We just finished celebrating Blu-ray's birthday. However, it seems like the party is just getting started. According to new numbers by In-Stat, DVD is on its way out, with the number of Blu-ray player units shipped expected to soar to 105 million in 2015.
In a new report, In-Stat also says that the number of Blu-ray players shipped to North America in 2010 made up 38 percent of the total market. Japan, however, accounts for most of the Blu-ray recorders being sold. That could change though, if the electronics manufacturers were to offer Blu-ray recorder devices for sale in other regions.
"DVD players and recorder shipments will decline over the next five years for most regions. By 2015, DVD recorders will be essentially phased out entirely, with only negligible shipments to Japan," says Norm Bogen, VP of In-Stat's digital entertainment division. "Blu-ray recorders will replace DVD recorders, and many consumers of recorders will even drop the physical disk media option altogether and instead opt for a player with a large hard drive or a DMS in which to store DLNA-certified and other digital video content."
Also, despite the recent Netflix backlash, that company's subscribers seem committed to the Blu-ray format. In-Stat says that over 15 percent of Netflix subscribers opted for a Blu-ray subscription by the end of 2010. Via its recently renamed Qwikster disc rental service, Netflix currently offers the option to receive Blu-ray discs instead of DVDs for an added $2 per month.
In-Stat's study, "Global Blu-ray and DVD Players and Recorders," examines the breakouts of DVD and Blu-ray player and recorder shipments, as well as revenues from 2008 to 2010 and forecasts from 2011 through 2015. The regions reviewed in the study include North America, Europe, Japan, and ROW for all players and DVD recorders; and Japan and "Others" for the Blu-ray recorder market.
The first prototype Blu-ray Discs debuted in October 2000, and the first prototype player was shown in Japan in April 2003. However, the technology did not make its widespread debut until June 2006. DVD, on the other hand, has been available to consumers since 1997.
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