The market leader in the manufacture of optical disc production lines has upgraded its 2008 forecast for Blu-ray machines by 50% after receiving strong orders in the first three months of the year.
Along with “numerous orders” for Blu-ray lines from Europe and Asia, the company received its first major order for Blu-ray from the US.
Stefan Baustert, CEO of Singulus Technologies, said its order projections had been upped from 20 Blu-ray machines to “about 30 machines” for 2008.
He said a market share of more than 65 % was targeted for the Blu-ray segment.
“This means that the orders for Blu-ray in the first year of the dual layer technology already by far exceeded the volume at the start of the DVD eleven years ago with 17 machines,” he said.
“It is also very promising that recently the first Dual Layer Blu-ray disc machine was accepted by one of our key customers in the US.”
Singulus is the only manufacturer globally to offer the complete range of optical disc production line products: mastering, molding and replication lines.
Speaking at the company’s AGM in Frankfurt am Main, Baustert said orders for 21 Blu-ray dual layer machines were received in the first quarter of 2008 and that additional orders followed in the 2nd quarter.
Singulus’ ability to cope with increased demand had been considerably strengthened by the acquisition earlier this year of the Blu-ray disc activities of Oerlikon Balzers in Switzerland.
Tag: dvd
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Signs point towards rising output of Blu-ray Discs as production capacity grows
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More HD titles needed to boost up-take of Blu-ray players
With Blu-ray sales still not setting the heather alight much has been made of the high cost of HD players and continued viewer satisfaction with standard-definition DVD.
Paul Erickson, director of DVD and HD Market Research at DisplaySearch, is in no doubt these are big factors contributing to Blu-ray’s slow shift into the living room.
Adding to the picture is the emergence of online content delivery as a viable source of HD programming, something that is seen as posing a real threat to Blu-ray’s long-term survival.
“As online delivery services from Netflix, Microsoft and other players continue to evolve and mature over these next few years, and consumer bandwidth increases, there is considerable pressure for Blu-ray to make its mark on the mainstream,” said Erickson.
“Price-based accessibility has remained a significant constraint. Therefore, the recent introduction of a sub-$300 Blu-ray player (by Wal-Mart) is a step in the right direction.”
But what is also needed, according to Erickson, is for more HD programming to be made.
“Should the collective companies and studios with a stake in Blu-ray Disc engage in price aggression on both hardware and software over 2008 and 2009, it will greatly increase the format’s representation in the eventual mix of video content delivery options being utilized by the consumer of the future.” -
Blu-ray awareness and potential rising in the US but barriers remain
High cost and a belief that standard-definition DVD is “good enough” are the main barriers to US consumers purchasing Blu-ray players.
These are the conclusions of a study by the NPD Group, which found that manufacturers still face challenges despite rising awareness of Blu-ray.
The market research company found that 45 per cent of HDTV owners in the US now claim to be familiar with Blu-ray Disc (BD), up from 35 percent in June 2007.
And, while only 6 per cent of all consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a BD device in the next six months, NPD found purchase intent to be higher among the growing population of HDTV owners, boding well for the future of the format.
The report reveals that 9 per cent of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD-capable player in the next six months.
Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD, said: “With HDTVs now in approximately 40 million US households, that percentage translates to a pool of almost 4 million potential BD player buyers.”
While manufacturers still face the challenge of convincing some consumers to ditch standard-definition DVD players and content, those who do appear pleased with the move.
Consumers who purchased a BD set-top player cited “leading-edge technology” and a “superior viewing experience” as primary reasons for making the purchase.
And they indicated a clear preference for BD content. In fact current BD set-top player owners expect that 80 per cent of their upcoming purchases will be in BD rather than standard DVD.
By comparison, 43 per cent of PS3 owners use the BD capability in their consoles at least once a month; however, they do not view BD movies as often as set-top device owners do.
“The door is open for studios to feed the consumer’s appetite for Blu-ray content, and we expect sales to increase, as prices for hardware and software moderate in the coming months,” said Crupnick.
