Posted on 4/26/2007, 4:57:11 PM by Vigilanteman
Thomas K. Arnold
April 23, 2007 (Reuters) -- Of the high-definition discs bought by consumers in the first quarter, 70% were in the Blu-ray Disc format, and 30% were HD-DVD, according to sales figures provided by trade publication Home Media Magazine.
Blu-ray took the lead in February, and its percentage of total sales accelerated to the point where it accounted for nearly three out of every four high-definition discs sold in March.
What's more, when given the choice, consumers are going with Blu-ray. Warner Home Video released The Departed the same day, Feb. 13, in both formats. Between then and March 31, consumers bought 53,640 copies of the film on Blu-ray Disc and 31,590 on HD-DVD, according to Home Media's market research, based on studio estimates and Nielsen VideoScan point-of-sale data.
Research also shows that eight of the 10 top-selling high-definition titles in the first quarter were on Blu-ray Disc. At the top of the list was Casino Royale, which sold through to consumers an estimated 59,680 units in the period. The Blu-ray Disc edition of The Departed finished second, while the HD-DVD version of that Oscar-winning film placed third.
From Jan. 1 to March 31, consumers bought almost 1.2 million high-definition discs -- 832,530 Blu-ray units and 359,300 HD-DVDs -- according to Home Media Magazine. In March, consumers bought 335,980 Blu-ray Discs and 119,570 HD-DVDs.
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
I don’t own either player, but I’m personally rooting for Blu-Ray for the simple fact that it has a higher capacity (by about 66%). In the long run, it would be beneficial to have the extra capacity.
How do those numbers compare with the sales of traditional DVDs?
That will all change now that walmart decided to go with HD-DVD. That and the fact HD-DVD players are anywhere from 20-50% cheaper than bluray players.
Not that I have a dog in this fight, just pointing some things out.
Can you say “Wal-mart”?..........I knew you could............
Without studio support, HD-DVD is on life support. Wal-Mart can stock a go-zillion players for $1 each. Who would want one if it doesn’t play anything? Let’s bury HD-DVD once and for all.
The ‘popular’ idea is wrong. Blu-ray beats it technically and software wise, and is competitive on price as well.
hddvd’s a dead end.
You gotta remember, it was only last year that DVD finally had a larger installed base than VHS. It takes some time. So far, Blu-ray is moving faster than DVD did vs VHS.
Blu-Ray may be the BetaMax of the next decade.............IT was better, too.........
THis is the key paragraph in the story -- 5 Major Studios support Blu-Ray, 3 Support HD-DVD. Giving Blu-ray a built in advantage.
bought 53,640 copies of the film on Blu-ray Disc and 31,590 on HD-DVD
SO lets see a 5-3 split on studios, and a 5-3 split on sales.
So, basically sales are about the same for each type of format. Blu-ray has more sales because it has more studios.
However - MOre studios means more selection, means more customers, means BLU_RAY will win by default. And it should, it is the better quality.
Can you say "market demand"?? Once the cheap HD-DVD players from Wal-mart hit consumers TV-set tops, the movie companies WILL put out product in that format.
Sorry, but the Wal-mart announcement is also the obituary for Blu-ray. VHS vs. Betamax all over again.
I’m gonna buy another iMac as soon as Apple installs Blu-Ray drives in them. By fall?
Or will the decider be what it was for VHS/DVD: pr0n
Price to the “average” consumer............
Blu-ray Disc enjoys the support of five of the six major studios, while HD-DVD is supported by three of them. Three studios -- Sony, Disney and Fox -- are exclusively in the Blu-ray camp, as is mini-major Lions Gate. Paramount and Warner support both formats. Universal is the only major studio to release titles only in the HD-DVD format . . .
Just in my neighborhood (lower middle class), Netflix has shuttered a couple of former Blockbuster locations and the electronic stores are selling Blu-Ray players to people with government checks.
No way to create demand for a player that doesn’t play anything.
All Walmart has to do is tell the studios to supply HD-DVDs or they will pull their studios content. Not saying they will, but the threat of them even doing it very well could be enough.
Walmart isn’t Hd DVD exclusive. They have a large order for next year for HD DVD but they’ll still sell Blu-ray.
Gonna suck for those Walmart shoppers who buy the HD DVD disc and can only get a few movies to watch.
That’s extremely unlikely as Sony will never produce HD DVD discs and Fox isn’t going to give away high quality copies of their films for pirates to rip and distribute at will.
I’ve heard from multiple sources (including a guy who does professional high-end home theater installations) that a good upconverting regular DVD player will give you a picture that’s all but indistinguishable from either HD format. Check out the Oppo players.
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