German disc replication line maker Singulus technologies recorded new orders for Blu-ray Disc production machines from Germany for the first four months of 2012. Independent German and European movie companies are releasing more of their titles on Blu-ray.

The past year saw record disc sales in the domestic market. According to the German Association of Audiovisual Media (BVV) these results are mainly attributable to the strong growth of the Blu-ray format. In 2011, BD sales volume increased by 41% to 17 million discs.

In value, BD sales rose 39% to €267 million and are already accountable for almost one fifth of total disc sales volume.

In Germany, more than 5,000 movies were already available on Blu-ray Disc as of the end of 2011. In the 1st quarter 2012, 731 additional titles were published on Blu-ray - a rise of about 47% compared to the same period in 2011.

Disc sales parallel the sharp growth of Blu-ray players. According to forecasts by the industry association Bitkom, based on GfK figures, approximately 2.3 million Blu-ray players are expected to be sold in Germany this year. As a result the German Blu-ray market moves to the top of the European league.

Story filed 18.05.12