It’s not nearly the sort of penetration that DVD players see, but a new report states that 17% of homes in the United States now own a Blu-ray player. Home Media Magazine reports that, by comparison, DVD players are in more than 95% of homes and Netflix is in around 15%.
With Blu-ray players now reaching the 17% mark, that means that the number of them in the U.S. has doubled since 2008. PlayStation 3 systems remain the top Blu-ray player, according to a Centris report; 47% of people watch Blu-ray discs on a PS3 as compared to the 45% who watch on dedicated Blu-ray players. Even as recently as six months ago, the PS3 held a two-to-one advantage over dedicated players. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the inclusion of Blu-ray was actually the number one reason behind PS3 purchases. Also of note is the fact that 1.7 million households own both a PlayStation 3 and and a dedicated Blu-ray player.
Although DVDs are purchased and rented more than Blu-ray, the households with a Blu-ray player rent and buy discs more often than those with only a DVD player. The report notes that for Blu-ray players to grow substantially, they’ll need to outpace sales of the PlayStation 3.
