Blu-ray sales better than expected in Europe, U.K.

The price of standalone Blu-ray players have significantly dropped over the past 10 months, but the cost of Blu-ray discs -- while they've decreased -- still are somewhat pricey, many of you have proclaimed in the comments section and forums.  Despite the higher price tag than DVDs, the sales of Blu-ray discs, according to a new analyst release, is doing better than expected in this

turbulent economy

Trying to figure out what's going on in the current Blu-ray market can be rather difficult at the moment.  A new analyst statement every other week contradicts previous reports, and here we go again:

During November in the U.K., consumers purchased 462,500 Blu-ray discs, a 165 percent increase over the month of October.

"The Blu-ray disc format offers an unparalleled home entertainment experience, something all those involved with this technology have always known," said Futuresource Director Jim Bottom said in a statement.  "once people see the benefits of Blu-ray for themselves, they soon realize the difference it can make.  Seeing is believing after all!  We fully expect Blu-ray to keep on bucking the current economic trend and continue its rapid growth over the next few months and beyond, stimulated by falling prices and even more bundling deals with large screen TVs."

In Europe, sales of Blu-ray players is expected to triple, with 2.5 million units sold across Europe -- not including the Sony PlayStation 3.  According to the press release, Blu-ray -- including the PS3 -- overall sales have outsold DVD by "about five times" over the first three years of DVD's release.

During an interview with CDFreaks, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said price is a major hurdle that Blu-ray must deal with while trying to woo new shoppers.

""When you can get a DVD upconverter for $50 at Wal-Mart, it's hard to justify even $200 for a Blu-ray player, especially when you then have to invest in more expensive Blu-ray."

The European market reportedly didn't receive the drastic Blu-ray price cuts that North America received, so it's possible a further sales boost could happen once manufacturers drop prices further.

The recent release of The Dark Knight is the best selling Blu-ray movie ever, with more than 1.7 million Blu-ray aunits sold in the first week.

 

Via