100+ million Blu-ray discs predicted to be sold in 2009
Is Blu-ray ready to hit the mainstream? According to Futuresource Consulting (via GI.biz), it appears so. The increasing number of HDTV owners, coupled with lower prices on Blu-ray players, should fuel interest in the HD movie format.
"In the USA, Blu-ray has moved from early adopter phase through to early majority, with the format gaining real traction in the marketplace," said Mai Hoang, senior market analyst at Futuresource. According to Hoang, Blu-ray sales in America reached 24 million units in 2008. The analyst predicts the American market will eat 80 million discs this year. The rest will be represented by Japan, the UK and the rest of Europe.
Jim Bottoms, managing director at Futuresource, thinks Blu-ray adoption will finally get majority share of home video sales in just a few more years. "By 2012, around 50 per cent of US and 35 per cent of Western European video disc retail sale volumes will be Blu-ray."
