It looks like all those Blu-ray critics might be eating humble pie after all: according to recent surveys by Adams Media Research, sales of Blu-ray disks are up sharply in 2009. In fact, the statistics show that the Blu-ray format has almost doubled in sales from the same time last year.
Specifically, approximately 9 million Blu-ray discs were purchased in the US in the first quarter of 2009. Compare that figure to the same quarter last year, when only 4.8 million discs were sold. The sharp increase in sales is adding momentum to what looks to be “the year of the Blu-ray.”
According to CNet.com, Blu-ray’s significant jump in sales this year prove that the format is here to stay, and is especially promising when one considers the global recession. However, sales of Blu-ray disks still lag behind those for standard DVDs, but are light-years ahead of the (now antiquated) VHS format.
Blu-ray proponents claim that there are nearly 11 million households in the U. S. using Blu-ray technology. This includes both standalone players, and Blu-ray enabled game stations such as Sony’s PlayStation 3, which can handle a wide variety of formats, including Blu-ray.
And with Blu-ray devices getting cheaper all the time, and more and more A-list Hollywood films coming out in the format this year, the future looks bright indeed for the once fledgling format.
Of course, Blu-ray still has his detractors, many of whom point out the higher cost to the consumer of purchasing Blu-ray titles. Others point to the growing popularity of directly downloaded film and media content online, a trend which threatens to undercut not only Blu-ray, but all “hard copy” media formats.
Also, the average price of Blu-ray players has been an obstacle for many consumers up until recently. But in 2009, the price has dropped considerably, hovering now around the $200 mark, and certain to continue to sink as the global economic downturn causes consumers to pull back on their discretionary income. In fact, a consortium of Chinese manufacturers recently issued what has become known as the Blu-ray report, which estimates that the average price of players could sink as low as $99 by the end of the year.
If the price of Blu-ray players continues to decrease at this rate, we could quickly see the format overtake DVD as the standard media disc. Sub $100 players would be a bit of a game changer for Blu-ray, and we could see the format emerge as the dominant media disc in 2010.
