DVD, Steag und Singulus (mT) - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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http://home.t-online.de/home/Rigobert_M.Haupert/atgesamt.htm


DVD sales see hot growth projections
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
December 30, 1999, 4:00 a.m. PT

Booming DVD sales may be an indication that the VCR could soon be headed the way of the eight-track player.

DVD players were so hot in 1999 that the Consumer Electronics Association twice revised its sales estimates to match current
growth. In the end, sales will likely more than double original projections.

"DVD is the fastest-growing consumer electronics product," said Ann Saybolt, a staff director with the Consumer Electronics
Association (CEA).

In November alone, retailers sold 450,000 DVD players, while 3.4 million units have gone out the
door for the year so far, according to CEA. For 1999, the group anticipates 4 million players will be
sold. Earlier, the CEA predicted sales would come to 1.8 million and then 3 million units.

And DVD`s growth isn`t just reserved for the living room. DVD-ROM drives will surpass CD-ROM
drives in computers by 2001, analysts said.

All told, the high-capacity storage technology`s time seems to have arrived. DVD was once
considered too pricey for computers and too risky as a replacement for VHS tapes, but both PC
makers and entertainment companies have now embraced the medium.

Their confidence is well placed, as DVD player and movie sales heated up most during the
holidays. Different DVD players were the three top-selling online items Christmas week for
Crutchfield, a Charlottesville, Va.-based catalog and online electronics retailer. For the month,
DVD players led Crutchfield online sales, while overall unit volume sales tripled between December
1998 and December 1999.

"The popularity of DVD players at Christmas bodes well for next year," said Dan Hodgson, senior vice president of merchandising
for Crutchfield.

For Best Buy, which sold out of DVD players last Christmas, DVD is big business.

"Along with the other new digital technologies, DVD is really driving holiday sales," said Best Buy spokeswoman Joy Harris.
Overall, DVD revenue outpaced video revenue, which includes VCRs and tapes, at the stores.

Falling DVD player prices have been an important factor driving sales. Crutchfield estimates that prices are 20 percent lower than
last December.

"One reason DVD is taking off this year more than a year ago is that price points have come down so that now it`s OK to buy [at]
$199," Harris said. "Last year our lowest price point was in the $299 range, and obviously that $100 price drop drives more
purchases."

The availability of new movie titles is also feeding the DVD frenzy.

"If you compare it to a year ago, many of the movie studios weren`t supporting DVD," said Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix.com.
"Disney wasn`t in, and some studios were only occasionally releasing things, with most major titles coming out later on DVD."
Hastings estimates studios now release about 100 new DVD movies each week.

Business is also booming at Netflix.com, which rents DVD movies online. The company is moving about 100,000 DVD rentals a
week, and, with holiday demand, is out of many popular titles.

Best Buy, which at one time stocked as many as 12,000 VHS movies, has been clearing space for DVD titles. The
Minneapolis-based retailer now stocks only about 2,000 VHS movies, compared to 1,500 DVD titles, and expects to make more
room for DVDs.

DVD, once disdained by movie studios, now gets top billing on new releases. "When titles debut, DVD is outselling VHS in
blockbuster titles like `Saving Private Ryan,`" Harris said. The exception is kids` movies, which continue to sell better in VHS
format.

Besides strong consumer electronics DVD demand, DVD-ROM drive sales in PCs are picking up rapidly.

There were 94.9 million CD-ROM drives sold this year compared with 13.4 million DVD-ROM drives, either in PCs or as add-on
devices. But DVD will gain quickly, said Disk/Trend president James Porter, who added, "1999 we think is the peak year for
CD-ROM drives."

Disk/Trend estimates that by 2001 DVD-ROM sales will pass CD sales, 60.3 million units to 56.8 million, respectively. By 2002,
consumers will buy 92.8 million DVD drives, with the majority being sold as built-in features of PCs, compared to 30.3 million CD
drives.

Hewlett-Packard is making big moves into DVD, as well as CD-RW, or recordable CD drives. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based PC
maker next month will revamp its Pavilion line of consumer PCs, shipping half with DVD drives. "We don`t go much for `bleeding
edge` technology," said HP spokesman Ray Aldrich. "We go for relevant technology that consumers are interested in buying."

"People use the computer and watch a few DVDs, and say, `Wow, this is a great experience.`" Hastings added. "Then they spend
200 bucks and get a player for the living room."

Despite DVD`s progress, VHS movies and VCR players will likely continue to sell as long as they are recordable and DVDs are
not.

"There`s a better quality technology available," said Harris. "So people are doing DVD players in the parents` space and the VCR
goes into the kids` recreation room or bedroom."

[Homer_Simpson]

Habe folgende Meldung zum Thema bekommen:

DVD-Boom ungebrochen

DVD-Player werden den Videorecorder möglicherweise schon bald ablösen. Die DVD-Branche boomt - schon zweimal musste der US-Verband für Unterhaltungselektronik CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) die Zahlen nach oben korrigieren. Mittlerweile sieht es so aus, als ob die Verkaufszahlen im kommenden Jahr doppelt so hoch sein werden wie ursprünglich angenommen. "DVD ist das am schnellsten wachsende Produkt der gesamten Unterhaltungselektronik," so die CEA-Direktorin Ann Saybolt.

Die Branche hat vor allem vom Weihnachtsgeschäft profitiert. Allein im November gingen im Einzelhandel 450.000 DVD-Player über die Ladentheke. Bei zahlreichen Händlern waren die Geräte schon nach kurzer Zeit ausverkauft. Über das Jahr verteilt wurden laut CEA-Schätzungen rund 4 Millionen DVD-Player ausgeliefert.

Aber nicht nur DVD-Player, auch DVD-ROM-Laufwerke sind der Renner. Den Marktforschern von Disk Trend zufolge wurden in diesem Jahr rund 13,4 Millionen DVD-Laufwerke - einzeln oder in PCs - verkauft. Bereits im Jahr 2001 werden sie die CD-ROM-Drives in PCs völlig ersetzen, so die Analysten.

Der DVD-Boom ist vor allem auf die sinkende Hardware-Preise zurückzuführen. Der US-Händler BestBuy schätzt, dass die Preise mittlerweile 20 Prozent niedriger sind als vor einem Jahr.

Aber auch die zunehmende Verfügbarkeit von Filmtiteln auf DVD heizt die Nachfrage an. "Vor einem Jahr unterstützten viele Filmstudios DVD noch nicht", so Reed Hastings, Chef des DVD-Verleihers Netflix.com. Hastings schätzt, dass inzwischen rund 100 neue Filme pro Woche auf DVD erscheinen.

Beim BestBuy räumt man bereits die VHS-Regale, um Platz für DVD-Titel zu schaffen. Während früher zeitweise 12.000 verschiedene VHS-Filme zu haben waren, liegt diese Zahl inzwischen bei 2000 Stück. Auf DVD sind rund 1500 Titel verfügbar (PC-WELT, 30.12.1999, sp).


Homer