PS3 driving Blu-ray movie sales, outpacing HD-DVD

by James Ransom-Wiley { Feb 5th 2007 at 8:29PM }

Sony has made certain that recent Nielsen VideoScan sales figures would not go unnoticed, today heralding PlayStation 3 as a driving force behind a growing appetite for Blu-ray movie consumption. According to the Nielson data, during the first two weeks of January, sales of Blu-ray movies outpaced those of HD-DVD movies by a wide margin; in week one, 47.14 HD DVD titles were sold for every 100 Blu-ray titles; in week two, the margin grew to 38.36 HD-DVD titles for every 100 Blu-ray titles. High-Def Digest suggests that, despite HD-DVD's head start, overall sales of the two formats could be equal in a matter of weeks; while Sony is already confident that "Blu-ray has surpassed HD-DVD in cumulative sales."

It should be noted that during those first two weeks of January the only high-def titles released were two Blu-ray movies: The Covenant (Jan. 2) and Crank (Jan. 9). Also, if we are to credit PS3 for the Blu-ray sales spike, we should notice that not a single PS3 game was released during that two-week period (see: PS3 release schedule). There's reason for Sony to be proud that allegedly 90% of PS3 users have watched a Blu-ray movie; but from our perspective, we'd be just as willing to applaud if that percentage dipped in favor of deeper gaming experiences.

Perhaps the game drought has worked in Sony's favor, generating greater interest in Blu-ray movies, while early PS3 adopters wait for the software library to grow. No doubt Microsoft is also closely watching high-def movie sales; and if the current trend continues, a jump to Blu-ray is always possible.

[Via press release]

Tags: BD, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, Movie, PS3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Thryon @ Feb 5th 2007 8:39PM

HD DVD are loosing ground as there are about 20 HD DVD movies scheduled for release this Spring, compared to about 60 for Blu-Ray. Also important to note that most HD DVD tiles are re-releases. Hard to win a format wars that way. I may have to purchase a PS3 just to watch Blu-Ray.

sonicyouth @ Feb 5th 2007 8:44PM

Microsoft make a jump to Blu-Ray? That will be the day! They might as well go ahead and admit defeat. There's still hope for the Xbox 720 in a couple of years...

ToastyBuffoon @ Feb 5th 2007 8:44PM

Personaly I think BOTH formats are gonna tank. Regular DVD is here to stay for quite a while longer (ie years!). I believe digital distribution will be next.

Watership @ Feb 5th 2007 8:45PM

Its really sad that Blu-Ray will dominate because it was packaged in the PS3. Not because anyone out there actually CHOSE to buy the players individually.

Dirty pool.

Jonathan @ Feb 5th 2007 8:47PM

IF blu ray wins ?
will the ps3 win?
will ms make a blu ray add on for 360 if blu ray win?

sonicyouth @ Feb 5th 2007 8:47PM

BTW, PS3 Blu-Ray playback is the bomb on screens 50" and bigger.

alwayzbusi1 @ Feb 5th 2007 8:49PM

Here's a simple question that I want some people to answer. What format is better for games, DVD or CD and why? Now take your same answer and apply that to BluRay and DVD.

jp @ Feb 5th 2007 8:49PM

digital distribution wont work
id rather have a disk then download them
im sure the same for others

carg0 @ Feb 5th 2007 8:51PM

meanwhile, the %99.5 of all ps3 buyers who bought one for y'know...games...are supposed to feel what?

nick @ Feb 5th 2007 8:51PM

I'm not sure this is great news just yet. Sony also trumpted UMD movie sales during the several months after release of the PSP, and we all know what happened there. Flash in the pan. Most major retailers have since dropped the format.

Right now, we have the curiosity factor, and pratically no games available. Will PS3 owners continue to drive Blu-Ray sales?

