AfterDawn: News

Blu-ray outselling DVD, in Japan

According to sales data from Amazon Japan, it appears that in the region, sales of Blu-ray discs are finally outselling their standard definition counterparts, at least for a couple of genres.

Nikkei has reported that for the first six months of 2008, Sony Pictures’ Resident Evil Trilogy Boxset on Blu-ray was the best selling movie product for the whole site, “significantly outperforming” the DVD version.



"Many software manufactures consider that 'action' is the genre that can make the most of Blu-ray," Amazon stated.

"The Blu-ray share is expected to grow among new titles especially in this genre from now on. Blu-ray 's high definition has greatly improved the reproducibility of details and is enchanting anime fans who put weight on image quality."

Of course, the same news cannot be reported in the US or in Europe, where Blu-ray sales pail in comparison to their DVD counterparts but are slowly growing in popularity.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 2 Jul 2008 15:45

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• 12 comments

• SProdigy

  This is either more media spin, or the Japanese have a disposable income. What's next? Blu-Ray outselling VHS in Kentucky?

  2.7.2008 16:03 #1

• johnflash

  as soon as they drop the price of the media format and a way to be able to make backups of Blu Ray movies, I won't be buying Blu Ray anytime soon. SD DVD is fine enough with me. And how many extra features do i really need to view anyways? I watch the movie, or i rent it from a movie place and watch it once and I am done with it.

  2.7.2008 16:04 #2

• SDF_GR

  I dont believe it.
  I am BD friendly person but this stats have passed under 1000 filters and 2000 categories.

  2.7.2008 16:11 #3

• simpsim1

  Quote:as soon as they drop the price of the media format and a way to be able to make backups of Blu Ray movies, I won't be buying Blu Ray anytime soon.Amen to that. I am not opposed to DRM as a whole but Blu-ray's is a little on the controlling side for my liking.

  2.7.2008 16:55 #4

• club42

  This doesn't surprise me as the source is Amazon. Amazon has always been popular for high-def media. As for standard def there's tons of local competition. If you added in sales from more companies I doubt they would have the same conclusion.

  2.7.2008 21:31 #5

• ematrix

  Another article with the purpose of misleading people to believe that Blu-ray is outselling DVD, when clearly it's not. First of all, the original announcement was that Resident Evil Trilogy Boxset was the most popular Blu-ray Disc sold at Amazon Japan, but it never claims that it was the best selling movie product for the whole site.
  
  Amazon Japan's Top 10 DVD sales:
  1. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone Special Equipment Edition
  2. Kara no Kyoukai - the Garden of sinners Fukan Fūkei Regular Edition
  3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2-Disc Special Edition
  4. Shijō Saikyō no Idō Yūenchi Dreams Come True Wonderland 2008 (Limited Initial Pressing)
  5. Summer Tour 2007 Final time Kotoba no Chikara
  6. The Bourne Ultimatum
  7. Biohazard [Resident Evil] 3 Deluxe Collectors' Edition
  8. Hero Special Limited Edition
  9. Transformers Special Collectors' Edition
  10. Nodame Cantabile in Europe
  
  Amazon Japan's Top 10 Blu-ray sales:
  1. Biohazard [Resident Evil] Trilogy box
  2. Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End
  3. Byousoku 5 cm (5 cm Per Second)
  4. I Am Legend
  5. .hack//GU Trilogy
  6. Kido Senshi Gundam Gyakushuu no Char
  7. Kumo no Mukou, Yakusoku no Basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days)
  8. Phantom of the Opera
  9. Ratatouille
  10. Kido Senshi Gundam F91
  
  What the original announcement states is that "Resident Evil Trilogy Boxset on Blu-ray significantly outperformed the DVD version", but there's a simple explanation that conveniently is omitted, as usual with these Blu-ray sales articles.
  
  If most of consumers in Japan, already own Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse on DVD, since they were released on 2002-2004, why would they purchase now the Resident Evil Trilogy DVD Boxset, when they already had 2/3 of that boxset?
  
  Clearly most of them didn't, since they preffered to purchase only Resident Evil 3: Extintion on DVD to complete the set, which ranked 7th at the Top 10 most popular DVDs sold at Amazon Japan.

  3.7.2008 01:29 #6

• rainofire

  I thought something like this was going to happen in japan. HD to us is SD to them, they have far more advance things than the rest of the world. Even the Iphone is obsolete in japan.

  3.7.2008 03:21 #7

• susieqbbb

  now this is funny they only seemed to want resident evil wow how lame oh i am sony i want to make millions of dollers on blu-ray but the only disk that appears to be selling is one freaking movie set this doesn't make a next gen dvd format sale for in fact this scares me even more to stay away from blu-ray.

  3.7.2008 10:14 #8

• NexGen76

  Originally posted by rainofire: I thought something like this was going to happen in japan. HD to us is SD to them, they have far more advance things than the rest of the world. Even the Iphone is obsolete in japan.That statement is so true they so far ahead when it come to tech.Blu-Ray is old to them so is High Definition.

  3.7.2008 18:05 #9

• rainofire

  Quote:Originally posted by rainofire: I thought something like this was going to happen in japan. HD to us is SD to them, they have far more advance things than the rest of the world. Even the Iphone is obsolete in japan.That statement is so true they so far ahead when it come to tech.Blu-Ray is old to them so is High Definition.Yeah, there HD is called SuperHiVision or something like that.

  3.7.2008 19:34 #10

• Rudeboi

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by rainofire: I thought something like this was going to happen in japan. HD to us is SD to them, they have far more advance things than the rest of the world. Even the Iphone is obsolete in japan.That statement is so true they so far ahead when it come to tech.Blu-Ray is old to them so is High Definition.Yeah, there HD is called SuperHiVision or something like that.Yeah that technology exists but wouldn't the screen size have to be enormous (100 inches +) just to get a clear picture?
  
  I can't see displaying that on a 50" TV without everything looking minisule.

  4.7.2008 00:54 #11

• avoidz

  Yeah, right. More Blu-ray spin/BS to try and flog the format.

  4.7.2008 06:12 #12