Blu-ray surpasses HD DVD in disc sales for the first time

The Blu-ray and HD DVD battle has entered a new era, as preliminary Nielsen VideoScan stats show the BDA's baby sold more -- a ratio of 100 Blu-ray to every 98.71 HD DVD discs, sorry still no hard numbers here -- since their inception last year. As we all know, HD DVD was first to market and had enjoyed a lead on Blu-ray ever since, but then things started to turn with the launch of the PlayStation 3. The studios supporting Blu-ray finally began releasing significant numbers of titles and haven't looked back. Each team put its own spin on the numbers, with HD DVD-backing Universal pointing out that despite a 5:1 advantage in hardware due to the PS3, disc sales are still nearly even, while Blu-ray supporter 20th Century Fox sees the format war as being in its "final phase," and fence-straddling Warner merely noting that both formats are "selling well". Still, with the exception of the LG combo playing BH100, none of the major players have shown any plans to change sides, so until they do, prepare for a prolonged stalemate before this war is truly over.


[Thanks, Jason]

[duckhunt @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:05PM]

the war is over....and laserdisc won

[Captain @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:06PM]

bye bye HD-DVD your short-lived 15 minutes of fame is now OVER. Blu-Ray is a welcome and viable successor to DVD.

[K.F. @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:08PM]

Blu-Ray won't win until they drop the price of their players. I don't care who really wins, but I want a $100 player!!!!

[SmilingAssassin @ Feb 23rd 2007 5:50PM]

I will NEVER own a BluRay player! NEVER!!!

[David @ Feb 24th 2007 7:54AM]

@ smilingassassin

"I will NEVER own a BluRay player! NEVER!!!"

i agree! i'll get an HD-DVD player and put it next to my beta max, and laser disk player. secondary formats FTW!

/sarcasm

[Dr Buzz0 @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:15PM]

Saying Blu-Ray has "won" because they have more sales (for once) is as dumb as saying HD-DVD had won last month. There's no way Blu-Ray can be considered the winner at this point. They're doing better and pulling ahead, but I just wish one of the formats would die sooner rather than later. Unfortionately, I don't know that will happen any time soon.

[Das @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:18PM]

Video game fanboys I can sort of understand, console fanboys I can almost understand, but why in god's name would anyone be a fanboy in support of a format?

It boggles the mind.

[Yayaja @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:18PM]

Here's a noob question: Blu-ray burners are available, (around $650 bucks, but you CAN buy them) but I can't seem to find HD DVD burners anywhere. Why?

[OBM @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:21PM]

Yea, what the hells with that? I couldn't wait any longer for a HD DVD burner so I had to buy a Blu Ray burner, but by no means do I want that format to win, I jsut needed somewhere to put all that porn lol! Whoever says there is no porn on Blu Ray should check my collection out lol! :D

[OBM @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:19PM]

Lets be honest, there both losers, neither have a good line up of films and compared to DVDs the sales are minimal. They need to sort out a truce and join forces. Neither has the consumer in mind and neither has all the consumer needs. And in these statistics I wonder do they account for HD sales via the Xbox 360? Technically I think that should fall under HD DVD.

[FrankTheCrank @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:25PM]

uhm...HD-DVD...sorry..

[Sean @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:29PM]

Sony can kiss my ass. I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER buy or support Blu-ray.

[Jamie @ Feb 23rd 2007 6:03PM]

Sucks to be you man. Sucks to be you...

[Daniel @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:44PM]

I hope one format wins soon! This is so damned stupid. And I can't believe some people are so passionate over either format, it's just wierd. It seems to me that supporters of HD-DVD are buying every title they can, just to make sales. Now, I am sure there are Blu-ray supporters doing the same thing, but I bet there are many more people buying fewer Blu-ray dics casually that they actually want and don't feel like they just gave the format an extra second of life every time they hand over their MasterCard. Therefore, to me anyway, it sounds like Blu-ray will succeed. Anyways, that's my two cents.

