Blu-ray Declares “Victory”

LAS VEGAS, January 9: The Blu-ray Disc Association has
declared victory in the high-definition DVD format war over the HD DVD
standard, based on studio support and shipment of Blu-ray-equipped Sony
PlayStation 3 (PS3) units.

Since June 2006, more than 25 companies have released
Blu-ray Disc products, including players, recorders, high-definition computer
drives, recordable media and PC applications, and have announced almost 170
movie and music titles. More than 1 million PS3 units, each featuring a Blu-ray
Disc drive, were shipped to the U.S. in 2006, as reported by Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA). According to a recent survey by Sony of over 10,000
PS3 owners, 80 percent indicated they will buy Blu-ray movies and 75 percent
said they use the PS3 as a primary device for viewing movies.

“The success of Blu-ray Disc is unprecedented,” said Andy
Parsons, the chair of the U.S. Promotions Committee for the Blu-ray Disc
Association. “With unmatched cross-industry support, including seven of the
eight major Hollywood studios and two biggest players in the music industry,
consumers have voted with their wallets for the format that offers the widest
array of hardware and content on the market. The road ahead in 2007 looks even
brighter as we introduce Blu-ray Disc to Europe and as even more consumers
migrate to HDTVs.”