“Even so it will take a concerted effort by manufacturers and retailers to ratchet awareness even further and convince all of those potential buyers of the superiority of Blu-ray Disc versus standard DVD.” -
"Hard" media discs in no danger of disappearing despite advances being made in digital downloading
Blu-ray discs and DVDs are going to survive for another 20 years even though great advances are being made in digital downloading.
That is the belief of Reed Hastings, head of NetFlix, the online rental service, who also stated that he doesn’t think a rival physical optical disc will emerge to challenge Blu-ray.
Speaking at an investors meeting, Hastings said on DVD and Blu-ray wouldn’t be replaced by digital downloads and ray Hollywood studios would continue releasing films on disc.
“Our view is that the studios are going to publish DVD and Blu-ray for another 20 years,” he said. “I don’t think there’s going to be another physical optical disc.”
Hastings said that the DVD/Blu-ray industry would probably not “peak” for 5-10 years.
However, despite his long-term confidence in discs, the executive said the online rental service is aggressively developing online video streaming services.
“We’ve been looking forward to these years for a long time,” said Hastings.
“Our DVD shipments will probably peak in 5 to 10 years … the streaming can be thought of as defensive, protecting our turf, or offensive,” he added.
In the US this month, NetFlix began selling a $99 set-top that enables subscribers to download movies over the Net directly to their TVs.
The company also offers a streaming service at its web site, which is free to subscribers.
Hastings said that NetFlix ultimately could generate 20 million subscribers to video streaming; the company now projects having 10 million DVD subscribers by the end of 2008.
He also said NetFlix is still examining ways to charge more for Blu-ray rentals, an idea floated by the company earlier this year. -
Samsung HDTV earns top slot in customer loyalty survey
Samsung Electronics has come first in a customer loyalty survey in the US for both its HDTVs and DVD players.
The company was winner in the two categories in the Loyalty Engagement Index, a nationwide survey carried out by Brand Keys Customer.
It identifies brands that are best able to engage consumers by meeting or exceeding their expectations, which creates loyal customers.
The report forecasts which products consumers are most likely to purchase over the next 12 to 18 months.
In both the HDTV (LCD) and DVD player categories, consumer preferences were based on product design and performance.
Tim Baxter, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, said: “Winning these awards reaffirms Samsung’s dedication to provide products with a level of design and functionality that enhances any consumer’s home entertainment setup.”
Last year, Samsung won a Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Award for HDTVs (CRT), as well as honours for HDTVs and DVD players in the 2006 edition.
Robert Passikoff, President at Brand Keys, said the Samsung brand had managed to find a niche for itself, where it means something beyond just electronic equipment to the consumer.
“Customers remain loyal to brands that resonate with values and Samsung achieves this by providing products that resonate with the customer,” he said.
“A lot of brands don’t have that connection.” -
Blu-ray recorder sales rising fast in Japan
Sales of high definition Blu-ray recorders are increasing rapidly in Japan as consumers take to the new generation of home movie entertainment.
Last month the more expensive Blu-ray recorders topped the old generation recorders in the value of sales for the first time.
The research firm BCN Ltd said that around a third of machines sold now carry the new format.
Shigehiro Tanaka, BCN chief analyst, said: “Full high-definition picture quality has become a main stream for big-screen TVs, and camcorders with higher picture quality are getting popular, too.
“From the input of data to output, high definition is taking root in Japan.”
The country was at the heart of the format war, which pitted the Blu-ray discs championed by Sony Corp against Toshiba Corp’s HD-DVD discs.
Analysts believe sales of Blu-ray players have been held back, first by indecision over the outcome of the format war and then by high prices.
However, the BCN survey showed April sales for Blu-ray in Japan were almost three times the 12.4 per cent share for both formats in January, before HD-DVD’s demise.
The researchers expect sales of the Blu-ray will rapidly expand in coming months as makers such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd are likely to cut down prices in a lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.