Analysts: Blu-ray to capture 50% of software market by 2012
According to consulting firm Futuresource (via Video Business), Blu-ray discs will account for 50 percent of the home entertainment market by 2012. That said, the firm lowered its expectations of Blu-ray sales for 2009 from 90 million to 75 million thanks to software attach rates on the PS3. It seems that PS3 owners tend to buy only one or two Blu-ray movies a year, while owners of dedicated Blu-ray players buy anywhere from five to eight.
Furthermore, while the PS3 is currently the most popular Blu-ray player -- it accounts for 6 percent of high-def hardware, while dedicated players make up only 3 percent -- Futuresource expects the console will account for only 22 percent of all high definition equipment in 2012. Declining prices for dedicated machines -- the firm says that entry level players will cost $50 by 2012 -- will push them to 53 percent.
Assuming these numbers ring true, maybe we'll be paying a little less for the "one to two" Blu-ray movies we supposedly buy every year.
