Blu-ray Discs Outsell HD DVD, but DVD Dwarfs Both

Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:01PM EDT

See Comments (11)

The battle between high-def formats Blu-ray and HD DVD still rages on, and the home video industry just got a new report that adds fuel to the fire. Some of the first detailed sales numbers for the competing formats have arrived from Nielsen VideoScan, courtesy of Blu-ray advocate Sony, and the report shows Blu-ray with a significant edge when it comes to number of discs sold.

Now, keep in mind that Sony has a massive stake in the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD showdown, so it comes as no surprise that the tech giant is waving this report around. Still, the numbers speak for themselves; for the week ending March 18, 2007, nine of the top 10 selling high-def discs were in the Blu-ray format, with the sole HD DVD entry (the "The Departed") landing in the fifth slot. Here's the full top-10 list for the week of March 18:

  1. Casino Royale (Blu-ray)...28,233 copies sold
  2. The Departed (Blu-ray)...3,057 copies sold
  3. The Prestige (Blu-ray)...1,701 copies sold
  4. The Holiday (Blu-ray)...1,467 copies sold
  5. The Departed (HD DVD/DVD)...1,267 copies sold
  6. Layer Cake (Blu-ray)...1,203 copies sold
  7. Black Hawk Down (Blu-ray)...1,073 copies sold
  8. X-Men: The Last Stand (Blu-ray)...899 copies sold
  9. The Fifth Element (Blu-ray)...883 copies sold
  10. Babel (Blu-ray)...880 copies sold
(Source: Nielsen VideoScan)

Pretty sobering numbers if you're an HD DVD fan. The Nielsen report also notes that all told, about 844,000 Blu-ray discs have been sold since the format hit the market, compared to 708,600 for HD DVD; not as big as a gap as the top-10 would lead us to believe, but still, a slight edge to Blu-ray.

So, does this mean that HD DVD is on the ropes? I wouldn't go that far. Consider this: while Blu-ray and HD DVD have together sold about 1.5 million discs to date, the current chart-topping standard DVD—animated penguin flick "Happy Feet"—sold 4 million copies in its first week. Looks like both of the next-gen DVD formats have some catching up to do.

Related:
Sony Report Reveals First Look at Absolute Blu-ray and HD DVD Disc Sales Figures [High-Def Digest]

Comments on Blu-ray Discs Outsell HD DVD, but DVD Dwarfs Both

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  • 1 Posted by searchtacular on Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:40AM EDT Report Abuse

    I think the Ps3 has alot to do with this. Which is abit unfair. Also unfair considering the Ps3 barley has enough system bandwith to use the massive storage of the bluray disc. O well..

  • 2 Posted by madzombiecow@sbcglobal.net on Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    Just like when the DVD first came out, it didn't take off as quickly as everyone involved had hoped it would. Now, who would go back to popping a tape into a VCR? Will the Blu-Ray take off like the DVD did? I don't know, but I bet if either Blu-Ray or HD DVD ends up being King like the DVD did, it will be Blu-Ray.

  • 3 Posted by jasaddiego@sbcglobal.net on Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    These movies are a joke, they stink, and only a fool would buy them. Sony bit the dust with BETA and left a lot of people blowing in the wind (thanks Bob).

  • 4 Posted by realcapone232 on Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have an HD DVD player and I love the clarity when watching movies in hi def. However, the hd dvds are expensive. Blu-Ray discs are expensive too. I can see why consumers haven't jump on the bandwagon of these hi def formats. They just don't know which one to get, plus they're expensive. The dvd format isn't all that bad. I mean it's not as revolutionary as the difference between VCR and DVD, especially when you consider you have to cough up hundreds of dollars to get either an HD DVD player or a Blu-Ray player neither of which is very successful right now IMO. I agree with searchtacular. One of the main reasons why Blu-Ray is in the lead over HD DVD is because the PS3 comes with a built in Blu-Ray player. I'm sure the majority of Blu-Ray players sold are PS3 units themselves. Otherwise the numbers between HD DVD and Blu-Ray would be even closer.

  • 5 Posted by ianbell330 on Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wal-Mart has apparently named HD DVD the winner and is bidding for a Chinese manufacturer to produce a sub $200 player for them: http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback184.html If this goes through, HD DVD could pull ahead substantially. I am curious as to how the studios would react to Wal-Mart's decision?

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