Wednesday, November 5, 2008 9:17 PM CST
Blu-ray beginning to take hold, say local video store managers
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
In its infancy — you know, like, earlier this year — the Blu-ray format won out over HD DVD as the standard for high definition video and data storage.
Now in those awkward teenage years, Blu-ray hasn’t quite caught on yet like the CD and DVD before it, but there are signs Blu-ray is poised to transition from novelty to run-of-the-mill, according to local video store managers.
“It’s starting to pick up,” said Marie Miles, manager of Premier Video in Mattoon.
The main obstacle now standing in the way of Blu-ray’s dominance is the cost of equipment, said officials. Blu-ray players are still $200 or more, while the Sony PlayStation 3, which is Blu-ray compatible, is hovering in the $400 to $500 range.
“After the holidays, we expect the Blu-ray DVD players to sell better, because the price will be coming down,” Miles said.
And this could be the snowflake that tips the avalanche.
Family Video in Mattoon was one of 10 stores to pilot Blu-ray for the company, which also has a store in Charleston, and the Mattoon manager said the success of the trial program has prompted Family Video to implement Blu-ray at all of its locations.
“We’re getting more in with every shipment,” said Abbie Johnson, manager of the Mattoon Family Video.
She said releases of standard DVD titles are accompanied now by no more than three Blu-ray versions; however, Johnson also anticipates an increase in Blu-ray disc availability once the cost of players begins to decline.
At Family Video in Mattoon, there is a $1.25 price difference between Blu-ray and standard DVD rentals for new releases. The Mattoon store has approximately 100 titles with Blu-ray versions, Johnson said.
The Charleston store was not part of the test program, but manager Michael Madden said Blu-ray should arrive there “very soon.”
“We’ll build our inventory over time,” he said, noting that interest in Blu-ray already is high in Charleston, especially among Eastern Illinois University students who own PS3s.
“We’ve had quite a few ask about it,” he said.
Premier Video offers one or two Blu-ray discs for 75 film titles at present, according to Miles. There is no difference in the rental price between standard DVD and Blu-ray at her store, she said.
Most of the renters own PS3s, said Miles. “We’re seeing a lot of gamers come in and rent the Blu-ray because they already have the machine,” she said.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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