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1 in 10 PCs fitted with next-generation drives next year
About one in 10 personal computers sold next year will have either a Blu-ray or HD DVD drive built in, claims a Panasonic executive in a recent interview.
“The adoption of blue-laser optical disc drives (ODDs), Blu-ray Disc and/or HD DVD, built into desktop and notebook PCs will increase from less than 1% of all PCs in 2007 to 10% in 2008,” said general manager Masayuki Kozuka for the Storage Device Business Strategy Office of Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) in an interview with DigiTimes.
Currently, Japan is the market promoting blue-laser consumer electronics the most around the world. BD or HD DVD players as a percentage of all disc players/recorders sold in Japan has risen from 14.8% in 2006 to 20% in 2007 and is expected to grow to 50% in 2008, Kozuka is reported to have said.
While Blu-ray standalone players are still quite expensive, several companies, including Pioneer and Philips/LG recently unveiled relatively affordable Blu-ray disk drives for desktop PCs, whereas Toshiba offers cost-effective HD DVD drives for both desktops and laptops.
Story filed 10.12.07
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