Audio Video News

While everyone was saying that Blu-ray wouldn't take off until the price of players dropped significantly, something odd happened. Prices jumped, and so did sales. Go figure.

According to a study by PriceSCAN, the Blu-ray price index has increased 10 percent since November 1st. Even with that, sales of players tripled around Thanksgiving - more than 147,000 players were sold, with an average price of just over $200.

"Whatever support Blu-ray pricing saw following the demise of Toshiba rival HD-DVD standard did not prevent sharp markdowns through the summer and early fall, but it appears Sony's high-def disk standard may finally be getting some traction," says Jeff Trester, PriceSCAN co-CEO and chief economist.

Considering how pathetic the holiday shopping sales have been, sales of Blu-ray are quite impressive.

Another reason for the growth of Blu-ray is that more folks are staying home and spending their dollars on home entertainment instead of traveling and spending money out of the home.

So, tell us . . . is there a Blu-ray player under your tree tonight? - Leslie Shapiro

CE Pro