Blu-ray body bites back at HD DVD sales claims

Recent claims made by the European HD DVD Promotion Group that Toshiba HD DVD players currently account for 74 per cent of European next-gen optical disc players are "misleading" because they exclude PS3 and PC drive sales, the organisation's opposite, the Blu-ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee, has alleged.

The Blu-ray lobbyist said the HD DVD PG's figures were "misleading and misrepresentative" of real market trends in Europe. It said that if console and PC hardware sales were taken into account then Blu-ray sales would account for around 95 per cent of all next-gen hardware sales.

The HD DVD PG said when it published the figures that they only covered dedicated next-gen optical disc players and not devices that offered support for such media as one feature among many.

Both HD camps, which are currently under investigation by the EU Commission, are fighting with equal ferocity over sales prices.

American super-conglomerate Wal-Mart has begun selling Sony's BDP-S300 Blu-ray player for $488, rumoured to be one of the lowest prices currently available, along with two free films.

Toshiba apparently isn't taking Wal-Mart's offer lying down. It's rumoured that the HD DVD vendor is to offer a $99 HD DVD player for one week at the Home Media Expo show, taking place in Las Vegas this week. The catch: it costs almost as much as an undiscounted HD DVD player to buy a ticket for the show.