AfterDawn: News

In-Stat: DVD recorder sales rise while players fall

Research firm In-Stat has published research that shows that as worldwide DVD player shipments started to decline in 2006, shipments of DVD recorders continued to rise steadily. DVD player sales were at 124.8 million in 2006, down from 126.4 million in 2005. In 2005, 14 million DVD recorders were reportedly sold, and that figure has risen to 16 million in 2006.

As for sales of next-generation disc formats, In-Stat reports no end to the "war" in sight just yet. "Currently, there is no clear-cut winner in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war," says Alice Zhang, In-Stat analyst. "In-Stat believes that the universal combination player, which plays both HD-DVD and Blu-ray technologies, will not be a sustainable solution as it exists today, as its current price is higher than the price to purchase the two players separately."



Sales of DVD recorders and DVD players combined worldwide reached 141.2 million units in 2006. North American and European DVD player shipments peaked in 2005, while Japan peaked earlier in 2003. Those territories will continue to see shipment declines this year.

Source:
In-Stat

Written by: James Delahunty @ 29 Aug 2007 20:29

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• duckNrun

  Alice Zhang, In-Stat analyst. "In-Stat believes that the universal combination player, which plays both HD-DVD and Blu-ray technologies, will not be a sustainable solution as it exists today, as its current price is higher than the price to purchase the two players separately."
  
  Well Alice you certainly are a rocket scientist aren't you? I mean come on, most new technologies are not sustainable as they exist when they are first released for the exact same reason. I wonder if she rememebers how much those large, lunky VHS players cost back in the mid/late 70's? And anyone remember how much a mobile phone (you rememeber the ones that were as big, or bigger, than an external 3.5" HDD) cost when they were first out? Remember the initial price of ALL current and now common (and sustainable) tech 'solutions'?
  
  BUT as the HD format continues to be taken up by consumers the prices of these units will continue to drop, as will their individual format counterparts.
  
  I for one think that the longer this format war continues more consumers will see a dual player as the only path that can guarantee that THEY (the consumer) can win it.
  
  And while it is true that it is cheaper to buy BOTH players seperately let us not forget the cost of running out of HDMI ports on the back of your home entertainment system....and the personal cost of having to reach around and swap out plugs. Of course one could also comment on the cost of a quality 1080p HDMI switcher as well...

  29.8.2007 23:48 #1

• Unfocused

  Duh! All new technology is expensive. I started burning DVD's when they were about $3.50 each for a disk. That didn't stop me from embracing the technology, but I knew the costs associated with my choice to move from CD to DVD for my storage medium.
  
  As time moves on, the cost will lower and then more people will adopt a format.

  30.8.2007 15:29 #2

• WierdName

  THIS IS BECAUSE OF PIRACY! The pirates are buying recorders to burn their pirated software! Then again, nobody will probably try to attribute it to piracy because it would actually be helping the sales of recorders.

  31.8.2007 14:29 #3

• Mez

  duckNrun, maybe Alice is an idoit or maybe she was underlining the obvious, why should dual players cost more than 2 units?
  
  The Chinese will come out with a cheap one in the next year or 2. They are now at the point Japan was in the 60s. They are targeting lucrative industries, then producing a better product instead of just a cheap knock off. All the old fat and happy companies are too greedy to give the consumer a break. I love seeing a new company kick some serious ass because they give the consumer what they want, even if they a Chinese.

  1.9.2007 05:43 #4

• nm07901

  Hell, I cant find a single DVR (with a hard drive) that isnt criticized for something in some forum or other, for something or other. I keep waiting to buy a decent recorder for under $500.

  1.9.2007 16:24 #5

• nm07901

  Hell, I cant find a single DVR (with a hard drive) that isnt criticized for something in some forum or other, for something or other. I keep waiting to buy a decent recorder for under $500.

  1.9.2007 16:24 #6

• borhan9

  We are supposed to be surprised at this ofcourse players would drop why would u buy a player when now u can by a recorder that can play and record at the same time. Not rocket science.

  9.9.2007 22:58 #7