The North American HD DVD Promotional Group marked the first anniversary of the format’s hardware and movie debut in the United States by reporting that deck sales have reached more than 100,000 units.
The Group said the figure does not include sales of HD DVD PC drives or the Xbox 360 HD DVD player, and it claimed that its deck sales are currently higher than its rival format, Blu-ray. When including Sony’s PS3 game system sales, Blu-ray sold more than HD DVD, according to a recent Nielsen VideoScan report. Blu-ray hardware began shipping in the United States during the fourth quarter of last year.
The HD DVD Promotional Group cited “the manufacturing efficiencies of HD DVD” that has brought the price for a deck below the $400 mark.
Jodi Sally, marketing VP of Toshiba America Consumer Products, said in the statement, “Toshiba remains committed to drive sales with strategic pricing and marketing to complement the rapid market adoption of HDTVs. Retailers are showing a significant increase in sales volume this month so far. On Amazon.com, our HD DVD players continue to rank among the top 10 best sellers of all DVD players, which says a lot about how consumers relate to price.”
“The Complete Matrix Trilogy” will be released in HD DVD during May from Warner Home Video, and more than 70 new titles are expected to be released before the end of July.