[JeffNLA @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:42PM]

I agree - I will not support a Sony format. Yes I KNOW it's a consortium - but Sony is the dominate force.

Disks are a waste - the future belongs to downloads and media center type apps. Just like mp3's did for the Music industry.

Also - look at total sales. Now look at iTune movie/tv show sales. They SMOKE gross sales from both HD-disk formats.

[JinKazama @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:45PM]

Say what you want about Sony but putting Blu-Ray in the PS3 was a good move. I have always believed that Sony would be more than happy to be 2nd or 3rd in the console war if Blu-Ray won out.

Think about it, even if the PS3 loses the console war this round. Becoming the universal format for the next 10 years or so would make Sony a whole lot more money than selling 100 million PS3's ever could. If Blu-Ray became the next DVD the licensing fees alone would net Sony hundreds of millions.

Seeing as the PS3 has not launched in Europe or Australia yet, I'd be plenty worried if I was an HD-DVD exec. Let's assume that the PS3 sells 5 million units total this year (a modest estimation seeing as there are already a million plus sold) The mere fact that there are 5 million Blu-Ray players in the wild disguised as a PS3 would make any movie exec think twice about only releasing to the much smaller HD-DVD installed base.

The format war is far from over but Sony definitely has a positive outlook.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Feb 23rd 2007 6:33PM]

I have no love or hate for either standards, but it's clear that HD-DVD has lost this war. And it lost for two reasons, one minor and one major:

1) MS rushed the XBOX360 to stores to counteract the, ultimately delayed release of the PS3. MS' frantic move was, afterall, logical as it sold many times less XBOXs than Sony sold PSs2 and barely sold more than Nintendo's Gamecube.

If MS had perfected its next gen gaming console and added a HD-DVD to the default build instead of making it a premium add-on then HD-DVD would be selling a great deal more titles than Blu-ray.

In comparison, the inclusion in the PS3 was the pinnacle move for Sony in the success of Blu-ray and the reason they can lose money on every PS3 being sold. Sony's long term intentions of licensing Blu-ray and it's ability to make players and media discs is far more profitable than the gaming console could ever be. PS3s lifespan is maybe 5 years, while the optical media should be the de facto standard for a good 15-20 years if we look at the history of other media formats.

2) As mentioned in previous responses here, it's hard to find a HD-DVD burner. The ones who are buying the majority of these players are wanting to buy them as burners too. Despite Blu-ray's higher cost early adopters aren't as concerned about that a few extra dollars than they are about other things like, capacity, usability, and, unfortunately, boastability.

[Jason @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:46PM]

QQ on hating Sony :(

[JeffNLA @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:48PM]

" Apple's iTunes video sales have more than doubled since the company announced its 1 millionth video sale" This is from December 2005! I can only imagine what sales are now.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1397

[JeffNLA @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:53PM]

Also - there is a jump in BD sales because the PS3 has pretty lame gaming library. You spend $600 on a PS3 and a lot of them are collecting dust.

Remember - UMD movies? They had a nice future when the PSP came out. Now the format is abandoned.

Sony did the same thing with the PSP - a ton of UMD movies and not a lot of software. The Nintendo DS trounces PSP sales in every way.

[david @ Feb 24th 2007 8:03AM]

Until Sony allows porn on BRD, HD-DVD is still the clear leader . . .

[Wellinformed @ Feb 24th 2007 11:52AM]

"Until Sony allows porn on BRD, HD-DVD is still the clear leader . . ."

That means Blu-ray has been the clear leader for some time now. There has been porn on Blu-ray last year in Japan (2 titles to be exact) and a title coming out from Vivid around March 28.

I guess you just did know. Definitely sounds like an HD DVD supporter to me.

[Manuel @ Feb 23rd 2007 5:29PM]

Blame all those crappy games for the PS3, and a miserable backwards support for PS2 games.
The only thing you got left with a useless piece of crap like the PS3 its to watch blu-ray movies.

