Blu-ray players reach 2.7 million units sold

Milestone reached over Black Friday shopping weekend

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/3/2007

DEC. 3 | The Blu-ray Disc Assn. is touting a new milestone passed over the Black Friday shopping period, noting that player sales since launch reached 2.7 million units through Nov. 24.

Like the HD DVD camp’s recent claims, the figure encompasses both Blu-ray-capable gaming devices and Blu-ray set-top players.

Through October, there had been 2 million units sold of the Blu-ray-enhanced PlayStation 3. That arguably gives Blu-ray set-tops a 700,000 piece of overall format unit sales. But the picture is muddied somewhat by the likely gangbuster PlayStation 3 sales in November due to the introduction of the relatively cheap $399 PlayStation 3. November console sales will not be available from the NPD Group until mid-December.

It’s tough to calculate specific gains for Blu-ray set-tops, as many of the manufacturers have not released sales information on their players to this point.

Still, the 2.7 million sold is a clear achievement over the HD DVD side, which pushed its installment base to 750,000 units following widespread holiday retail sales, notably including $99-priced players at Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Although not as steeply priced-slashed as rival HD DVD, many Blu-ray players also were sale-priced at retail. Several chains were offering Samsung and Sony Blu-ray players at $399, $100 below their $499 list prices.

The BDA last week also trumpeted its continuing lead in Blu-ray software sales, which in the weeks leading up to Black Friday had been outpacing HD DVD titles by a two-to-one ratio. During the Black Friday period, BD titles made up 72.6% of all high-def purchases, with HD DVD totaling 27.4%, according to Nielsen/VideoScan figures cited by BDA.

The fact that BD software remains the sales leader in an environment of heavy HD DVD player discounting is especially heartening to the BDA.

A statement from the group noted, “Despite the $99 HD DVD fire sale, Blu-ray movies were flying off the shelves in this crucial holiday shopping period.”

According to the BD camp, total BD disc sales in the U.S. since launch topped 4 million units in November, about the same time HD DVD software sales passed just 2.5 million units.

To date in the U.S., 18 of the Top 20 high-def releases are Blu-ray, according to the BD camp.

According to Media Control Gfk International figures cited by BDA, BD movies control 73% of the European market, outselling HD DVD by a three-to-one margin, and BD holds a 95% share of the high-def recorder market in Japan.