Blu-Ray being killed off by cheap DVD players and Sky+

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A year ago the format – designed to replace the DVD player – won a high-profile battle with HD DVD, a rival machine in what was dubbed the greatest technology struggle since VHS killed off Betamax.

Blu-Ray machines and discs allow viewers at home to enjoy films in high definition, in a way that is impossible with a normal DVD player. The films, especially action movies, appear far crisper than they would even in the cinema.

However, despite its victory, sales of Blu-ray machines, have been sluggish at best, according to Reevoo, an online shopping and review website.

Over the Christmas period, sales of DVD players outstripped Blu-ray players by a factor of 10, figures from the website show.

The price of many simple DVD players, which can cost as little as £9.99, is one reason why the old technology is still doing so well. This compares with Blu-ray players, which cost £239 on average.

Also, the increasing number of homes to have Sky+, or other set-top boxes that allow viewers to record their favourite films directly onto a hard drive is making many viewers realise they don't need a Blu-Ray. Many people are also downloading films onto their computers.

Samuel Bostock, home entertainment manager at Reevoo, said: "The death of the VCR and the cassette saw the end of the chore of rewinding tapes. The convenience of downloads and wider availability of flexible digital content, suggests impatience with the eject button which may be partly why Blu-ray isn't capturing the imagination."

Many users of Blu-ray machines complain at how slow they are to respond, with a pause between the user pressing the play button and the film starting to play.

The sales follow Sony's admission last year that Blu-ray player sales would fall short of expectations for the year.

Reevoo is a website that allows consumers to review any consumer electronic product that they have bought. Users can then read the reviews before clicking through to a retailer's website to buy the product.


Source:telegraph