Blu-ray Outselling HD DVD In Format War
But some analysts say Transformers could change the score.
By Swanni
The research arm of Home Media Magazine said 2.6 million Blu-ray discs were sold compared to 1.4 million HD DVDs.
Blu-ray, which is led by Sony, is thought to be enjoying a lead largely because of sales of the Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside.
But Reuters reports that some analysts believe last week's HD DVD release of the box office hit Transformers could transform the high-def disc format war. Paramount announced yesterday that 190,000 HD DVDs of the film were sold in the first week.
Additionally, Paramount, which announced last August that it would back HD DVD exclusively, is expected to issue more HD DVD titles in the coming months. (Two major studios back HD DVD exclusively while four support Blu-ray exclusively.)
"This (Paramount) definitely smoothes out the edge that Blu-ray had in exclusive titles, and it very much strengthens HD DVD's hand in the fourth quarter," Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research, told Reuters.
However, Adams said he still forecasts that Blu-ray sales will surpass HD DVD for the entire year.
Adams predicts that consumers will spend $186 million on Blu-ray titles in 2007 compared to $91 million for HD DVD, Reuters writes.
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