Blu-ray: A 2008 Holiday Hit?

TVPredictions.com:
PriceGrabber.com says sales of the high-def disc player are booming.
Washington, D.C. (December 2, 2008) -- Newspapers across the nation reported over the weekend that many Black Friday shoppers purchased sub $200 Blu-ray players. Some publications called the high-def disc player one of the hottest items on consumers' shopping lists.

"Flatscreen TVs, Blu-Ray players, vacuum cleaners and toys were selling fast at a Wal-Mart store at Fairfax, Va," Money/CNN reported Friday. One newspaper said a $128 Magnavox Blu-ray player was sold out by 9:30 a.m. at another Wal-Mart.

But now two new reports have emerged that could give substance to the speculation that the 2008 holiday season could be a turning point for the high-def disc.

First, the National Retail Federation reported Monday that Blu-ray players were among the top-selling items during Black Friday weekend.

And today, PriceGrabber.com said that the Blu-ray player was the third hottest item during Black Friday weekend, trailing only "women's boots" and watches. The site, which monitors online shopping prices and trends, says online sales of Blu-ray players rose 147 percent compared to last year.

In addition, Sony's BDP-S350 was the third most popular product on Black Friday, PriceGrabber.com reported, trailing only Nintendo's Wii and the Ugg Australia 'Classic Short' boot.