One week after Warner Bros announcement: Blu-ray takes market

Posted Jan 28, 2008 at 8:40AM by QJ Staff Listed in: PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: Toshiba

Sales of HD DVD Players Plunge After Warner Move to Blu-ray - Image 1

Warner Bros. Entertainment made waves earlier this month when it announced that it will no longer support the HD DVD format and will release all their hi-def titles exclusively on Blu-ray. A week later, Blu-ray hardware captured the market.

According to the NPD Group, Blu-ray hardware took 90% of the market after Warner's announcement; before, the market was split 50-50 between Blu-ray and HD DVD. While this is good news for Blu-ray, it may be too early for the fat lady to sing her arias.

Stephen Baker, NPD VP for industry sales, remarks that data for only one week shouldn't be read into too much: "One week is not a trend. It's a data point." Toshiba, one of the major HD DVD manufacturers, shares the same sentiment.

Toshiba feels the sales data for that week doesn't mean much. For one thing, sales of HD DVD players dropped because the company just ended a Christmas discount. Along with this, Blu-ray players were being given away with sales of certain flat panel TVs.

However, Warner's decision to go Blu-ray certainly did shake things up for Toshiba. Its entry-level HD-A3 player now sells for US$ 149.99, a whopping drop from US$ 299. Says Andy Parson, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association:

Consumers have gotten the message loud and clear. Lowering prices sends the message that Toshiba is having a fire sale. [...] I donÂ’t see market share going back to 50-50. That I will bet a lot of money on.

So was the data for that week just a blip in the charts, or the first in a landslide of things to come? You can bet the console war is also waiting on the full effects of the format war, as its outcome relies on which format wins. We'll keep you posted.

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Comments

# I dont see how Blu ray will lose now. — yworob 2008-01-28 05:15

The only thing that could have saved HD-dvd is if Microsoft decided to put one in a new xbox. Even then it still probably wouldnt save HD-dvd.

# nice — Hekynn 2008-01-28 05:32

Well ya the stocks are doing pretty good lately which my parents are very happy about

hehehe same here for me since maybe during June or so the PS3 40gb price might drop

# . — Mister Common Sense 2008-01-28 07:10

That would make it even less likely to make MS put HD-DVD in the XBOX though. If they were going to, they should have last year when it could make a difference.

# Dear Toshiba President... — Silver-Tiger 2008-01-28 07:46

Why can't you just accept your defeat? Give up already, don't make things even worse. Make the choice for us comsumers easier and pull out HD-DVD from the market. You will save yourself a pretty bunch of money. I mean, 90% is pretty clear, isn't it? I don't see any big changes with the numbers. Hope that you can join the Blu-Ray camp as long it is still possible.

# . — LordQuas431 2008-01-28 09:14

Now I'm just waiting for another PS3 price drop, then I'm going to pick one up then :)

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