Blu-ray Player Sales Rising as Prices Fall

By Geoff Duncan May 8, 2009

Blu-ray Player Sales Rising as Prices Fall

Market research firm NPD has released its latest point-of-sales tracking data for for Blu-ray players, and the news may finally be good for backers of the Blu-ray high-definition disc format. NPD found that sales of Blu-ray players during the first quarter of 2009 increased 72 percent from the first quarter of 2009, with sales of standalone Blu-ray players (that is, player that aren’t bundled into things like the PlayStation 3) reaching 400,000 units during the quarter.

The increase in sales has been fueled in part by falling prices on Blu-ray gear: unit sales may have been up 72 percent year-on-year, but revenue was only up 14 percent to $107.2 million, owing to falling prices. According to NPD, the average selling price of a standalone Blu-ray player has fallen nearly 34 percent in the last year, from $393 in the first quarter of 2008 to $261 in the first quarter of 2009. Moreover, consumers finally seem to be understanding the Blu-ray message, with NPD reporting that overall consumer awareness of the Blu-ray format in the United States has reached 90 percent in the last six months.

"The leading driver of Blu-ray purchase intent is recommendations from friends, family, or co-workers," said NPD entertainment industry analyst Russ Crupnick, in a statement. "Blu-ray’s superiority used to be difficult for many consumers to grasp, but when friends rave about it, or demonstrate Blu-ray in their homes, they are selling the benefits in a way that is far more effective than simply viewing an advertisement or seeing it demonstrated at a retail store."

According to NPD, recent Blu-ray buyers are making their decisions based on pricing, promotions, and sales, rather than an early adopter’s drive to have the latest and greatest technology.

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Where to rent DVDs and Blu-rays as Netflix ends disc rentals

Redbox DVD rentals.

After a formidable 25-year run, Netflix has announced that it will shutter its DVD-to-mail rental service, DVD Netflix, aka DVD.com. Citing the shrinking DVD business, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told shareholders on April 18 that the rental service would be shipping its last DVD on September 29, 2023.
And while most of the 230 million Netflix subscribers won’t miss the service -- or perhaps even knew it still existed in the first place -- DVDs and Blu-rays are still a preferred method for watching movies and TV series if you really care about quality or just don't have broadband internet.
But now that DVD Netflix is out of the game, where can people turn to rent DVDs and Blu-rays?
Well, as the news hit Twitter, two of the best alternatives chimed in, reminding their followers that they, too, still existed. GameFly -- which primarily rents video games, but also has a selection of movies for rent -- tweeted at popular kiosk-rental company Redbox with a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gif and the text “Out here with @redbox like … .” The two services exchanged clever gifs and tweets (Redbox and Blockbuster even exchanged jabs) about being the last ones standing, but it still might be unclear to many DVD Netflix renters where they can go to fill the void.
That’s where we come in with this rundown of where you can rent DVDs and Blu-rays now that Netflix is shutting down its DVD rental service. Oh, and if you need a Blu-ray player, check out our roundup of the best ones to buy.

Redbox

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How to rip a Blu-ray or DVD

optical discs

Clinging to a heavy DVD or Blu-ray collection can make for some trying times when your collection grows too large. What if you have to move? After all, finding a place to keep hundreds (or thousands) of discs and cases is hard work, as is keeping all your discs in tip-top shape while making the move.

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This Sony Blu-ray Disc player just got a price cut for Black Friday

The Sony BDP-S3700 streaming Blu-Ray Disc player with a CD.

After taking advantage of Black Friday TV deals, the next thing that you should secure is enough content to watch on your new screen. It's a waste if you search through the best Black Friday deals for the offer that provides amazing value for money on a new TV, only to be stuck with watching local channels. Avoid facing that issue with this offer from this year's early Walmart Black Friday deals that slashes $57 off the price of the Sony BDP-S3700 streaming Blu-ray Disc player, bringing it down by nearly half to $63 from its original price of $120.
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The Sony BDP-S3700 will let you watch movies in Blu-ray Discs on your TV in Full HD quality, which is ideal if you've accumulated a healthy collection of Blu-Ray Discs that you want to keep. The player is also capable of upscaling standard-definition DVDs to near HD resolution, so you'll have even more options during movie night. Sony dominates Digital Trends' best Blu-ray players, so you won't have to worry about quality.