Blu-ray disks outsell HD DVD in the US

Though the next-gen video format war is not yet over, it is becoming increasingly clear which way the tide of battle is turning. Today, analysts at Home Media Research (via Reuters) reported that Sony's Blu-ray Disc format is now outselling Microsoft-backed HD-DVD in the US at a ratio of nearly two-to-one. Between January 1 and July 1, a total of 795,000 HD-DVDs were sold, versus 1.6 million BDs. As of the end of July, 2.2 million BDs and 1.5 million HD-DVDs have sold since they both hit the market last year.

At a recent event, Toshiba claimed that standalone HD DVD players were outselling Blu-ray players (not including the PlayStation 3) in the US by 55 to 45 percent.

Home Media Research cited sales of the popular film 300 to illustrate the differences between the two formats. After being released on home video on July 31, the film has sold 190,000 units on Blu-ray and 97,000 units on HD-DVD. The article also referenced the fact that Blockbuster is supporting Blu-ray exclusively as a factor behind the format's increasing sales momentum. In Australia, JB HiFi has announced it is also supporting Blu-ray exclusively in stores.

Curiously, the article did not mention the PlayStation 3, which plays Blu-ray discs without any additional hardware. The Xbox 360 supports HD-DVD playback via an AU$250 peripheral.