PS3 Saves Blu-ray - Again July 5, 2008

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The most comprehensive survey of the entertainment business in the US has concluded that PS3 owners are the saviours of the Blu-ray HD format.

In its 2008 report, the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) which represents the $33 billion industry there, concluded that it was "the primary driver behind Blu-ray sales, with 87% of PS3 owners watching Blu-ray movies on their console."

That's an impressive stat, but when you consider that standalone Blu-ray players are still so expensive maybe it's understandable. Still, the positive role that the PS3 played in helping Blu-ray kill-off the rival HD DVD format and galvanise movie sales over the last 6 months cannot be underestimated. After all, we already knew that the PS3 was the single biggest reason for Blu-ray winning.

After all, by the end of 2007 the PS3 had sold 3 million units versus the HD DVD drive add-on for the Xbox 360, which managed to shift just 310,000 - in the US. The EMA admitted that it thought that Blu-ray was a goner in 2006 but that the arrival of the PS3 changed its fortunes. It believes that the PS3 will remain the dominant Blu-ray player until at least 2009 when sales of standalone Blu-ray players will overtake those of the console. That's a confident boast though since Blu-ray player sales have been dismal in the first half of this year, according to NPD.

NPD's Ross Rubin said in May:

"That standalone Blu-ray players haven't picked up significantly from HD DVD's loss shows that few consumers were dissuaded primarily by the 'format war'. When we surveyed consumers late last year, an overwhelming number of them said they weren't investing in a new next-generation player because their old DVD player worked well and next-generation players were too expensive. It's clear from retail sales that those consumer sentiments are still holding true."

As a UK PS3 owner, are you watching many Blu-ray movies on it?-Martin Lynch

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