CES: Future of Blu-ray optimistic, analysts say

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) each year has a handful of different technologies that stand out to attendees, and Blu-ray has been one of those technologies for two years now.  The struggling format has had an up and down battle since becoming the lone HD format in early 2008.

I’ve written about Blu-ray struggling numerous times, but a quick tour of the show floor during CES shows numerous companies that have heavy financial investments in the technology.  Sony, Panasonic, Visio, Pioneer and others have introduced new products during the show, and willl continue to rely on the format to generate sales.

During the Blu-ray Disc Association’s press conference at CES, there are now 1,100 Blu-ray movies available, with 24 million total discs sold last year — just 5.67 million were sold in 2007.

A recent article published discussed the pit falls of the  Blu-ray technology and how manufacturers continue to suffer despite being the only high-definition format available.

I chatted with several analysts and journalists regarding Blu-ray, and they all painted different pictures of what will happen in the future.  There are several analysts who are optimistic about the future of Blu-ray, as prices continue to slide further downhill.

"I’ve gone from being conservative for 2008 to now, for 2009, being cautiously optimistic," DisplaySearch analyst Paul Erickson told Associated Press.  "We will continue to see steady and stable increases in Blu-ray disc demand."

"Several of the research analyst participants admitted they have revised their hardware projections upward in light of Blu-ray’s pacce.  Analysts believe that the emerging $200 to $300 pricing for many Blu-ray players made them the perfect family gift this year.  With so many new models announced for this year at CES, that pace is unlikely to let up in 2009," Video Business reported.

An editor of a major Japanese news web site said he has seen a growing demand for Blu-ray in Japan, but the overall market share of Blu-ray isn’t impressive.

A random selection of 50 attendees at CES revealed just 12 of the people had Blu-ray players in their house, excluding the PlayStation 3.

Despite what analysts say about the future of Blu-ray, manufacturers must strike now while they can, as streaming and downloading content — with HD libraries continuing to grow — appear to be more viable for consumers.