Sony's Playstation 3 seems to be the main machine in the use of high definition DVD equipment in Australia. Blu-ray players have only sold a little over a thousand units, compared to 55,000 Playstation 3 units sold. HD DVD is far behind, even with the add on to the Xbox 360, selling only a little under 2000 units.
According to industry analyst GfK, the PS3 accounts for about 95 per cent of the market for high-definition DVD equipment in Australia.
The PS3, launched in March, provided a big boost to Blu-ray software sales, GfK analyst Sharane Lewis said.
It had sold about 55,000 units in Australia by the end of June, compared with just over 1000 units of dedicated Blu-ray players, according to GfK figures.
In contrast, total sales of HD DVD capable players, including the Xbox 360's $249 HD DVD add-on launched in March, were just under 2000.
Blu-ray software was averaging sales of 1500 units weekly, compared with 250 units weekly for HD DVD, Ms Lewis said.
Blu-ray also had the lead in the number of titles available, with about 110 software titles available for Blu-ray at the end of June, compared with about 50 for HD DVD. "It's really Blu-ray at the moment," Ms Lewis said. "It's a long away ahead, but it is still early days."
The number of televisions capable of supporting the so-called full-HD 1080p standard is also growing, with such sets now accounting for 8 per cent of the flatpanel market.
Using the PS3 as a key weapon, Sony is leading the charge for the Blu-ray standard, determined not to repeat the VHS versis Beta battle of the 1980s, which Sony's Beta lost, despite being generally considered the better technology.
Other Blu-ray backers include Pioneer, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, Apple and Dell.
HD DVD is being championed by Toshiba, NEC and Microsoft, among others, with supporters saying HD DVD discs are simpler and cheaper to produce.
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Wasn't there something else like this before?
Oh well can't say I'm complaining but does anyone think that maybe Blu-Ray will rely on the PS3 a little too much?
I mean only a thousand separate blu-ray players sold they had better sell a few more than that!