When you really think about it, the PS3 is almost the PSP all over again.

uberism @ Feb 5th 2007 8:52PM

yes, especially if movies are over 50gb

jp @ Feb 5th 2007 8:56PM

Universal should just join blu ray and end the format
war dammit. dont buy hd dvd movies and format war should be decided in couple months. im surprised people are not mad at universal for backin hd dvd when they could of joined blu ray and avoided the format war

Attila @ Feb 5th 2007 8:57PM

@sonicyouth

Microsoft didn't make consumers purchase a high def DVD video player with their video game consoles. Therefore they can always offer a standalone player of any format, including Blu-ray.

sonicyouth @ Feb 5th 2007 8:58PM

Nick, are you retarded? That's apples and oranges man. And also there are standalone players being bought for both formats. Ever go to Best Buy?

jp @ Feb 5th 2007 8:58PM

wouldnt ms just be giving sony money if they used blu ray

Pyronite @ Feb 5th 2007 9:04PM

"What format is better for games, DVD or CD and why? Now take your same answer and apply that to BluRay and DVD."

Wow, you picked a really lame comparison. I'll say that Blu-ray/HD-DVD is most certainly better for movies, but there is no difference whatsoever in the capabilities of DVD and Blu-Ray when it comes to games.

Let's see:
- Both have enough space to hold all the data needed for play (i.e. music, game code/engine, textures for extended periods of play)
- When DVD does not have enough room, they simply package another DVD and you get off your coach and pop it on.

Those are the only differences and, as you can imagine, there are hundreds of additional factors that make the DVD/CD relationship that much greater.

Now what are the negatives of Blu-ray?
- Low read speeds. You might not have to switch a DVD out, but in the time that it takes to do so, you will have minutes of extra time waiting for a slower-reading device to load. (Then again, if you're physically incapable of getting up off the couch, this still might not be a positive for DVD.)
- The production of a single Blu-ray disc is noticably higher than that of standard DVDs (even if you send out 5-10 of them). Did you really ask if Blu-ray was better for games? Why, because game companies have even LESS of an overhead than they did before? That's just what I want to see; even more gaming companies afraid to try something new because they're making less profit on Blu-ray production.
- The cost of Blu-ray devices is WAY higher than that of DVDs. That PS3 you bought? Yeah, it cost an $200 so you can play Blu-ray games. You can also play Blu-ray movies, but really, why would you be forced to pay that amount of money for a technology that is only going to get cheaper and have more features in the future?

The only situation I can think of in which I'd prefer Blu-ray is when you have a big, seamless world ala Grand Theft Auto. Even then, all you'd have to do is split the game speech and movies up so that they (and the core components of the world) would work on two discs. Is that really worth the extra $200 to you?

So, yeah, you're obviously right; Blu-ray is totally worth it.

blamecanada @ Feb 5th 2007 9:05PM

First off saying that 90% of PS3 owners have watched a Blu-Ray movie is fairly misleading because the system came with a movie didn't it? I doubt that MS would release a Blu Ray drive for the 360, but if it becomes mainstream you can look to the next gen Xbox to have it.

And @7, the format doesn't make games better, the game is what makes the game good. If you mean that the larger disc allows the publisher to add more content to their games, then yes DVDs are necessary because games have ballooned to a size where they need the capacity. Currently we are at a phase in Video Games where I don't think the extra space is going to be needed as of yet. It just allows for sloppier programming and other things. Most 360 games run in the neighborhood of 4-6 GB. Sure thats approaching the limit, but to say that 360 game content will be drastically hindered by a 9GB disc is absurd. If anything the 9 GB disc improves the quality of games on the 360. Just think, if MS waited for a next gen optical storage solution in the Xbox 360 it would have been delayed at least 6 months until the standards were finalized, and then it would have come at a much higher cost. Both of those factors would have slowed adoption of the console, and a slow adoption provides little incentive for developers to make games (because a larger installed base means larger sales). An HD-DVD built into the 360 would be nice, but I barely ever watch movies on my 360 as it is (and when I do i just stream them over the network anyways).

Now as for the format, Sony's master plan to use the PS3 to force BR upon us may work, but I believe it will be a much smaller victory than VHS or DVD. Many people just won't get them because they think DVDs are fine and according to Nintendo, they may just be "good enough". HD-DVD and Blu Ray both offer only incremental improvements to space over DVD. The jump from CD to DVD boosted capacity by 1300%, but Blu Ray only manages a 500% increase. Sure it's substantial, but with talk of Holographic discs being able to squeeze Terabytes into that space makes 50 GB seem rather paltry.

In the end Sony may have finally won a format battle, but they may have done so at the cost of their video game division.