[Kenban @ Feb 23rd 2007 5:46PM]

Blu-ray may be outselling HD-DVD but it took a LOT more releases to do it. There are two reasons Blu-ray is doing better studio support and the PS3. Studio support is huge when Blu-ray is releasing twice as many movies. If every movie came out in both formats as of right now HD-DVD would still be ahead. Over the long haul Blu-ray is going to win but not because its a better format or its what consumers want but because there is just not enough companies backing HD-DVD.

[Moff @ Feb 23rd 2007 5:56PM]

I agree. I hate having something forced on me. Downloads are the way to go anyways. I was over a friends house the other night and we just watched a movie via "in-demand" and that was a lot better than getting a disc.

I have over 100 DVD's. I am not going to buy anymore. I'm done with wasting my money on crap I only watch a few times. It's just stupid.

[Jeff @ Feb 23rd 2007 7:23PM]

I agree Moff. I got suckered when DVD same out and bought a ton of DVD's. 99.99% of them were watched once (or not at all). I actually took some time and concluded I would care to own very very few movies now. In demand is the way of the future.

[Geir E @ Feb 23rd 2007 5:56PM]

So many anti-sony guys here that i begin to wonder if I'll be beaten if I get close to a shelf with bd discs.

And I don't currently own anything sony beside a phone. But I'm really looking at their dslr line due to my previous commitment in minolta. And I'll not have a hdtv set for years to come so i don't need any hd media yet.

[Peter @ Feb 23rd 2007 6:22PM]

While it may not be over it is hard to understand how HD-DVD could turn this around. Blu Ray has come from behind and passed them in a couple of months, they now lead every single category on the product wars page. They have all the momentum and many more exclusive titles, and many more to come.

http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/

I see three possible outcomes:
A: Both formats fail and go away (doubtful).
B: Both formats stay. Some chance.
C: One format wins (Blu Ray).

If there is one HD winner here, it will be Blu Ray. Whiny internet haters will not play a part in the outcome. So while the format war is not over, it is fairly certain that HD-DVD will not triumph of Blu Ray.

While I hate the DRM on both formats, I am really looking forward to setting up a Home Theater with1080p display and getting my HD copies of some of my favorite movies like Blade Runner, LOTR in better detail than I saw them in the theater.

Haters can keep whining in their parents basement, while I enjoy LOTR in HD.

[h0mi @ Feb 23rd 2007 9:50PM]

There's a lot of room for growth in the next gen disc format; these sales #s are unimpressive and demonstrate only that HDDVD isn't moving many titles. And what a surprise, they have only 1 player under $400 and it requires an xbox 360 to use it.

The thing is, I doubt its worth paying $1000 for a tv, then $600 for 1 of these players.... you need a receiver so that's another $200 or so. That $600 you spent on the player would be better used to get a better tv and/or receiver, as well as an upconverting dvd player ($100 or less).

As far as titles, few of the titles released strike me as titles people would normally want... any "classic", great movies out? I don't want to see "Talledega Nights", or "Friday", I want a good film with good visuals that would be noticably better on BD/HDDVD vs SD-DVD.

[Jeff @ Feb 24th 2007 12:30AM]

"I agree - I will not support a Sony format. Yes I KNOW it's a consortium - but Sony is the dominate force."

So I guess you're throwing out all your DVD's and CD's too?

[John Branca @ Feb 26th 2007 3:36AM]

"Blame all those crappy games for the PS3, and a miserable backwards support for PS2 games."

There aren't many games out and PS3 enjoys an almost perfect backwards compatibility. Something ridiculous like 98%.

However one needs to keep in mind the backwards compatibility will be software based on and after the European launch, which is more along the lines of what the 360 has done. What this means for US and Japanese PS3s and their backwards compatibility is not clear at this point.

