+Audioboxer Subscriber² Posted April 22, 2009 Subscriber² Share Posted April 22, 2009 Australia could have a $99 Blu ray player by Xmas claims Samsung following the licensing of Blu ray and Dolby technology to Chinese manufacturers. The claim comes after it was revealed that sales of Blu ray have doubled in the US market during the first quarter of 2009.Mark Leathan the Marketing Director at Samsung said "The market for Blu ray is starting to pick up and you can bet with the entry of the Chinese manufacturers into the Blu ray market that we will have a $99 Blu ray player to compete against". In an effort to spur Blu-ray growth and drop prices of the format, Sony, Panasonic and Philips have created a licensing entity for Blu-ray products which saw several Chinese manufacturers take up licensing deals in the last quarter of 2008. The venture will lower licensing fees and have fewer unlicensed products, passing the savings along to consumers. Questions are also being asked as to whether the Sony PS3 Playstation is a Blu ray player or a gaming console when it comes to researchers counting the sale? According to the latest audit of the Blu ray market by Adams Media Research it is both. The research Company has also said that sales of Blu ray players have almost doubled in the first quarter of 2009 and that in the US market 9 million Blu-ray discs were sold in that period. The year-to-date 2009 sales are nearly double that of 2008, which saw 4.8 million discs sold during the first quarter. The research firm also finds there are now 10.5 million Blu-ray households with either a Blu-ray set-top box or a Sony PS3. The research Company has also said that Sony, in attempt to increase the appeal of the PS3, is planning a combo Blu-ray/gaming disc that would contain an entire video game and entire movie. "We are delighted to see continuing, significant growth of the Blu-ray Disc format in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory," says Andy Parsons, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association and senior VP of product planning at Pioneer. "I think the numbers are a clear indicator that consumers really do understand the value of packaged media, and that even when times are very tough, [consumers] continue to seek out and enjoy the best possible high-definition content." There's more good news on the home entertainment front from the NPD Group. Citing a recent consumer survey, the NPD Group says 51 percent of respondents purchased a DVD or Blu-ray movie in the past 90 days. The report also says home entertainment spending has remained "relatively unchanged" at $160 per month. According to the study, 63 percent of respondents will by the same or more DVDs in 2009 as they did in 2008. "There's a reasonable amount of optimism," says NPD analyst Russ Crupnick. "People are still buying, but buying less. Put compelling content in front of consumers, and they will buy it." Source: http://www.smarthouse.com.au/HD/Blu_ray/D9E3Q9T5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I am Reid Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I would hope so, if not ill probably never buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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