the increase in consumer confidence. “Before, there was a tendency to play it safe and stick with the standard DVD,” said Tom Adams, of Adams Media Research, to Home Media Magazine. “But now there’s no longer anything to worry about.”

Also key in the recent growth of Blu-ray Disc is the simultaneous rise of the PlayStation 3 – the market’s best-selling high-definition movie player. Console sales for the first two months of 2008 show Sony’s latest console outpacing the Xbox 360.

“The promotion to PlayStation 3 homes hasn’t really kicked in yet,” added Adams. “And assuming that works, when you’re talking 5 million homes, getting them to buy just one more movie a year can make a significant difference in a small market like this.”

Reference :
http://www.dailytech.com/Bluray+Disc+Gaining+Consumer+Confidence+Spending/article11295.htm