HD DVD stand-alone players have 60% market share

HD DVD Promotional Group says 75,000 movies sold on format last week of May

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 6/11/2007

Warner releases The Matrix Trilogy on HD DVD on May 22.

JUNE 11 | Following a reduction in pricing, HD DVD players command 60% of the high-definition stand-alone market, according to the North American HD DVD Promotional Group.

To date, consumers have bought 150,000 dedicated HD DVD players.

In May, Toshiba lowered pricing on its base models to $299 from November’s $499 tag. Toshiba’s higher-end players are dropping as well, including the HD-A20, the price of which will fall to $399 this month from earlier April $499 pricing.

The HD DVD Promotional Group also touted that 75,000 HD DVD movies sold during the last week in May. That corresponds to the availability of the some of the most elite releases to date on the format, including The Matrix.

“Toshiba’s latest promotional efforts are clearly resonating with consumers and showing that price is king when it comes to hardware,” said Craig Kornblau, chair of the North American HD DVD Promotional Group and president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “Behind the increase in sales for hardware and movies, you’re seeing fundamentally lower manufacturing costs and ease of authoring for HD DVD. That’s the type of model that can scale.”

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