Blu-ray Sales Jumps Nearly 30%

[Smokey]

According to a new report released by the The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), Blu-ray sales increased 28.5% for Q1 2013 (over the same period last year). Similarly the sales of new release titles on Blu-ray were up 37% in Q1 from a year earlier.

According to DEG data, the number of Blu-ray homes continued to rise as well, with 3.2 million Blu-ray Disc players (including BD set-tops, PS3s and HTiBs,) sold in the first quarter.

The total number of US homes with at least one Blu-ray compatible device is now estimated to be 60 million climbing from 42.1 million at the end of June 2012.

DEG: Blu-ray Sales Jumps Nearly 30% Q1

[Mr Peabody]

Interesting that it hasn't plateaued. It would be interesting to see on a couple good selling new releases how many DVD are sold compared to Blu-ray.

[Feanor]

Now that Blu-ray players can be had for under $70, new, no sane person would by a DVD player. As DVD / Blu-ray price differentials shrink -- or even just as Blu-ray prices fall, already many popular titles <$15 -- there is less reason for anyone to buy DVD. The trend to Blu-ray is inevitable, it's just a matter of how fast.

[harley .guy07]

What I love is there is a couple of music/video stores where is live that specialize in used blue ray discs and some of them are movies that have only been out a couple of months and you can get them cheap. But you are right with the blue ray movies being not much more brand new than DVD it would be crazy not to choose the high res format. I think what might be fueling some of this is that people are figuring out that blue ray is the top format right now and will probably be that way for a while and streaming sites like Netflix are getting better in sound and picture quality and could get even better if America as a whole could get the internet band width per home up to around 100 mps like japan does but as of right now as good as netflix type sites are they still can't hold a candle to the picture and sound of blue Ray. But I will say that Blue ray might just be our last physical format for movie media that we will ever see.

[markw]

I think there are several factors involved here.

One is attrition. A lot of older DVD only players are dying and need to e replaced.

Nowadays, almost any Blu-Ray player (except the very cheapest) offer a plethora of Internet apps thrown in. Go up a few pennies more and now wireless is part of the mix. Blu-Rays are simply cost effective and are now more than simply disc players.

The discs themselves are getting cheaper. I was in Walmart this week and they had bins upon bins of Blu-Rays on sale for around $8 or so, and not just titles nobody wants. Granted,not the most current releases but still some pretty desirable titles. Many I already own on DVD. If I didn't, I would have been mighty tempted.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Interesting that it hasn't plateaued. It would be interesting to see on a couple good selling new releases how many DVD are sold compared to Blu-ray.

On B and C level titles, It is typically DVD 65-35% over Bluray. On the A list titles, it can be Bluray 70-30% or 60-40%. Based on my data the more eye and ear candy the title has, the larger the percentage is in favor of Bluray.

[Smokey]

On B and C level titles, It is typically DVD 65-35% over Bluray. On the A list titles, it can be Bluray 70-30% or 60-40%.

I am guessing the ratio for B and C titles for DVD over bluary is caused by lack of those titles on Bluray. And reluctancy of studios to bear the cost of remastering those titles for HD format may mean that ratio might not change as fast as ratio for A list titles.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I am guessing the ratio for B and C titles for DVD over bluary is caused by lack of those titles on Bluray. And reluctancy of studios to bear the cost of remastering those titles for HD format may mean that ratio might not change as fast as ratio for A list titles.

Smokey,
I think the real reason here is that the upgrade in picture quality is just not worth the price to some over the DVD. Because of the stupidity of the studios, collectors like myself are being a lot more choosey over the titles they purchase. Because of the way a movie is shot, or damage to the original elements, the Bluray may look only slightly better than the DVD. Why rebuy a title on Bluray if it only looks marginally better than the DVD? Especially at the price levels Blurays are. Personally, I wait for the reviews and then I buy if the review is good. On certain titles, I really want the Bluray even if the review was not so hot - like the movie Dick Tracy.