First: The large number of Blu-ray Disc players introduced at the recent CEDIA EXPO from both mainstream and niche-brand manufacturers.
Second: Sony has revealed that its new Playstation 3 Slim (which has a built-in Blu-ray Disc player) has sold more than 1 million units since it was released on September 1st.
Third: Apple is finally jumping on the Blu-ray bandwagon with an announcement that it will be including a Blu-ray Disc drive in its upcoming series of iMacs.
Fourth: Best Buy has announced that it will be marketing a new line of its Insignia-brand LCD TVs that will include built-in Blu-ray Disc players; just in time for the 2009 Christmas and Winter Holiday Season.
For more details on these developments, check out the reports from Channel Web, CNET, and High Def Digest.
Comments
Sounds like everyone wants to sell blu-ray players.
Problem is no one wants to buy blu-ray players or discs.
“Problem is no one wants to buy blu-ray players or discs.”
NO ONE? – Your comment is contradicted by the facts. There is steady increase of sales both Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray Discs – Just go to a local Best Buy or Frys or even Walmart and see the ever increasing amount of the store shelf space being devoted to Blu-ray Discs and Players and the decreasing amount of space being devoted to DVD and DVD players.
With many Blu-ray Disc players setting in the $199 (or less) – $249 price range and the fact that they also play standard DVDs and CDs, you will continue to see sales growth for some years to come.
Robert Silva
Guide to Home Theater
http://hometheater.about.com
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Only 2.1 million blu-ray players sold in 2009. That is not good at all.
http://www.dealerscope.com/article/dvd-players-far-outsell-bd-units-but-theres-still-hope-412542_2.html
Blu-ray disc sales since May are here…
http://i32.tinypic.com/iwq89v.jpg
Doesn’t look like a rapidly growing format.
In my previous comment, 20 manufacturers sold 2.1 million blu-ray players in 2009…
Apple is slated to sell 6.6 million Apple TVs in 2009. That is despite the fact that Apple doesn’t even promote the Apple TV and Steve Jobs considers it “a hobby”.
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/apple-tv-prices-slashed-40gb-model-dumped-14-09-2009/
So how does that relate to Blu-ray? All that means is that Apple TV is popular, but that doesn’t mean that Blu-ray isn’t. 2 million Blu-ray Disc players sold in 2009 is hardly “nobody”.
Also, these figures don’t count Sony PS3 sales – All PS3’s play Blu-ray Discs.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a2vAHuKtZT64
There are many successful video entertainment platforms: TIVO, Roku’s Netflix Box, Slingbox, Vudu Box, and streaming and downloads from most PCs – and, of course, high definition programming provided by Cable and Satellite providers.
In fact, an increasing number of Blu-ray Disc players, especially from LG, Panasonic, and the new up-coming Sony’s are also incorporating internet video streaming such as access to Netflix, Panadora, YouTube, Amazon Video OnDemand, Vudu, and more…
Also, you have to keep in mind that when you compare actual high-definition video quality of a Blu-ray Disc compared to any of the internet streaming and download platforms, Blu-ray is superior as the averaged bit-rate is higher and more constant. Due to bandwidth limation space and download speeds, high definition content via the internet is often highly compressed.
Also, one more thing to keep in mind. As the price of making Blu-ray Disc players keeps going down, there will be point (which is already starting to happen) where manufacturers will stop making DVD/DVD only players (Pansonic only makes one DVD/CD player now) and all disc-based players will be Blu-ray disc players. This means any replacing a DVD player will be replacing it with a Blu-ray Disc player as that is what will be available.
Robert Silva
Guide to Home Theater
http://hometheater.about.com
Become an About.com Guide: http://beaguide.about.com
About.com is part of the New York Times Company
Also, your figures don’t count Sony PS3 sales – All PS3’s play Blu-ray Discs.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a2vAHuKtZT64
Also, one more thing to keep in mind. As the price of making Blu-ray Disc players keeps going down, there will be point (which is already starting to happen) where manufacturers will stop making DVD/DVD only players (Pansonic only makes one DVD/CD player now) and all disc-based players will be Blu-ray disc players. This means any replacing a DVD player will be replacing it with a Blu-ray Disc player as that will be what is available.
Robert Silva
hometheater.guide@about.com
http://hometheater.about.com
About.com is a part of the New York Times Company
Toshibia HDDVD supporter has also seen the power of Blu and will be releasing a player this fall.
Also to the naysayer poster…The sales chart you show fails to feature the stellar past few weeks the format has had with the sales of Wolverine. Funny how you didn’t show that?
Looks like the third prediction did not happen. Apple unveiled the new iMacs and they do not have Blu-ray. It seems Apple does not think Blu-ray is needed.