HDTV sales ‘driving Blu-ray awareness’

Awareness of high-definition format Blu-ray is being increased as the number of high-definition television (HDTV) sets shipped grows, it has been revealed.

Research organisation the NPD Group explains that the proportion of consumers planning to purchase a Blu-ray player in the coming months is relatively low.

However, among those with HDTVs the figure rises, indicating that the two formats go hand-in-hand with one another.

Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD, says: “The door is open for studios to feed the consumer’s appetite for Blu-ray content.”

He adds: “We expect sales to increase as prices for hardware and software moderate.”

While six per cent of consumers anticipate buying a Blu-ray player in the next six months, the proportion rises to nine per cent of HDTV owners.

The organisation previously noted that, in the US market, sales of Blu-ray players rose by two per cent from February to March, compared with a 65 per cent slump in shipments of players for the retired HD-DVD format.