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Blu-ray getting larger chunk of floor space in Borders, Target
With the format war being a distant memory in the minds of high-power retail execs, it's really no shock to hear of brick-and-mortar outlets shifting floor space towards Blu-ray. Sure, the high-def format still has quite aways to go before it begins to dominate DVD, but reports are already flowing in suggesting that Borders and Target are embracing the future. Reportedly, a couple of Target stores in Los Angeles increased BD facings from 60 to 90 since January, and we're also told that each Borders location "will feature at least one bay or rack fixture full of BD titles on one side," with larger stores having up to three. We'll admit -- Blu-ray player pricing is still well above where the general public wants it to be, but getting Blu-ray out in front on consumers is a surefire way to pull attention towards the medium.
Blu-ray players to outsell DVD decks by August? Not likely.
Considering that this report doesn't really jive with everything else we've already heard this year, we'd certainly take all of this with a grain of salt. Sure, Blu-ray has had its fair share of supply issues, but there's no denying that average price points are still well above the level at which casual consumers would be willing to bite at. Nevertheless, some industry analysts are expecting standalone Blu-ray players to outsell DVD decks "on a unit basis" by August of this year, and they also expect free-flowing supply around the same time. Yeah, we know DVD sales are slowing and it's only a matter of time before BD starts gaining some serious ground -- but August?[Thanks, xdragon]
More research asserts that Blu-ray adoption isn't apt to surge soon
Don't freak out, you're not experiencing any weird case of déjà vu -- reports are simply continuing to come out that suggest that Blu-ray adoption isn't taking off. The newest of the bunch comes to us from Harris Interactive, which surveyed upwards of 2,500 individuals in mid-April. Results showed that 87% of those polled owned a DVD player, but just 4% owned a dedicated Blu-ray deck while 5% owned a PlayStation 3. Comically enough, 6% claimed that they had an HD DVD player, while another 1% owned an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on. Most notably, just 9% of respondents stated that they were "likely" to purchase a BD player within the next year, even when made fully aware that BD was the victor in the now-concluded format war. Of course, just 35% of those polled owned an HDTV, which is certainly worth considering, but even analysts at Harris agreed that getting BD player prices well below $300 was necessary for adoption to surge. Hit the read link for lots more stats.[Image courtesy of Syracuse]
Study finds high prices, hamstrung players limiting Blu-ray's dominance
ABI Research has just confirmed feelings that we've had for months: Blu-ray just isn't going to dominate the market until prices sink down from the stratosphere and players emerge that are fully-featured. A new study from the previously mentioned firm has suggested that we still have "12 to 18 months" before the BD market really kicks into gear, and it specifies that "fully-featured" decks need to come in at $200 or below before the general public will consider coughing up the cash required to make the jump to high-definition media. It's also noted that many are perfectly satisfied with the quality of DVD, and until prices make it manageable to switch, the outfit feels that huge chunks of consumers will simply stay put. Additionally, we're told that PS3s will "make up over 85-percent of the BD players in the field" during 2008, and we won't see Sony's console fall from the top until 2013 when the installed base of standalone decks / PC-based BD players overtake the installed base of PlayStation 3s. Yeah, you're hearing echoes on that last tidbit.[Image courtesy of LA Times]
5.5 million US households purchased an HDTV over the holidays / Super Bowl season
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) expected Super Bowl XLII to drive over two million HDTV sales, and drive it did. According to a recent study by Frank N. Magid Associates, around 5.5 million US households brought home an HDTV for the very first time during the 2007 - 2008 holiday and Super Bowl season. Of course, these two events weren't the only reason so many folks opted to make the leap to a high-def set -- the study also credits the looming digital TV transition as an encouraging factor. It's also noted that the forthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing may convince even more folks to spend that incoming stimulus check on an HDTV, further boosting the percentage of US households with at least one HD-capable set. Now, if all of these slow-to-move cable carriers would get their acts together and provide a decent array of HD channels to enjoy, we'd be set.[Image courtesy of AT&T]
Spending on home video nearly even with last year
Despite the fact that consumer spending on the whole has dipped of late here in the US, it seems that the home video sector has been able to withstand major setbacks. Reportedly, American consumers spent some $5.6 billion on rentals and purchases through the first three months of 2008, which is just a 0.3-percent drop from the same quarter a year ago. It was noted that Q1's figures were boosted by 400- to 500-percent growth in high-definition disc sales, which amounted to around $150 million. Lastly, it's said that Blu-ray sales accounted for somewhere between 5- and 8-percent of all home entertainment sales for Q1 2008, and of course, demand for Sony's now entirely-more-relevant PlayStation 3 continues to head upwards. Thirsty for even more stats? Check 'em out in the read link below.[Image courtesy of DevotedDVD]
New York leads the nation in HD adoption
Go on, you New Yorker you, give yourself a much deserved pat on the back. According to recent findings from The Nielsen Company, NY residents are "leading the nation in adopting high-definition television." Reportedly, some 17.5-percent of households in NYC are pulling in HD content of some kind. Notably, Los Angeles has the highest amount of HD-equipped homes, but only 17.1-percent of 'em are actually putting their equipment to good use and receiving an HD station. Taking home the bronze is Washington, D.C., with 16.8-percent of its domiciles enjoying HD programming. Nationwide, 13.7-percent of dwellings are HD-capable, but only 11.3-percent (that's 12.7 million homes) are actually receiving HD signals in some form or another. Seems like we've got quite a ways to go to hit that 50 million mark by next year.
OS X Satisfaction Chart
Someone created a pretty darn funny chronological chart (warning: harsh language) of an OS X newbie's experience with Mac OS X. According to the nine-day chart, satisfaction can fluctuate wildly during the early stages of Mac OS X adoption, mainly due to the "I don't know where anything is" and "shoot, I miss my games" factors. I have no idea who made this (I found it through del.icio.us/tag/mac), but check out the full chart for a good laugh at some of those early Mac OS X experiences.
