As of December 1st, Sony owned 60 percent of all BD unit sales (not even including the PlayStation 3) and Samsung is second at 32 percent. Panasonic and LG each command a small 5 percent share.
According to DisplaySearch, BD standalones "represent 37% of all high-def units sold. HD DVD-only was at 62%, and dual-format, less than 1%."
Panasonic and LG however, have new players coming that should boost their brands. The Panasonic DMP-BD30 was the first BD player capable of supporting picture-in-picture, the "bonus feature in which a separate video stream runs concurrently with the main film."
“We just introduced the Panasonic DMP-BD30 into the market in November, which from a timing perspective put us at a bit of a disadvantage versus products [such as Sony and Samsung players] that had already been in the market for more than a few months,” said Gene Kelsey, VP of entertainment group at Panasonic. “But we feel there is a strong opportunity to grow based on being the only Final Standard Profile player [encompassing picture-in-picture] already on the market. With the good notices that we have been receiving and the future introduction of [accompanying picture-in-picture] software, we will be able to have more impact on the market.”
Source:
Video Business
Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Dec 2007 16:22
