Rick Clancy, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Sony, has written a blog post stating regarding counterpoints about the purported demise of Blu-Ray. While there has been several news stories recently about the format having trouble reaching critical mass, it is obvious to many of us here that Blu-Ray is the future and has the storage potential to survive. I could see the momentum with Blu-Ray even when Sony and other companies first showed off related products back at CES in 2006. Obviously, it is a few years since then but if you compare the adoption of DVD and Blu-Ray the format is doing well, and there are way more obstacles getting in the way of Blu reaching success, some of which DVD never faced.
Recently, an European marketing manager of Samsung, the world second-largest seller of BD players (after Sony), said to the press that the format only “has five years left.” Rick Clancy has this to say (and other things) in response:
- First of all, there are millions of BD-based PlayStation 3 videogame consoles in consumers’ homes around the world and this number is growing fast as the device is introduced to new global markets and to new consumers every day. I believe the value of this product is only going to increase for many years to come — perhaps a decade — as developers realize the true power of PS3 in the new games they create, and as the device’s real world features like Blu-ray compatibility blend with new virtual and, yes, networked world features like PSN and Home.
- Second, Hollywood has only scratched the surface as far as Blu-ray movie and television titles are concerned. As we witnessed with DVD, you can expect thousands and thousands of high-definition titles to becoming to a Best Buy, Wal-mart and Blockbuster near you — not to mention via the mail through Netflix.
- Third, consumers by the millions are making the digital transition and purchasing fabulous flat-panel HDTV sets, including Sony’s high-performing BRAVIA LCD line. They’re investing hundreds and, in many cases, thousands of dollars for these sets, which feature full HD, 1080p resolution. And once they have HDTVs like these, you better believe they’ll invest a few hundred dollars more for a dedicated Blu-ray player or PS3 console to get the most out of their precious new home entertainment acquisitions.
- And fourth, while the world of networked entertainment is now emerging and Sony will be one of the leaders in its emergence, the reality of getting full high-definition video content quickly and efficiently downloaded to millions of American homes around the country where broadband is still evolving (not to mention many countries around the world) is still a ways off.
He goes on to mention that “Oh, and for those expressing doubts about BD player sales, while we’d always like more, at Sony Electronics here in the U.S. we are doing quite well in this regard.” Sony has forecasted that they will sell at least 13.1 million Blu-Ray related devices (.6 mil Recorders, 2.5 million Players, and 10 million PS3’s) in FY08, according to their Q1 FY08 reports. Q2 FY08 reports will be available next month so we’ll see how things have evolved.
