Blu-Ray not being adopted by consumers, says survey
A recent poll by Harris Interactive reveals that, while Blu-Ray may have been proclaimed the winner last year in the high definition format wars, it’s not being adopted by rank and file consumers. Meanwhile, High Definition television sets are being embraced by Americans across the line. According to the data, nearly half of American households are now using high definition televisions, but only 11 percent own a HD enabled media device and only 7 percent own a Blu-Ray player.
The price of Blu-Ray players isn’t helping matters any: the number of Blu-Ray owners is likely to remain flat due of price and competition from other High Definition technologies. The purchase of both HD players are up ever so slightly from 2008 - 3 percent for Blu-ray and 5 percent for HD players. Perhaps Microsoft gave up a little too soon when it discontinued its HD hard drive add-on for Xbox 360? Blu-Ray also is facing some stiff competition from high definition content on cable, satellite, and the internet.
The survey also offered some interesting numbers on people that bought game devices, though as evidenced in the numbers, some bought these devices for something other than viewing high definition content. The PS3 and Xbox 360 tied, with a 4 percent increase in ownership from 2008 to 2009, while the Wii saw a 10 percent increase. Only 2 percent of those surveyed bought the external HD add-on for the Xbox 360, but that is due to the fact that it no longer is being made by Microsoft.
One last note worth pointing out: owner ship of all devices increases when a household has a higher income, which makes even more sense considering the tough economic times all Americans are facing. Those making around $40k a year were less likely to own a Blu-Ray player (2 percent), while those making $50k - $74k were more likely (13 percent). As an aside, here is a breakdown based on income:
High Definition TV: $40k or less - 27 percent, $35 to $49K - 45 percent, $50k to $74k - 52 percent, $75k or more - 62 percent
Blu-Ray: $40k or less - 7 percent, $35 to $49K - 5 percent, $50k to $74k - 19 percent, $75k or more - 12 percent
HD-DVD Player: $40k or less - 2 percent, $35 to $49K - 6 percent, $50k to $74k - 13 percent, $75k or more - 9 percent
PS3: $40k or less - 6 percent, $35 to $49K - 11 percent, $50k to $74k - 16 percent, $75k or more - 8 percent
Xbox 360: $40k or less - 7 percent, $35 to $49K - 8 percent, $50k to $74k - 21 percent, $75k or more - 18 percent
PS2: $40k or less - 20 percent, $35 to $49K - 25 percent, $50k to $74k - 32 percent, $75k or more - 18 percent
Wii: $40k or less - 10 percent, $35 to $49K - 19 percent, $50k to $74k - 30 percent, $75k or more - 27 percent
Xbox: $40k or less - 8 percent, $35 to $49K - 6 percent, $50k to $74k - 16 percent, $75k or more - 9 percent
