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Blockbuster Customers Trending Toward Blu-ray DVD

DALLAS — Video rental chain Blockbuster Inc. said on Monday that more of their customers prefer Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray DVD format to rival format HD DVD, and it will put Blu-ray discs into 1,700 of its 8,000 stores worldwide.

Blu-ray rentals are "significantly outpacing HD DVD rentals," the company said in a statement. The company will continue to offer both Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles through its online rental service, and in some 250 brick-and-mortar stores.

This follows the statement last week by Toshiba lowering their expected 2007 North American HD DVD player sales-target from 1.8 million units to 1 million.

Blu-ray's high-definition digital technology offers crisper pictures and more room for special features than current DVDs. HD DVD offers lower storage capacity than Blu-ray, but claims cheaper production of players, burners and discs. Consumers seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude regarding the two formats.

HD DVD discs are still available at retailers including Best Buy, Amazon and Wal-Mart Stores. Rental companies including Movie Gallery Inc. and Netflix Inc. also offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Sony's PlayStation 3 video-game console comes with a built-in Blu-ray player, raising the sales and profile of the Blu-ray format. Sony shipped 5.5 million PS3s and sold 3.6 million in Sony's fiscal year that ended in March.

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