Market research company NPD Group said Blu-ray Disc (BD) video technology recorded sales volume of more than 400,000 units in the first quarter of 2009, rising by 72% compared to the same period of 2008, while the dollar sales rose 14% at US$107.2 million.
NPD’s data shows that revealed that consumer awareness of the BD format in the United States has reached 90%, as consumer interest in buying Blu-ray set-top boxes also climbed slightly. The data shows that 6% of respondents said they would be very likely to buy in the next six months, compared with 5% who responded similarly in the August data.
Although the awareness level is high, more than half of adults (58%) continue to report that they remained not very familiar with BD.
Consumers who bought BD players when they came to market for the first time were mainly concerned with having the latest technology, and not much concerned about the higher price.
But a report on BD players recently showed that buyers are influenced most often by pricing, promotions, and sales. The result is, actual prices and consumer expectations are increasingly in alignment.
When asked about the reasons for not buying BD, respondents said that their current DVD player is good enough, and they feel the cost of hardware or software is an important consideration, or they are not interested in the product.
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