Blu-ray Movies Outselling HD DVD 2-to-1

Although it appears to be outpacing Blu-ray in turns of actual player sales, HD DVD disc sales are struggling to keep up, with Blu-ray outselling its rival by a 2-to-1 margin in the first half of 2007, according to Home Media Research.

Total sales of discs in Sony's Blu-ray format totaled 1.6 million from January 1 through July 1, while HD DVD sales amounted to only 795,000. Movie rental company Blockbuster says Blu-ray rentals are much higher than HD DVD rentals, leading the company to choose Sony's format for the majority of its stores.

It's not clear if the sales figures include bundled discs, like those included with Sony's PlayStation 3 game console. The PS3 has made up the vast bulk of Blu-ray player sales, and HD DVD claims its attach rate -- the number of movies purchased per player -- is much higher than its rival.

Still, it's far too early in the era of next-generation DVDs to make any long-term assumptions. In total, only 3.7 million high-definition discs have been sold - 2.2 million in Blu-ray and 1.5 million HD DVD. These numbers pale in comparison to the amount of standard-definition DVDs sold every month.

But consumers are starting to take note, and this holiday season could prove pivotal to both high-definition formats as player prices drop below $200. This month, "300" became the fastest selling high-definition movie, with 190,000 copies sold on Blu-ray and 97,000 on HD DVD.