Audio Video News

The DVD format is rolling into its fifth year, and history's most successful consumer electronics product continues to gain momentum. Sales of both hardware and software continue to rise, despite downturns elsewhere in the economy.

More than 16 million US consumers have now purchased DVD players, according to recently released figures from the DVD Entertainment Group, a Los Angeles-based multi-industry organization dedicated to informing the public about the benefits of the format. In addition, the Consumer Electronics Association reports that in the first quarter of 2001, an additional 2.4 million DVD video players were shipped from factories to dealers, making for a total of 16.5 million shipped to date. At the present rate, that number will exceed 17 million by the end of 2001.

At least 50 manufacturers make the more than 125 different models of DVD players now on the market, from basic tabletop models to the newer portables, players with high-resolution DVD-Audio capability, and various types of DVD drives for computers. Compaq Computer and Apple have both recently introduced DVD recorders, which are being marketed as the ultimate solution for home movie makers.

Where hardware goes, software follows. Sales of DVD movies and computer games continue to soar. The DVD Entertainment Group claims that almost 70 million DVD movies and music video titles were shipped to dealers in the first three months of this year. That's more than twice as many as went out during the same period a year ago. A total of more than 380 million units of software have been shipped since DVD was launched in 1997. There are more than 9000 DVD movie and music video titles now available.

"As we move further into the mass market, we are seeing consumers enthusiastically embrace not only the format's advanced picture and sound quality, but the added features that make DVD unique and collectible," said DVD Entertainment Group president and Warner Home Video sales VP Steve Nickerson. "DVD-Video has become its own art form, with studios and record labels pushing the limits of the format."

The format's strength has been especially notable when viewed against the background of the general economic slowdown of 2001. "DVD continues to be one of consumers' favorite new electronics products, as evidenced by the strong numbers in a comparatively soft quarter," said DVD Entertainment Group chairman and Philips executive Emiel N. Petrone.