RSSBlu-ray recorders doing well in Japan, players struggle
By Ed Oswald | Published May 28, 2008, 2:07 PM
While Blu-ray recorders now outsell their standard DVD counterparts, research firm NPD reports that outside of the PS3, Blu-ray players are not selling well.
Japanese research firm BCN said that revenues from sales of Blu-ray recorders in that country increased more than threefold since January, when high definition players only comprised 12.4% of all sales -- and that figure included HD DVD hardware.
At least in Japan, the data shows that consumers did indeed hold back on purchases of high-definition equipment while the two formats duked it out for supremacy.
BCN says it expects sales of Blu-ray recorders to continue to rise as the Beijing Olympics near, and consumers wish to record the events in high definition.
While supporters of the format may be quick to point to the news as evidence it is moving forward, NPD says not so fast. In the period from January to February of this year, sales in the US decreased by some 40 percent, and only managed to crawl back up by two percent from February through March, according to a report from NPD analysts including director Ross Rubin.
These numbers reflect unit sales (as opposed to revenues) for stand-alone players (as opposed to game consoles or PC drives) in the US (as opposed to Japan or worldwide). Sony's saving grace though may be the Blu-ray enabled PS3, which continues to see increasing demand in light of better marketing and lower prices.
Even so, most analysts say it will be at least a year if not more before Blu-ray catches on with the average consumer. That's not stopping companies like Amazon from attempting to draw them in. Recently, the online retailer put about 116 titles on sale at savings of up to 50% off the list price. With the discounts, prices of discs are roughly the same as the standard DVD versions.
I'm with everyone else on this...
Blu-Ray should not have "won" the format war. The contest was rigged from the beginning with Sony owning a major studio, and it's not Toshiba's fault that HD-DVD was *feature complete, cheaper, and first-to-market* before Blu-Ray, so that you have to deal with this "profile" nonsense.
Anyone who thinks that the reason Blu-Ray won was because of "consumer choice" is seriously deluded. The "choice" was made by Hollywood, not consumers.
And the next person who tells me to buy a PS3 if I want a Profile 2.0 player is going to get strangled. I don't want a P.O.S.3 and I don't want an Xbox360 either!
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|My Problem with buying Blu-Ray is the fact that the Blu-Ray standard itself hasn't been completed, 2.0 is slated to come out by the end of the year and a direct quote from Sony basically said early adopter (thats all you that either bought a player or are going to buy one before Christmas) will just be out of luck. Other than the PS3 none of the current Blu-Ray players can or will have their firmware updated and will not be able to use much of the Blu-Ray discs that are starting to come out now.
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|I sure do wish HD-DVD would come back. I did purchase HD-DVD disks and player but I wont be purchasing Blu-Ray until its prices are the same as DVD, and I dont mean by raising standard DVD prices to match those of Blu-Ray.
I bet that is how they push sales of Blu-Ray, raise standard DVD costs.
Did I mention I wish HD-DVD was still around.
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|I was going to purchase a HD-DVD player this fall when I buy my first HDTV, but I will not even consider purchasing a BRD player. It'll be an upconverting DVD player for me!
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|Blu-ray would be an excellent addition (although I prefered HD-DVD) to my HDTV but prices keep me away. It needs to find a way to lower prices quickly like DVD for it to take hold.
If I wanted a PS3 that is the only way I can see buying but I don't want one.
So until then Blu-Ray is a dream. $400 is too much for a player and then the discs themselves cost $10 more than most DVD's. Its not worth the added benefit over DVD's in my book.
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