Bad news for Blu-ray in Harris Poll

Blu-ray is Sony’s high-definition optical format, often seen as being in the ‘next-generation’ class of optical storage – beyond that of standard DVDs. But according to poll results released by Harris Interactive, only around a quarter of consumers plan to switch to Blu-ray, and only one third of existing Blu-ray owners buy most of their movies in the format.

Harris said that 25% of respondents indicated they plan on switching to Blu-ray completely, while 32% of existing Blu-ray player or Playstation 3 owners claim that most of their movie purchases are on Sony’s pet format.

“Blu-ray also faces competition from alternative technologies such as cable, satellite, and the Internet. Consumers today can easily watch high definition TV channels or use the Internet or video-on-demand to access high definition movies,” said Milton Ellis, vice president and senior consultant of media and telecom practice at Harris Interactive Technology.

Sony’s Blu-ray technology emerged victorious in a prolonged format war with Toshiba’s rival High-Definition DVD (HD DVD), with the latter eventually ceasing production and virtually assuring Blu-ray as the successor to DVDs. That victory has not translated into all-out market domination according to the Harris survey, which queried 2,401 people about next-generation optical formats.

The Harris poll found that while 47% of respondents owned high definition television, only 9% owned a Blu-ray capable Playstation 3 and 7% possessed a standalone Blu-ray player. Despite being shelved by Toshiba, 11% of those surveyed reporting owning a HD DVD player.

“In the near future, access to high definition movies may be a download or streaming delivery of one’s favorite movies to a home media server that eliminates the need for a Blu-ray player and Blu-ray disc. One thing is for sure, the market will be highly competitive and consumers will have a wide variety of choices for their entertainment experience,” added Ellis.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM