Blu-ray reaches 60% awareness in two years

Santa Monica (CA) - More than 10 million households in the US now have a high-def disc player and more than half of the country is aware of the Blu-ray Disc format, according to a new study from Interpret.

Interpret, which studies media trends, surveyed consumers aged 18 - 54 and found that 60% knew what Blu-ray is. The survey was actually conducted in January, before Blu-ray became the declared winner of the HD format war.

Among the lower half of that demographic, the so-called "early adopter" group of 18- to 34-year-olds, 76% were aware of the Sony-fronted high-def disc medium.

The research firm’s chief strategy officer Jason Kramer noted that awareness was only the beginning, though. "The format war is over, and they’ve taken Blu-ray from zero to majority awareness, but it doesn’t get easier from here, unfortunately," he said.

Unlike the transition from VHS to DVD, going from DVD to Blu-ray effectively requires to consumer to also upgrade their TV set from standard definition to HD. "It’s an intermediate step DVD didn’t have ... but we’ve got the digital switchover taking place, which is a good thing, because the fact that you are replacing your TV means people will be thinking they might as well get an HDTV," said Kramer in a Reuters story.

Currently, high-def disc players have reached less than 10% of all American households. DVD players, meanwhile, are present in over 90% of the country’s homes.