Aeron @ Feb 5th 2007 9:08PM

So... according to http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multime...202090024.html most PS3's came with Talladega Nights and a free BR voucher... according to this site (and I know it's numbers really aren't that accurate, but let's just assume...), that's 1.4million Talladega's and probably close to that number of vouchers.

So, up to 2.8 million BR's were given away for free? That's not really out-"selling" the competition if they have to give them away

Optimus Prime @ Feb 5th 2007 9:11PM

Hey HD-DVD fanboys and Sony haters.. read the writing on the wall... HD-DVD had its run, its over. BD already has more titles out and with Universal providing exclusive content it will never ever catch up.

And, BD + HDD >>>> DVD9 ... why?

WHIRRRRRRR WHIRRRRRRRRRRR .. you hear that? That's your 12x DVD spinning its ass off trying to read content off that it cant cache because the HDD is stand equipment. Have you ever wondered why your 360 is so loud?

There you go, thank god MS went for an amazing 12x DVD player, eh?

losttoys @ Feb 5th 2007 9:13PM

Aaron -

Only a number of units came with Talladega Nights and the remote control. I know my late December unit did not.

sonicyouth @ Feb 5th 2007 9:19PM

@ Attila

Newsflash. It's used for HD games too. You'll see what I'm talking about in 12-18 months...

alwayzbusi1 @ Feb 5th 2007 9:20PM

@16
Way to avoid my simple question. What is better for games, DVD or CD and why? You cant do it can you? That may be because the EXACT SAME logic applies to BluRay games vs DVD games? Also, not every type of game can be made on multiple disks in case you didn't know. Slower read times? DVD is barely faster than BluRay at 0.5 times faster (Nothing compared to the N64 load times vs PS1 load times. How did that turn out again?) As before, the good outweighs the bad.

Tim @ Feb 5th 2007 9:24PM

I don't even pay attention to the noise of my 360 drive. That's because I've actually got a library of games to play instead of sitting around waiting for decent titles to be released. Every system is quiet when there is no disc in the damn drive.

Aeron @ Feb 5th 2007 9:33PM

I really gotta check my sources... even still I think 500,000 of them came with TNights and A BR Voucher, and wouldn't that be a huge boost?

Evan @ Feb 5th 2007 9:34PM

I would prefer that HD-DVD wins if only because HD-DVD is infested with less DRM (Blu-Ray disks support "BD+", which is potentially as dangerous as a rootkit).

Barbara @ Feb 5th 2007 9:34PM

People can flip it however they want, but I thought it was obvious that Bluray would beat out HD in sales. You don't have to favor one gaming system over the other to figure that out. But people love to hate Sony nowadays for retarded personal reasons.

Now where are all of those blinded fanboys who said that Buray wold be the next Beta. Ha.

I feel sorry for those who bought the HDDVD add on for the 360. You would have been better off with the digital movie rentals on that system.

ShinobiFist @ Feb 5th 2007 9:36PM

Well, I'm not surprise. This is the same scenario as the PS2(Remember,that launch was far worst then the PS3), when it launch in Japan. When people were buying the PS2's with the Matrix, side by side. Nintendo was even quoted for saying "Can't believe that people are buying a console without having any software" I think it was something like that. They had a artical about it in "Hardcore gaming" Magazine a couple of months ago.

sonicyouth @ Feb 5th 2007 9:40PM

27,

That's right. I guess these guys are all noobs, or they just have short term memories. We're only talking about 6 years ago! History IS repeating itself. Sony will prevail again.

BlackMagic @ Feb 5th 2007 9:46PM

Well alwayzbusi1, I know that PC games are STILL being released on cd today and have only recently started shipping on dvd and they look equal or better than anything on the PS3 to date... In a year from now when PC games are finally universally shipping on DVD and thouroughly trouncing ANYTHING seen on consoles I guess your answer will be clear.

yost007 @ Feb 5th 2007 9:49PM

@ 21

"Newsflash. It's used for HD games too. You'll see what I'm talking about in 12-18 months..."

You still waiting too................ "Play Beyond".

