I hate to say I told you so, but
today's PriceGrabber.com gadget report on Black Friday sales, once again proves my opinion that this
Christmas will be a "black" Blu-ray Christmas! My opinion goes against conventional wisdom that Blu-ray won't succeed, and that streaming HD using
Roku/Netflix, and cable providers offering HD content is now closing the window of opportunity for Blu-ray. I'm not buying that theory. Additionally, several other articles, including
CRN's Consumers Not Planning a Blu-Ray Christmas article and
Register Hardware's 'A Blu-ray Christmas? Don't bank on it' don't believe my opinion that
it will be a Blu-ray Christmas.
The most popular products on Black Friday - specifically look at #3, the Blu-ray player:
- Nintendo Wii Console
- Ugg Australia 'Classic Short' Boot (how about that!)
- Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player
- Samsung LN52A650 52" LCD TV
- Nintendo Wii Fit
- Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42" Plasma TV
- Sennheiser HD 555 Headphones
- Canon EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit
- Acer Aspire One AOA110-1295 Notebook
- Canon PowerShot A590 IS Black Digital Camera
Out of all the possible gadgets in the world, a Blu-ray player ranks #3.
Also, as
previously blogged, here are the Top 10 categories and percent growth over Black Friday 2007. Once again look at #3, which sports a 147% increase!
- Women's Boots - 203%
- Watches - 202%
- Blu-ray/HD-DVD Players - 147%
- Women's Sleep & Lounge Wear - 415%
- Games & Puzzles - 151%
- Women's Jackets - 110%
- Music - 96%
- Headphones - 103%
- Women's Dresses - 107%
- Women's Casual Shoes - 143%
As I mentioned yesterday, I'm l keeping my eye on Amazon for any Blu-ray specials. (see:
Amazon Blu-ray player special prices). Today, I see a Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
for just $198! I might just get
my brother-in-law a nice Blu-ray player after all!