DVDs still not the common household item?
I remember when there was the big revolutionary boom when Betamax was kicked to the curb in favor of the VHS. In the years to come, it would be superceded by the DVD player. Or is it?
According to a recent reported conducted by Centris, DVD players aren't just replacing the VCR on top of the living room TV set. The DVD technology is permeating numerous consumer electronics products as well as the PC universe. Here's the breakdown as expressed in a press release issued earlier this afternoon...
For the first five years since console players hit the street in April 1997, the focus has very much been on the installed base of these set-top devices, which according to CENTRIS's most recent monthly report in early June 2003 (over 6 years after launch) is 41.7 million households.
This should not be confused with other widely published supply-side industry numbers that reflect unit shipments. This consumer data shows that 25% of the 41.7 million homes own multiple DVD console players. "As the rate of growth in console sales slows --sales do continue as the price drops and multi player households increase -- expansion to the installed base is coming from other platforms, which the studios simply cannot ignore," says Jerilyn Kessel, Co-founder of CENTRIS.
The specific devices are DVD ROM drives in PCs, DVD-enabled video game players such as Sony Playstation 2 and the Microsoft X-Box and the more recent surge of portable (including auto) DVD players. "Growing ownership of these devices expands the DVD console installed base by 45%, to what we refer to as the 'DVD enabled' installed base of 60.3 million households," Kessel reports.
<b>Expanded DVD Installed Base - An Abstract</b>
<ul type="square">
<li> 16% of all households have a DVD console only and no other DVD
devices; 7% have a DVD ROM only, 5.4% have a DVD-enabled Video
Game system only and 2.5% have only a Portable DVD player.
<li> DVD ROM only households really do watch DVDs on their PCs. In
fact, about 800,000 rent at least one DVD each month and about
900,000 purchase at least one DVD each month.
<li> The largest pairing of devices is console and ROM at 8.1% of all households followed by console and video game at 5.1%. From another CENTRIS analysis we know that DVD console & ROM combo owners are the most active in the software market.
<li> Sony Playstation 2 owners are 3-4 times more likely to put a
DVD in their game console than are X-Box owners.
</square>