Blu-Ray sales off to a slow start

LONDON, March 3 (UPI) -- The promise of high definition video has made only a sluggish start in retail stores, an online consumer review Web site in Britain said.

Figures on Reevoo, the Web site, show that high definition Blu-Ray technology has not displaced the convenience of the video stalwart, the standard DVD player, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

Through the Christmas shopping season, DVD sales exceeded Blu-Ray sales 10 to one, Reevoo figures show.

The price difference with the cloud of a recession hanging overhead may make the difference. DVD players can be bought for as little as $15, while Blu-Ray players average $334, the newspaper said.

Competition from easier movie downloads on the computer or through set-top boxes may also explain the slow start to the Blu-ray player, said to provide sharper images, especially for action films, the Telegraph said.

Home entertainment manager at Reevoo Samuel Bostock said, "the death of the VCR and the cassette saw the end of the chore of rewinding tapes. The convenience of downloads and wider availability of flexible digital content, suggests impatience with the eject button which may be partly why Blu-ray isn't capturing the imagination."