About 45% of HDTV owners in the U.S. now claim to be familiar with Blu-ray Disc (BD), up from 35% in June 2007, according tp market research firm NPD Group. And, while only 6% of all consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a BD device, NPD found purchase intent to be higher among the growing population of HDTV owners, boding well for the future of the format.

NPD's 2008 Blu-ray Disc Report reveals that 9% of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD-capable player in the next six months. 'With HDTVs now in approximately 40 million US households, that percentage translates to a pool of almost 4 million potential BD player buyers,' according to Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

Nevertheless, manufacturers still face challenges. Although HD-DVD is no longer a competitive threat, many consumers are content with standard-definition DVD players and content. The leading reasons cited as barriers to purchase were a perceived high cost of BD players and a belief that standard-definition DVD is 'good enough.' 

Ba. And, while only 6 percent of all consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a BD device, NPD found purchase intent to be higher among the growing population of HDTV owners, boding well for the future of the format.

NPD's '2008 Blu-ray Disc Report' reveals that 9 percent of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD-capable player in the next six months. 'With HDTVs now in approximately 40 million US households, that percentage translates to a pool of almost 4 million potential BD player buyers,' according to Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

Nevertheless, manufacturers still face challenges. Although HD-DVD is no longer a competitive threat, many consumers are content with standard-definition DVD players and content. The leading reasons cited as barriers to purchase were a perceived high cost of BD players and a belief that standard-definition DVD is 'good enough.'