Blu-Ray movies outsell HD DVD 2:1 in US

Traffic in Blu-Ray movies has outperformed its rival HD DVD by more than twice as much this year, according to a new study by Home Media Research. The organization's report estimates about 1.6 million copies of Blu-Ray movies sold between the start of the year and July 1st, with HD DVD only reaching 795,000. Reasons were not provided for the jump but may include the release of Casino Royale earlier in the year, which set sales records for HD movies, as well as wider sales of Blu-Ray players thanks in part to Sony's PlayStation 3. Sales are also likely to tip in Blu-Ray's favor for the second half of the year thanks to the movie 300, which is also selling in record numbers and favors Blu-Ray over HD DVD, according to the research group.

The publication signals an apparent setback for the HD DVD camp, which has tried to fight off Blu-Ray with lower-cost players as well as being the first to launch a deal for five free movies in the US. HD DVD is currently more common in PCs such as Toshiba's Qosmio G45 but is rarer in stores, as Toshiba is the near-exclusive supplier of dedicated movie players while Pioneer, Samsung, and Sony control most Blu-Ray hardware sales.