In any case, you're completely incorrect. Sony fixed it with a firmware update, in most cases the games look better on the PS3 than on the PS2.

[Nathan W @ Jul 17th 2007 11:12PM]

Ok, first off, I can't make a new comment any other way. Don't know why, but whatever.
Now, this stats means nothing. Since both formats have been released, this has been happening. PS3 has a Blu-Ray drive because Sony wants to push the format more. the 360 doesnt because 1. MS didn't make the format and 2. they want the 360 to be a GAMING SYSTEM FIRST, not a movie system. They simply wanted to focus on the main point of the market, games! Not take on everything at once. If users want to add on the ability to play HD movies, they can. They are NOT forced to get something they may not want or need.
For saying neither format has the consumer in mind is just insane. They want to get it out as cheaply as possible, with the best stuff packed inside. HD-DVD being so close to the DVD specs helps it to drop in price much quicker. And now that I have seen BOTH HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, I can make a up-front opinion. I support HD-DVD and hope they win. From what I have seen the PQ is by standard higher on HD-DVD; and even though the sound is higher on Blu-Ray, HD-DVD gets so close that most people don't notice or even care. Yes, Blu-Ray has higher storage space. But what good does it do if it can't be used properly, or is used without good reason. Like special features dealing with picture-in-picture. Blu-Ray goes off saying everything is in 1080P, but what difference does it make if the picture is about 1/8'th the size of the screen?Even on the largest screens, the best option with it is either 480P or 720P. They are wasting space, and time to get everything in 1080P.
Now, what about the specs? Blu-Ray keeps altering specs, and not all players can use all features. So, there are early adopters that will need to get a NEW player for the new features. HD-DVD forced higher specs for hardware to keep that from happening, and it's allowing the technology to be optimized and manufacturing costs to go down. There is no middle factor here.
Blu-Ray's DL disks are NOT OUT YET! So what if HD-DVD needs DL disks from the start. There are very few movies that are longer the King Kong, and the disk has 2.5GB free to use for special features. 2.5 GB is more then enough to put them in at 408P, and most special features are perfect there because they use basic video cams for them almost all the time anyway!
I own 2 HD-DVD movies, and that's all. Reason being, I don't want to invest too much in something that's not a sure thing. I have King Kong (Included with the 360 add-on) and Swordfish. I am only getting movies I know I would like to keep even if the format looses.
And finally, how many people have a PS3 that use the Blu-Ray player? I don't care how many people own a Blu-Ray player at all. What matters is the player to software ratio. If they sell 10000 player, but only 5000 movies, what good does that do? I have over 200 DVD's. That is what made DVD a success, it's software sales. We have to wait to see what happens when players and movies lower in price. Then we will be able to predict something useful, instead of random clams.

[user_name @ Feb 24th 2007 7:46AM]

Approximate (US) lifespans of the major formats
(acquired from wikipedia)
1975-1988 - Betamax - 13 years
1976-2006 - VHS - 30 years
1978-2001 - Laser Disc - 23 years
1996-present - DVD - 11 years
2006-present - HD-DVD - ~1 year
2006-present - Blu-ray - ~1 year

Ok, now lets think for a minute here, shall we?
Betamax owned the market in 1983, lost it in 1985 to VHS, and then by 1988 Sony called it quits.

Interestingly enough however this format war is much different than the one in the 80's, because this one has a much often neglected 3rd contender, DVD.

If one thing can be noticed from the above information it is that the longest lived format was the worst quality one of all of them, VHS.

Why?
Because it was cheep, and it worked.

The difference between DVD and either of the HD standards is nothing like the dramatic difference between DVD and VHS.

Effectively DVD took over for VHS as the cheep media of choice, and i don't see it going anywhere any time soon.
VHS lasted 30 years and bested two superior formats.
This scenario sounds to me like the destiny of DVD.

On a side note, I agree with those who said on demand is the future, not physical media.

