Blu-Ray outstrips HD DVD in 2007 sales

Sales of Blu-Ray movies in 2007 have nearly crushed those of HD DVD so far, Reuters reports. According to data from Home Media Research, 2.6 million Blu-Ray titles were sold between January 1st and September 30th, while only 1.4 million HD DVD titles were bought in the same timeframe. This figure reinforces previous sales figures, which have almost continually pointed to the dominance of Blu-Ray. Recent trends may signal a reversal however, such as Paramount's paid decision in August to release solely on HD DVD.

In-Stat researcher Gerry Kaufhold points to the example of Paramount's Transformers, which has web-enabled bonus features currently missing on Blu-Ray titles. According to in-house Paramount data, over 100,000 HD DVD copies of the movie were sold on October 16th, making for the biggest debut of an HD title to date.

HD DVD faces two major obstacles: first is greater support of Blu-Ray, which is the exclusive HD format of studios such as Sony, Fox, and Lions Gate, while remaining just another format supported by others. As Sony is the originator of Blu-Ray, it is also using the technology in its PlayStation 3 game console, where the best competition is an HD DVD add-on for Microsoft's Xbox 360. The PS3 has in many cases been cheaper than stand-alone HD players, drawing buyers in Blu-Ray's direction.