Blu-ray Will Never Replace DVDs in PCs Says Analyst

Less than four percent of new computers have Blu-ray drives.

As we all know, Blu-ray has become an increasingly popular format, sales of both Blu-ray discs and players are higher than ever, and the format war is long behind us, but when it comes to PCs, Blu-ray has a long way to go.

With DVD drives now standard on modern PCs, Blu-ray drives are surprisingly low in the mix. Installed on only 3.6% of new computers shipped this year, consumers seem hard pressed for a reason to make the switch.

iSuppli’s senior analyst Michael Yang believes that the price of Blu-ray content is a factor, but not the only factor. “The cost issue is amplified by the fact that the library of content is so small that there really isn't a reason for users to switch at the moment”.

Also a factor is the lack of a need for Blu-ray as a storage medium. Very few programs require multiple DVDs for installation or use, and aside from size, Blu-ray offers little advantage as a storage medium. The difference between floppy discs and CDs was massive, and the transition to DVDs was primarily due to storage size and read times.