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MFDigital CD DVD Information Library
Monday, July 19, 2010
 
Blu-ray player shipments to top 62 million in 2011
A new ABI Research forecast predicts a strong rise in standalone Blu-ray player shipments, with the figure expected to top 62.5 million in 2011.

ABI Research believes Blu-ray shipments will double from the start of 2009 to the end of 2010, and shipments will only increase further in 2011. By the end of 2009, Blu-ray players were in just 7 percent of households – but will be in almost one-in-five houses, predicted at 18 percent, before 2012.

Blu-ray shipments are now increasing due to price declines for Blu-ray movies and players — along with larger, flatter high-definition TVs that include Web connections, 3D, and other custom features. “The solid growth in Blu-ray player shipments highlights a trend within the wider consumer electronics market,” said Mike Inouye, industry analyst. “Larger, fixed-location devices such as Blu-ray players and flat panel TVs are enjoying rapid adoption relative to many classes of small, portable devices.”

Both Microsoft and Apple are avoiding Blu-ray in favor of focusing on streaming services, but Blu-ray is expected to have market control for the next two-to-three years at the least. Sony has embraced Blu-ray with the PlayStation 3, but also includes streaming services. Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Blockbuster, and other brick and mortar stores have increased Blu-ray marketing to include HDTVs playing Blu-ray movies in-store.

Customers previously said they were waiting for prices to decline – but some analysts remained hesitant whether or not Blu-ray would be adopted. Expect manufacturers to continue promoting the benefits of Blu-ray, with ma continued sales increase through late 2012.


Source: MYCE.com

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- posted by MF Digital Marketing @ 10:12 AM
Monday, May 24, 2010
 
Warner Bros. Expands DVD to Blu-ray Upgrade Program
Warner Bros. has tweaked its incentive program for Blu-ray owners, encouraging them to trade up their existing library of DVDs.

The “DVD2Blu” program lets people mail in their DVD movies, plus a fee, in exchange for a boxed copy of the same film on Blu-ray disc. When DVD2Blu debuted last November, there were a mere 55 films available. The catalog now includes 91 films. The price of trading in has also dropped since November. Upgrades now cost either $5 or $7, down $2 from before.. There’s still a $5 shipping charge on all orders, but you can get free shipping on orders of $35 or more, compared to a $25 minimum when the program debuted.

When Warner started DVD2Blu, many of the selections were old or classic films. I have no way of comparing the current library to what was there before — my memory isn’t that good — but I see some newer films in the catalog, such as The Departed, Pan’s Labyrinth and Gran Torino. Warner also offers a trade-in program for HD-DVD movies, dubbed “Red2Blu,” and the selection is even larger, with 125 available movies, most of which cost $5 each. That program has been available since April 2009.

According to Home Media Magazine, Warner expanded the DVD2Blu program in response to increased Blu-ray ownership. The Digital Entertainment Group reports that Blu-ray penetration is up 125 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period last year.


Source: myce.com


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- posted by MF Digital Marketing @ 3:34 PM
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
 
Bluray Consumer Video Spending on the Increase
Despite a promising March, in which sell through spending was up 4% and overall consumer spending on home entertainment rose 2%, the lingering effects of the recession continued to make consumers more watchful of their expenditures in the first quarter of this year.

Total consumer spending on Blu-ray Disc and DVD purchases and rentals, as well as digital delivery, is estimated at $4.8 billion, down 8% from the first quarter of 2009, according to numbers released April 15 from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. Conspicuously absent from the latest DEG report is transaction data. Last year, consumer spending was down 5%, but transactions were up 2.8%.

The bright spot for home entertainment in the first quarter of 2010: a sharp rise in consumer spending on Blu-ray Disc, with sellthrough up 74% and rental up 36%, according to the DEG, which compiles its numbers each quarter with input from all the major studios. The software gains were accompanied by a 125% growth in Blu-ray Disc hardware sales in the quarter, the DEG said. Digital delivery, too, rose 27% in the first quarter of 2010 from the year-ago quarter, growing to $617 million.

“We are still facing a challenging environment but are very pleased to see positive indicators of stabilization in our overall business,” said Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders, also president of the DEG. “We are encouraged to see consumers continue to realize the tremendous value of Blu-ray and growing more comfortable with digital delivery.”

The rental business, which last year remained surprisingly stable, took a significant hit in the first quarter of this year, largely because of the rash of store closures from troubled brick-and-mortar chains Blockbuster and Movie Gallery. Citing the Rentrak Corp.’s Home Video Essentials, the DEG said rental spending fell 14% in the three months ending March 31 from the first quarter of 2009.

Overall sellthrough spending fell 11% in the quarter. The DEG didn’t break out DVD sellthrough, but according to Home Media Magazine market research, consumer spending on DVD purchases was down 16% in January and February from the same months last year, due largely to the boost in DVD sales that occurred in early 2009 because of the Circuit City liquidation, which flooded the market with cheap discs. March was rebound month, with gains in both sellthrough and overall consumer spending, a remarkable 124% rise in Blu-ray Disc sales and a 35% uptick in digital delivery transactions. Credit, at least in part, goes to the Easter holiday.

Recent moves by three of the six major studios to impose a month-long window on new releases coming to the rental market are expected to boost DVD sales, with a minimal impact on the rental business. Indeed, some observers believe the rental window, which applies only to Netflix and Redbox, will grow the business. Consumers who want new releases as soon as they come out will have to shell out more money to buy them, while fans of renting movies will simply rent something else instead of foregoing the experience altogether.

The health of the Blu-ray Disc market is underscored by the fact that during the quarter, more than 34 million discs were shipped to retail, 72% more than during the first quarter of 2009, according to figures compiled by Swicker & Associates on behalf of the DEG. More than 18 million U.S. homes now have some sort of Blu-ray Disc playback device, either a set-top machine or a PlayStation 3 console. Meanwhile, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) data shows that consumers bought 4.7 million HDTVs in the quarter, bringing the total number of sets sold to consumers to 75 million. About 50 million U.S. households have at least one set, and 34% of all HDTV owners have two or more sets.


Source: Home Media Magazine

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- posted by MF Digital Marketing @ 4:59 PM
Friday, January 01, 2010
 
First Blu-ray/DVD Flipper Disc on the Way
Universal will be the first to try the flipper disc with the “Bourne” trilogy, starring Damon, CNet reports. The films will be released on January 19, but Universal hasn’t said how much these discs will cost in comparison to a regular Blu-ray disc. Because Blu-ray discs won’t run on standard DVD players, the flipper format gives buyers the best of both worlds.

The flipper disc concept originated with HD-DVD, again from Universal. What’s odd is that Universal reportedly cut back on flipper discs in the spring of 2007 according to High Def Digest, reissuing two of its most popular flipper releases as HD-DVD only and reversing course on two other movies that were supposed to come in both formats.

The studio had once pledged to release 90 percent of its HD-DVD movies as combo discs. It’s not clear what caused the change of heart, but it seems that Universal is up for experimenting again. There’s no indication in CNet’s report that other flipper disc releases are planned.

Flippers already have stiff competition from Blu-ray and DVD combo packages, which keep the formats on separate discs. This seems advantageous, because you can bring one disc with you for use in a portable DVD player or laptop, while the Blu-ray copy can stay behind with your home theater. Lionsgate, Fox, Walt Disney Studios and MGM are among the studios supporting the separate disc combo format. Then there’s the trend of including a DVD with only a digital file for use on computers and portable media players. Some releases contain all three.


Source: Myce

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- posted by MF Digital Marketing @ 9:14 AM