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If you take the word of Sony President, Ryoji Chuchabi, the company appears to have some big plans for Blu-ray before the year is out. Certainly that is the case if details from a press conference in Taipei, at which Chubachi was talking about Sony's plans to extend its presence in the Blu-ray market, are anything to go by.

Chubachi suggested that Blu-ray has about 20 per cent market share in films, which it plans to extend to 50 per cent by the end of this year. With HD DVD now long gone and consumers finally able to buy into an HD format assured that it won't be made redundant in a few months, that might not be as ambitious an aspiration as it initially may seem.

Currently the company is relying primarily on the PS3 to promote Blu-ray, but going forward other products, including IT devices like the AR61ZU notebook, will also be pushed to consumers.

A quick gander around various online retailers suggests that pricing for Blu-ray versions of films versus regular DVDs now seems to have hit a reasonable level - on average around a £5 premium for going high-def. I know I'd happily pay the extra anyway. Of course a majority of consumers are less tech savvy than those of you reading this site, and it's them Sony needs to persuade and educate.

Chubachi also touched on the possibility of Sony launching an HDTV with an integrated Blu-ray recorder. Presumably that would be coupled with some manner of PVR facility, allowing recorded programmes to be transfered to a physical disc to free up hard drive space. Such a set would, realistically, have a fairly limited appeal but nonetheless it's a great example of the ways in which Sony plans to innovate in order to bolster market adoption of its format. Interesting times are ahead it seems.

Link:
DigiTimes report.

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