Blu-Ray Dominates First-Quarter Sales

The gap between Blu-ray and HD-DVD continues to widen: 70 percent of all of the high-def discs bought by consumers in the first quarter were Blu-ray, according to sales figures from Home Media Magazine. In past weeks, analysts had been wondering if the deciding factor in this format war would come down to price point of hardware or even support from the adult entertainment industry. But as the Hollywood Reporter suggests today, studio support seems to be having the biggest effect.

From Jan. 1-March 31, consumers bought almost 1.2 million high-definition discs -- 832,530 Blu-ray units and 359,300 HD DVDs -- according to Home Media Magazine. In March, consumers bought 335,980 Blu-ray Discs and 119,570 HD DVDs.

Since the high-def format's inception -- HD DVD launched in April 2006, while Blu-ray got rolling two months later -- more than 2.14 million discs have been purchased by consumers: 1.2 million Blu-ray Discs and about 937,500 HD DVDs.

Observers aren't surprised by the disparity, noting that Blu-ray Disc enjoys the support of five of the six major studios, while HD DVD is supported by three of them. Three studios -- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment -- are exclusively in the Blu-ray camp, as is mini-major Lionsgate, while Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video support both formats. Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the only major studio to release titles only in the HD DVD format, which backers claim is easier and cheaper to produce.

"All of this data points to the irrefutable facts that the consumers are voting with their dollars and adopting the revolutionary technology of the Blu-ray Disc," Buena Vista Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek said. "With such beloved titles as 'Pirates of the Caribbean' on the horizon, these numbers will only do one thing: grow."

However, as Variety points out, HD-DVD isn't about to acknowledge any kind of defeat just yet:

Still, don't expect a "no mas" from the HD DVD camp soon, says Richard Doherty, senior analyst for the Envisioneering Group, who notes, "I've never seen a more resolute group."

Toshiba, the leading producer of set-top HD DVD players, has already announced price reductions, including a $100 drop for its entry-level HD-A2 model, bringing the tag down to $399.

That trumped an earlier Sony announcement that its new BDP-S300 model would hit store shelves midyear with a pricetag of $599.

HD DVD studios also announced 70 second-quarter releases, a flurry that includes such offerings as Warner's "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "The Matrix" trilogy as well as exclusive-to-format Universal titles including "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "The Hitcher" and "Smokey and the Bandit."