JBDragon @ Feb 5th 2007 9:49PM

Big Deal. Blu-Ray won for a whole 2 weeks, out of how many weeks now of HD-DVD? There's no games to play on the PS3, what what else are they going to do with the PS3? Also the lack of new HD-DVD Movies released also isn't helping. Sony is so Early on this so called Declared Victory is Ridiculous. I just can't can't Sony Serious anymore.

Attila @ Feb 5th 2007 9:50PM

@sonicyouth

Newsflash. I have a HD videogame console, yet I didn't have to pay an over $100 extra for a feature that I don't want.

I'm glad that you'll be able to play some decent games in the next 12-18 months, although I'm already playing great games on my system now!

Frankie @ Feb 5th 2007 9:50PM

The real question now is, will people actually be receptive to HD? Otherwise, all this talks of a format war is pure hot air.

Current adoption rates are so slow, it might take 3-5 years for it to become truly mainstream and by then, there will be another format out.

losttoys @ Feb 5th 2007 9:51PM

Aaron -

The number TN infused would be a benefit for the amount of users who have used the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, but it does not effect the sales of BD titles, as TN is part of a bundle and does not get reported as a sale.

Hikaru @ Feb 5th 2007 9:55PM

Err, the External HDDVD player for 360 comes with King Kong free....what's the difference between that and Talladega on PS3?

Rubang B @ Feb 5th 2007 10:00PM

Oh crap, with only 2 weeks of sales figures, Blu-Ray has flipped over the entire industry! Everybody panic!

I think I'm gonna go buy about 100 HD DVDs of pr0n to offset these figures. And I don't even have an HD DVD drive. Zing!

Hikaru @ Feb 5th 2007 10:01PM

I know ppl will say that the HD-DVD player is optional, but it nonetheless comes with a HD-DVD movie. Without being biased to any company I would say that in the long run Blu_Rays's disc space will be more necessary, I'll love to backup all my music and anime in a single disc....

Pyronite @ Feb 5th 2007 10:01PM

"@16
Way to avoid my simple question. What is better for games, DVD or CD and why? You cant do it can you?"

DVDs. They don't cost nearly as much to produce, which gives developers and publishers more room to work with. (You mentioned the N64 cartridges -- they were also expensive to produce.) Also, the hardware that DVDs operate on isn't so costly that the average person/family would have big reservations about. I guess what's best for games, in your eyes, is for the video game market to price themselves out of the average user's home?

I realize you've yet to offer even ONE reason why Blu-rays are better for gaming (even in your response), so you're probably just here to root for your team or something, but still, try and work a little harder at making a point.

arrrgh @ Feb 5th 2007 10:02PM

holographic storage ftw!!!!
even if blu-ray DOES manage to gain enough steam to be considered decent despite the glaring flaws (you never even know which codec the studios are using because BD has no standard codec....studios don't always use H.264 like with HD-DVD) and DRM issues due to sony's HORRIBLY over-the-top content control issues, within a few years holographic storage will be in a position to wipe the floor with every other media format, if sotrage is what people are claiming is better ....

adam @ Feb 5th 2007 10:04PM

jp,
i'm sure the millions and millions of ipod/itunes users would argue otherwise.

Optimus Prime,
You can provide all the content you want, but if the average joe doesn't care, it just doesn't matter. Look at how many people own dvd players. Did that do anything for DVD-audio?

This format war mirrors the dvd-audio/sacd war, almost exactly. Your average joe just doesn't care about either. DVD is perfectly fine for your average consumer. Why would your average joe pay $30 for a new release, they can only watch on their ps3, or hd-dvd addon, when they can spend $15, and watch it on anything that plays dvd's?

HD-DVD and BD are, and always will be, a niche market. Spin it anyway you want. Your average joe just doesn't care, and they are the ones who decides what format would win, if any.

yost007 @ Feb 5th 2007 10:06PM

Another thing people do not take into consideration is this.

When the PS2 came out it was a "cheap" DVD player. This player worked on all TV's. Thus DVD adoption rates were extremely high.

The PS3's player works on 1080P Ultra High Def TV's. Very few of these have been sold thus far. Plus they carry a hefty premium. Its adoption will be much slower.

Blu Ray was another attempt to force another Propritary format. I hope they fail. It is not necessary for games. Space has never been a problem before. Well not since they dumped the catridge formats anyway.

