Audio Video News

According to figures recently compiled by the DVD Entertainment Group, DVD hardware and software sales continued on a strong upward curve in the first six months of 2001. In the first half of the year, the DEG reports, more than 5 million DVD players were shipped to retailers (not all have sold through to consumers), bringing the total units shipped since the format's launch to 20.4 million. Just over 3 million players had been shipped by the same time last year.

The DEG's statistics also reveal that DVD continues to outpace the introduction of other home entertainment products, reaching the critical milestone of 20 million units shipped in just over 4 years. CD players took twice the time (8 years) to reach this benchmark, while VCRs took 12 years to reach the 20 million unit level.

According to figures compiled by the DEG, based on data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), retailers, and manufacturers, there are now more than 125 DVD player models marketed under 50 different consumer electronics brands, with close to 19.5 million players sold to US consumers. The DEG also predicts that this growth will continue and estimates that the number of players shipped since introduction will be approximately 30 million by the end of this year.

According to figures compiled by Ernst & Young on behalf of the DEG, more than 80 million DVD movies and music video titles shipped in the second quarter of 2001, nearly two and a half times the number of units shipped in the same quarter last year. Since the launch of the format in 1997, software shipments have exceeded 460 million units, says the DEG. There are currently more than 10,000 DVD movies and music video titles available.

The DEG's Emiel N. Petrone notes, "In this year's soft retail environment, DVD is the shining light. DVD has reached a critical milestone and is poised to be in one-fourth of all US homes by the end of the year."