NPD study indicates consumer interest in Blu-ray is growing

[BBlue]

Study: Consumer Interest In Blu-ray Growing
But both high-def formats still lagging behind standard DVDs.
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (February 8, 2008) -- Consumer interest in Blu-ray players is growing while interest in HD DVD is flattening.

That's according to a new study from the NPD Group, as reported by Video Business.

NPD notes that consumers' desire to buy Blu-ray players has risen since Warner Bros. announced last month that it would endorse the high-def disc format. The decision has given Blu-ray a 5-2 advantage over HD DVD among major studios.

The research study found that 8.1 percent of consumers said they "intended" to buy a Blu-ray player, compared to 6.3 percent late last year.

The consumer intent to buy HD DVD is still slightly higher than for Blu-ray, but NPD says it has declined since Thanksgiving.

Despite the improvement for Blu-ray, NPD also says that less than 10 percent of consumers say they plan to buy a player in either format in the next six months.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/blustudy020808.htm