With all the flak hitting Paramount after they jumped to HD DVD and a supposed $150 million payoff for the deal, the Blu-ray Disc Association promptly released a formal statement in response.
So the following will proceed to bash HD DVD and tout Blu-ray’s success. Facts include:
*Blu-ray titles have been outselling HD DVD 2 to 1 since January
*Blu-ray have sold 1.6 million this year while HD DVD have sold only 795,000
*Blockbuster went Blu-ray exclusive in June
*Target and BJ’s Wholesale Club are only selling Blu-ray players till the end of the year
*The price difference between a HD DVD and a Blu-ray player have been reduced
*PS3 price drop increased Blu-ray sales
*Future Blu-ray titles include Cars, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Pirates 3 and Spiderman 1, 2 and 3.
*Took 10 months to achieve 1 million sales, but 3 months to achieve 2 million
Andy Parsons, Chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association, "The decision seems oddly timed given Blu-ray’s tremendous momentum both with consumers and with retail. Blu-ray title sales continue to outpace HD DVD sales by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, and major retailers have expressed a strong preference for Blu-ray. Moreover, the price delta between HD DVD and Blu-ray players has been greatly reduced in the past few months, a trend that is on its way to eliminating any perceived cost advantage the HD DVD format has claimed to have."
All these facts are interesting, but would the average consumer even care about these statistics? Because in the end, that’s what it boils down too. If you don’t entice the customer, then they won’t buy your products. In a few months, we’ll definitely see companies ramping up advertising, so prepare for a sensory overload.
