More HD DVD players than Blu-ray players in America. Still. In 2009.

In frankly amazing news even to me, a new Harris Poll shows that over a year and a half since the format war ended there are more Americans with HD DVD players than with Blu-ray players, and in fact 2009 was a pretty good year for HD DVD players, in 2008 6% of Americans had an HD DVD player and now 11% do! As the article says, "Interest in Blu-ray remains lukewarm" which put a big grin on my face.

It can't just be ticked-off HD DVD users (like me and most of my friends & ex-workmates) that are resisting the lure of BD. I'm sure the high prices of the media and the still-confused BD Profile story are having more effect, and the recession can't be helping either. With Managed Copy finally getting nearer reality that's another reason to put off buying a player now and instead wait until managed-copy-capable hardware comes out next year.

Just in case there is any confusion after my April Fool post, this is all real: hit the links to see the data, the actual numbers are in the PDF.

Comments

• Anonymous
  June 18, 2009
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  June 18, 2009
  One thing to note - it looks like the poll didn't combine PS3 and stand-alone Blu-ray, nor the 360 HD-DVD drive and the stand-alone. That makes the total 14% HD-DVD; 16% Blu-Ray. Sorry...

• Anonymous
  June 18, 2009
  Krenn: I realize that, but only 2% difference is still amazing. Plus the data is clear that people can answer with more than one option, so simply adding PS3/Xbox percentages together isn't necessarily going to be accurate anyway.

• Anonymous
  June 18, 2009
  It actually makes me angry to hear this.  HD-DVD is still a superior product where Blu-ray is currently flaunting features that HD-DVD had from the start.  I have BR now but am STILL buying HD-DVD's from my local stores for $5cdn a piece!  

• Anonymous
  June 18, 2009
  You can resist BD all you want on principle, but you're only denying youself.  I have a Samsung BD player that also does Netflix and Pandora streaming, so it is a very useful device.  Blu-Ray Discs on my 46" LCD and absoultely beautiful.  Upconverted DVDs look great too.

• Anonymous
  June 19, 2009
  Peter: I find it ironic that the BD standard, in 2009, still doesn't mandate an internet connection and yet the only interesting current BD players are those with Netflix capability which of course requires such a thing. I have Netflix on my Xbox already thanks and Pandora on my Sonos: I don't want to have to turn on my TV to listen to music.

• Anonymous
  June 19, 2009
  Andy, I understand you had a lot personally invested in seeing HD-DVD accepted.  But the reality is BD "won" the war and if you want new HD content it's going to be on BD. Someday we'll get HD content delivered on demand and that will be awesome, but until then it's going to come on a physical disc and that disc is BD. I don't have an Xbox or PS3, so I find my BD player very useful.  I can play BD, DVD, CDs, use the Netflix and Pandora streaming all in one device.  I'm sure HD-DVD players could have done all the same things, but that's kind of a moot point now.

• Anonymous
  June 21, 2009
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  June 29, 2009
  Turns out the BDA are unhappy with the results of this survey (surprise): http://www.twice.com/blog/Reporters_Notebook/17400-BDA_Blasts_Harris_Poll.php?nid=2402&rid=6277977&source=title

• Anonymous
  July 09, 2009
  Once I finally got a nice big plasma HDTV last December, I bought a Sony Blu-ray player to use with Blu-ray discs from Netflix. It was only $180. However, I refuse to buy ANY Blu-ray discs. The reality is now I probably watch more stuff streamed to the Roku player now.

• Anonymous
  July 09, 2009
  Hi Adam! Yeah, I don't even get to use my 100" screen any more, else I know would miss watching stuff in HD. On my little-ole-32" streaming is good enough. I did recently pick up the last ever HD DVD (Death Proof) just for old times sake.

• Anonymous
  December 27, 2009
  Am sad HD-DVD lost, to be honest i think the studios should have kept producing on both formats and phased out standard dvd if they wanted hi def to take off, suprised to hear that it is still going strong after the plug was pulled but i would pressume that is down to the big price cuts for the hardware, I have the hd-dvd add on for the xbox360 and am quite happy with the 100+ movies i have on hd and it also upscales very well. Wont be going to blu ray as am getting sick of chasing technology and upgrading. When friends ask about buying hidef movies i just tell them to read the reviews first as some older movies on hidef don't look any better than standard cause the studios havn't done any remedial work on them, and have just stuck it on the hidef format to get it on it.