The news for Blu-ray and 3D in the home was strong in the first quarter.
Household penetration of dedicated Blu-ray set-top players nearly doubled as compared to the first quarter of 2010, according to IHS Screen Digest data reported by the Blu-ray Disc Association.
Similarly, software unit sales in Q1 2011 increased by over 26% from last year’s first quarter according to IHS Screen Digest’s analysis of Nielsen VideoScan data.
Additionally, FutureSource forecasts nearly 50 million Blu-ray playback devices in U.S. homes by year’s end with Blu-ray Disc sales exceeding 120 million units, up from 85 million sold in 2010.
The NPD Group reported April 18 that consumers are spending more on the purchase and rental of Blu-ray Disc and DVD packaged media — more than all digital options combined — with 78% of their home video budgets spent on BD and DVD, and the remaining 22% on subscription services such as Netflix and other download and streaming options.
Finally, IHS Screen Digest estimates that consumer spending on 3D Blu-ray Discs (BD3D) in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany and France will grow 533% in 2011, as compared to 2010.
As for 3D in the home, comparing the first nine months of 3D TV sales to the first full year of HDTV sales, HIS Screen Digest noted that 3D TV adoption is outpacing HDTV adoption by 50 percent.
FutureSource projects that by 2015, 3D TVs will be in more than 60% of US households and 3D Blu-ray players will be in more than 75% of US households.
— By Scott Hettrick