12M Blu-ray Players to Ship This Year

According to a new quarterly report by Futursource Consulting, the research company expects global shipments of Blu-ray Disc players to reach nearly 12 million units this year. In the fourth quarter of 2008, 3 million units were shipped globally, and represented nearly 50% of all Blu-ray Disc player shipments for the year. This year, the company is predicting as much as 6 million Blu-ray Disc players will be shipped globally during the fourth quarter of this year.

Jack Wetherill, Research Consultant at Futuresource, commented, "Sales of HD-capable LCD and plasma TVs, and continued dramatic reductions in BD player prices also continue to fuel interest. In the last quarter of 2008, average retail prices for standalone Blu-ray players fell by 15% in most major markets and we're going to see them fall by another 25% during the course of this year. Add to that the raft of movie titles being issued on Blu-ray – over 1,100 at the end of last year, on track to more than double this year – coupled with the increase in promotional activity and the continued benefit of growing PS3 ownership, and we'll see Blu-ray continue to gather momentum in all major markets across the globe."

For the first quarter of the year, 1.2 million Blu-ray Disc players were shipped globally, a number significantly more than during the same period the previous year. The company also sees Blu-ray as a long-term opportunity for the entertainment industry, with additional technologies, such as 3-D, possibly being added to the format.