Blu-ray players are not flying off retailers’ shelves, at least not in the numbers the industry might hope for, according to a new consumer survey from ABI Research. There is a widespread reluctance to commit to a Blu-ray player in the near future: over half of the 1,000 respondents, citing “other priorities,” say they have no plans to purchase one; a further 23% are likely to buy, but not until sometime in 2009.
ABI Research principal analyst Steve Wilson said in a statement that much of the lukewarm response can be attributed to consumers’ perceptions about the value proposition that Blu-ray delivers. “Consumers were happy to embrace standard DVD when that format arrived because the improvement in quality over VHS videotapes was dramatic. Standard DVD didn’t require the purchase of a new TV either. In contrast, while half of the respondents to our survey rated Blu-ray’s quality as ‘much better’ than standard DVD, another 40% termed it only ‘somewhat better,’ and most are very satisfied with the performance of their current DVD players.”
High Blu-ray player prices and the need for an accompanying HD television were also leading barriers to wider adoption, the survey showed. “We expect that player prices will remain above $300 for Tier One models for the remainder of this year,” says Wilson. Look for disc bundling to become the buyers’ incentive.
