Audio Video News

It took only a week after Warner defected to the Blu-ray camp for the latter to establish a more commanding position in the market, according to the NPD Group.

Blu-ray had locked up 90 percent of the hardware market for the week that ended January 12. In other words, before most CES attendees had even boarded their planes, HD DVD was in trouble. Toshiba cut hardware prices the following day.

NPD had previously reported a comparable reshifting of the software market, with Blu-ray increasing its share from 51 percent in the first week of 2008 to 93 percent the following week. However, a week later, Blu-ray's share had dropped back to 66 percent, leaving a not inconsiderable third of the market to HD DVD.

These figures are, of course, just momentary snapshots of the hardware and software markets. It remains to be seen whether similar results will ensue to form a pattern. But these latest numbers suggest Blu-ray is consolidating the market for next-generation players and discs.

Now the question is: Will Blu-ray make a significant dent in the market for standard-def DVD?