Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 03 May 2008 16:13
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
HD DVD players dropped 13% from January to February but fell a massive 65% from February to March.
That result is clearly unsurprising given the declaration from Toshiba that HD DVD player production would cease after Warner’s defection to Blu-ray, with other major studios dropping HD DVD player support soon after.
And while regular DVD player sales also decreased 39% from Q1 2008 compared with Q1 2007, upconverting DVD players rose 5% in the same time frame, likely because of much cheaper pricing that Blu-ray players.
In addition, a clear factor is also the instant compatibility with the existing DVD library while delivering a sharper picture that would, for most consumers, deliver the improved video quality needed to enjoy large flat screen high-def TVs.
NPD’s Rubin said that: "Consumers continue to see a gap between Blu-ray's premium video quality and features and its premium price. As content availability improves, this holiday season will be the best opportunity to date for retailers and manufacturers to promote Blu-ray adoption."
Of course, it will also be a prime-time for Sony to massive promote its Blu-ray equipped PS3 games console and home entertainment centre, while persistent rumours that Microsoft will
soon launch a Blu-ray equipped Xbox 360 just won’t go away, no matter how much Microsoft denies it.
Indeed, a Blu-ray equipped Xbox 360 could actually greatly help the format gain wider acceptance much more quickly, especially if Microsoft also releases a Blu-ray add-on drive for existing Xbox 360 owners, much as it previously offered an HD DVD add-on drive.
So, it's likely we'll see a massive marketing campaign during late Q3 and throughout Q4 to promote the latest Blu-ray players and movies in the hope that consumers make the switch to 'true' HD and ditch their DVDs into the dustbin - although that sure is a big ask for cash-strapped consumers.
So, what else might give Blu-ray a boost?