I would like to see a bit torrent based system implemented for legitimate downloads.

example:
buy the torrent from the site, it connects to their tracker and verifies you paid, and your content arrives in a few minutes.
This would save them tons of money as they wouldn't have physical media nor would they have bandwidth to worry about as the nature of bit torrent would take care of it

too bad the media fights good technology instead of utilizing it.

[Porsche 911 @ Feb 24th 2007 4:15PM]

Just to let you know I have an Xbox360 and I will never purchase a HD-DVD player. Therefore, I bought a Blu-Ray player.

Do you not see why Microsoft had released the HD-DVD player? Because they know majority of gamers are “fanboys” and do stuff without reason. They knew it if they would release it then fanboys would buy it without thinking. Microsoft knows that Blu-Ray is better; however, they want to defeat the PS3. The Xbox360’s HD-DVD drive does not even have a HDMI input, therefore the entire signal will be in 480i/p on component and 480i/p, 720p, and 1080i/p through VGA, however, not all TVs have a VGA input and 1080p VGA is a long shot.

Even though your Xbox360 can be set on 720p and 1080i/p, however, movies cannot be displayed on those signals through component, all the movies will be downscaled. This is to prevent people from making copies of the movies, since none of the recorders feature a VGA, therefore, only VGA can display in full 720p and 1080i/p.

Do not forget when the HDCP kicks in within one or two years the Xbox360’s drive will be useless, since HDCP works only on DIGITAL input.

Do you not see many gamers are fanboys and would do anything to support their product without thinking; this is Microsoft’s (all gaming industries) advantage over consumers. Microsoft had released a shitty (non-future proof) product to cut down the costs, and they knew even if it was shitty, fanboys will still buy it.

“as an added bonus the 360 HD-DVD works nativly with Vista and XP no drivers needed” - Nyk0n @ Feb 24th 2007 1:10AM

Now that is bullshit, you do need a driver for it. I also believe pirating is illegal and people should not go to prison for it, since it will be overload, however, they should get their equipment taken away and get a $100,000 USD fine.

[Nathan W @ Jul 17th 2007 11:17PM]

Buddy, component allows up to 1080I. No matter what. Good job bringing lies to support your preferred format.

[willieboy @ Feb 24th 2007 11:20PM]

Dude, both the technologies are dead in the water..... I agree with Moff.. Downloads are the future.. Besides disc geeks, why the hell would anyone want to deal with DVDs and the their gear,,,,,,,???? Even at a lower 720p, HDTV movies look great!!!!! So I will be a downloadin in da future...

[willieboy @ Feb 24th 2007 11:33PM]

Oh, and I am an apple fanboy, so I will be using the TV...Sweet!!!!

From roughlydrafted.com >> http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/841EDBB5-1245-42AD-A733-B9B29957347B.html

" In addition to getting video, photos, and music from a PC library, it's also integrated with iTunes, so users can download what they want to watch rather than fishing from a stream of paid subscription content.

With cable plans commonly $50-100 per month, Apple TV offers an alternative of downloading movies and TV programs à la carte for less, with no monthly commitment and no charge when nothing is watched.

Compared to cable and satellite subscription packages, Apple TV lets users buy the few shows they actually watch, and throw in movies they chose to buy, rent overnight, or get from services like Netflix.

Given the choice, users commonly prefer to pay for what they want, not pay a rental fee for the potential of an all you can eat service:

•Netflix offers a variety of plans where users can pay for only as many movies as they watch in a month
•Rental stores charge per rental, not per monthly membership
•Most people avoid subscribing to a committed number of purchases per month
•Rental subscription services for music and movies have been huge failures, from DIVX to PlaysForSure "

Oh, and it will also look nice in my home.....

[Andrew @ Feb 26th 2007 1:08AM]

I can't believe people are arguing about a format war between discs. It's only a few years before physical discs are obsolete.

http://www.misaoforacause.com