Blu-ray took 70 per cent of the market for high-definition movie titles in the first quarter of 2007, easily outselling the rival HD DVD format, according to figures just released by the trade magazine, Home Media.
Its dominance reflects a rapid turnaround in fortunes: in January HD DVD was in front. Blu-ray took the lead in February and by March three out of every four discs sold was Blu-ray.
Its new-found dominance can be attributed in large part to the release in the US and Japan late last year of Sony’s PlayStation 3 games console, which includes a Blu-ray drive. By contrast Microsoft only offers an HD DVD drive for its Xbox 360 console as an optional add-on.
Eight of the top ten selling titles in the first quarter were Blu-ray, led by Casino Royale. The Departed, which won Martin Scorsese a belated best director Oscar, was second. The file was one of the few big-name titles to be released on both formats, and the HD DVD version was third in the list.
Combined sales for the quarter reached 1.2 million, over half the total number of 2.14 million sold since HD DVD launched in April 2006 and Blu-ray two months later.
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