Blu-ray sells more than HD-DVD

Has Blu-ray taken a serious lead over HD-DVD in this most recent format war? Sales for the first quarter of 2007 seem to prove so. 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. Between January 1 and March 31, Blu-ray sold 832 530 high-definition discs, as opposed to only 359 300 for HD-DVD!

Reasons for this lead include the fact that 5 out of 6 major studios use the Blu-ray format, including 3 exclusively. Another reason is that whereas Blu-ray has managed to develop many readers, including the Playstation 3, the HD-DVD format lacks the necessary equipment. Furthermore, fewer movies are available in HD-DVD format. However, general sales figures since the launching of the two formats are tighter: 1,2 million copies for Blu-ray, and 935 000 for HD-DVD.

More detailed sales figures confirm the lead Blu-ray has taken. Consumers simply seem to prefer Blu-ray. Consider a simple example. Warner Home Video released "The Departed" the same day, February 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. Research also shows that eight of the 10 top-selling high-definition titles in the first quarter were on Blu-ray Disc.

Would this mean the Blu-ray / HD-DVD format war already has a winner? Time will tell, and confirm whether Blu-ray wins or not…

Links

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2121082,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121
http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/35985-bluray-hddvd-haute-definition.htm
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2126817,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121