Enjoy your cheap BR player on your SD set.

nick @ Feb 5th 2007 10:07PM

Why yes, just as much as you are. Thank you for asking.

And yes, I've been to Best Buy. News flash, stand alone Blu-Ray players are not flying off the shelves. In fact, have you been to the return table at Best Buy? Notice anything for Samsung or Sony?

Truth is, it's too early to make any determination yet. Talladega Nights is the highest selling HD movie to date just by virtue of being included with about a half million PS3s.

The reason I mention "ALMOST" like the PSP is because Sony cited the UMD format as doing well too. As did a number of UMD supporters (Disney, Paramount, etc). Then what happened? The bottom fell out.

Until we start seeing greater stand alone player sales (@ roughly $1000 for Blu-Ray or $500 for HD DVD) we won't know how popular the formats are. What are the sales numbers right now? In the tens of thousands?

Also, it'll be a long time before either Blu-Ray or HD DVD over take DVD. Think years.

The funny thing is, that even though both formats offer a better picture, which requires a better TV, outside of fancy new software features, and better sound (seriously, how many of you were really seeking better sound?), new DRM is going to be a real pain in the ass. Look at all the options for playing HD DVD or Blu-Ray on a PC. Oh right, there aren't many. I wonder why?

I'm hoping another solution appears. As far a disc is concerned, I'm not necessarily needing to 'own' a disc anymore. Been there, done that. I don't need to rival Blockbluster's inventory.

Alternatives? Well, it's still early for digital distribution, although a lot of inroads are being made. Anyone catch Netflix's digital "rental" capability? It's pretty slick, but the choice of movies aren't there yet. All we need now is for people to hook up their TVs to a computer or set top box that offers computer-like features. Hmm...

Joe @ Feb 5th 2007 10:13PM

"3. Personaly I think BOTH formats are gonna tank. Regular DVD is here to stay for quite a while longer (ie years!). I believe digital distribution will be next. "

agreed

Rubang B @ Feb 5th 2007 10:23PM

I think that IF one of the formats can beat DVD, it'll be HD DVD just because it's cheaper than Blu Ray, and that won't be for at least a decade. I hope both formats fail until we get high definition digital distribution that renders both useless.

jmf @ Feb 5th 2007 10:29PM

I'm sorry, wasn't Blue Dragon 3 DVDs long? Or was that just some nasty rumor going around? Aren't the HD-DVD players for Xbox 360 for movies only? No game application? I apologize in advance if updated news suggests otherwise.

From the logic I'm hearing from some of these comments I assume it would be perfectly fine to use up to 36 CDs to play Blue Dragon, instead of the 3 Xbox 360 DVDs. Elder Scrolls V? How many DVDs do you think it would take? Oblivion took up two - I'm sure Direct X 10 could help increase the amount of DVDs required to install the next gen PC games. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 3? Neverwinter Nights 3? Installing FFXI-2 would be helluva lot easier on Blu-Ray I'm sure.

Sonic_extreme @ Feb 5th 2007 10:31PM

I am for the digital distribution. To me blue ray or HD dvd don't offer any conviniance to regular dvd's. The only new thing I like is that you can hit menu without stopping the movie. Downloading movies without leaving your seat to rent nor buy, in the future their catalog will be so big that you can play any movie without leaving your seat. VOD on cable systems is a big hit and so will downloading movies to any type of hardware.

Joop @ Feb 5th 2007 10:31PM

"Here's a simple question that I want some people to answer. What format is better for games, DVD or CD and why? Now take your same answer and apply that to BluRay and DVD."

The difference is that there was a huge need for larger capacity discs at that time. Pre-dvd, games were often on multiple discs and not just 2 but 3, 4, I remember a few 8 disc pc games. Now, aside from a few games with an extra bonus content pack in, when's the last time you read "please insert disc 2"?

If anything, loading times are more of an issue than disc capacity, which would be solved by huge HDs and digital distribution. But, despite being "better for games" it would be a ridiculously expensive undertaking, meaning what's "better for games" is not, by default, better for gamers. THAT'S the complaint about BluRay. On paper it's nice and fancy, but in practice it's an expensive solution to a problem no one's complaining about.