While disgruntled HD DVD fans would like nothing more than to see Blu-ray fail, new research shows that the format is doing better than the DVD when it was first released. According to Futuresource Consulting, more than 10 million Blu-ray players will be in use by the end of 2008. In comparison, only 1.5 million DVD players were installed after being on the market for three years.
“Focusing on like-for-like coverage of Western Europe and comparing the first few years of uptake, the early indications are that BD player sales are running way ahead of DVD after the same time period. 2008 represents year 3 for BD and here at Futuresource Consulting, we anticipate more than 10 million players, including PS3, in use by the end of this year. Looking back to DVD’s early years, we see that closer to 1.5 million DVD players were installed by the end of year 3.
“Looking forward, as the attached Futuresource analysis shows, BD installations are projected to continue to run significantly ahead of DVD. The timing of the PS3 launch has clearly provided a big boost to the initial uptake of BD; with a number of hot games titles now starting to emerge and console prices continuing to fall we can expect to see continued strong uptake.
Personally, I think that Futuresource is being a bit optimistic about future Blu-ray sales. However, with the price of Blu-ray hardware on its way down, many consumers, including myself, will probably be picking up a player or PS3 in time for the holidays. If you'd like to read more, Futuresource's entire press release can be found here.
