Blu-ray players bucked generally weak Black Friday sales in the US – helped considerably by average prices dropping to USD $200, according to DisplaySearch.
Stripping out sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3, the researchers report that US Blu-ray Disc player revenue "more than tripled from a year earlier" during the week of Thanksgiving and Black Friday .
Over USD $30 million was generated on sales of 147,000 Blu-ray decks.
With Sony and Samsung leading the charge by dropping the price of their entry-level machines to below USD $200, overall costs averaged half the $400 price tag of a year ago.
Coupled with the strong BD player sales, retailers have been reporting sales of HDTVs have been similarly buoyant despite the economic difficulties.
If the US – finally – appears to be on the cusp of grasping Blu-ray, take a look at the Japanese market.
BD recorders now account for half of all DVD recorders in the country – up from just 10 per cent last October.
Even if this phenomenal rise is down to price drops it must still make for cheery year-end reading for the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Now maybe it can turn its attention to the price of Blu-ray Disc prices.
While the release of The Dark Knight is expected to boost the high-def format’s disc sales, the general perception is that the movie studios need to cut prices to ensure Blu-ray really does take off.
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