Poll Says Consumers Prefer Blu-Ray Over HD-DVD
Source:Marketnews
According to a new poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen, and Berland Associates, a U.S. strategic polling firm, consumers “overwhelmingly†prefer the Blu-Ray disc format over HD-DVD, when given a side-by-side comparison of the two on the following dimensions: technology company support; Hollywood studio support; gaming console support; disc capacity; potential movie title availability; and anticipated launch dates.
When presented with the side-by-side format comparison, 58 per cent of the 1,200 U.S. consumers surveyed preferred Blu-ray disc, 26 per cent were undecided, and 16 per cent preferred HD-DVD. Of those who indicated that they are extremely interested in purchasing the next-generation format, 66 per cent favoured Blu-ray, 19 per cent were undecided, and 15 per cent preferred HD-DVD.
The poll also examined consumer attitudes toward high-definition television and next-generation disc formats. Among the key reasons consumers cited for preferring Blu-ray were the ability to play the discs in more CE devices, personal computers and gaming consoles; backward compatibility with current DVD media; disc capacity; and the ability to record large amounts of high-definition or standard definition video and data.
“While we are still in the pre-launch phase for both formats, Blu-ray disc is the early front-runner,” contends Mark Penn, whose firm conducted the poll. “Consumers perceive Blu-ray as the favourite on technology company support, gaming, storage, and disc versatility.”
Those surveyed placed considerable value on the amount of recording space available to suit their digital lifestyle, on Hollywood’s ability to fit movies, bonus and interactive features on a single disc, and on the single-sided Blu-ray hybrid disc, which allows both high and standard definition versions of a movie to reside on a single disc that can be viewed in either a Blu-ray player or a DVD player.
The launch of Blu-ray Disc is expected to offer consumers a selection of movie and broadcast content from Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Miramax, Touchstone, MGM, ESPN and Sony Pictures. A selection of Blu-ray players, recorders and computer drives are expected from Hitachi, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, as well as PC hardware from Dell and HP. Gaming hardware will be available from Sony with the release of PlayStation 3, and software will be available to the leading gaming software manufacturers. A single-layer Blu-ray disc will hold up to 25 GB of data, while a double-layer Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB.
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has more than 130 members; and its Board of Directors consists of Apple; Dell Inc.; HP; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.
Source:Marketnews
According to a new poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen, and Berland Associates, a U.S. strategic polling firm, consumers “overwhelmingly†prefer the Blu-Ray disc format over HD-DVD, when given a side-by-side comparison of the two on the following dimensions: technology company support; Hollywood studio support; gaming console support; disc capacity; potential movie title availability; and anticipated launch dates.
When presented with the side-by-side format comparison, 58 per cent of the 1,200 U.S. consumers surveyed preferred Blu-ray disc, 26 per cent were undecided, and 16 per cent preferred HD-DVD. Of those who indicated that they are extremely interested in purchasing the next-generation format, 66 per cent favoured Blu-ray, 19 per cent were undecided, and 15 per cent preferred HD-DVD.
The poll also examined consumer attitudes toward high-definition television and next-generation disc formats. Among the key reasons consumers cited for preferring Blu-ray were the ability to play the discs in more CE devices, personal computers and gaming consoles; backward compatibility with current DVD media; disc capacity; and the ability to record large amounts of high-definition or standard definition video and data.
“While we are still in the pre-launch phase for both formats, Blu-ray disc is the early front-runner,” contends Mark Penn, whose firm conducted the poll. “Consumers perceive Blu-ray as the favourite on technology company support, gaming, storage, and disc versatility.”
Those surveyed placed considerable value on the amount of recording space available to suit their digital lifestyle, on Hollywood’s ability to fit movies, bonus and interactive features on a single disc, and on the single-sided Blu-ray hybrid disc, which allows both high and standard definition versions of a movie to reside on a single disc that can be viewed in either a Blu-ray player or a DVD player.
The launch of Blu-ray Disc is expected to offer consumers a selection of movie and broadcast content from Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Miramax, Touchstone, MGM, ESPN and Sony Pictures. A selection of Blu-ray players, recorders and computer drives are expected from Hitachi, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, as well as PC hardware from Dell and HP. Gaming hardware will be available from Sony with the release of PlayStation 3, and software will be available to the leading gaming software manufacturers. A single-layer Blu-ray disc will hold up to 25 GB of data, while a double-layer Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB.
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has more than 130 members; and its Board of Directors consists of Apple; Dell Inc.; HP; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.