Futuresource: 8.4 Million 4K Blu-ray Discs to be Sold in 2017

13 Feb, 2017 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Consumer adoption of UHD is mainstream; less so for HDR

Buoyed by consumer adoption of 4K television and increased content selection, about 8.4 million 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs will be sold in 2017, according to new from Futuresource Consulting.

The London-based research firm said the 4K tally would represent 4% of global Blu-ray Disc sales.

Indeed, year-end numbers revealed 110 Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc titles in the market, with 250 titles projected by the DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group to be available in 2017. According to the Consumer Technology Association, about 10 million 4K Ultra HD TVs were shipped in 2016, representing nearly $10 billion in consumer spending. By the end of 2017, CTA projects there will be 30 million 4K Ultra HD TVs in the market. In addition, approximately 300,000 Ultra HD Blu-ray players shipped last year.

Without providing sales numbers, DEG reported “first-year sales data shows consumers are enthusiastically embracing” Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, buying films and TV shows “at a faster pace than they did” in 2006 when two high-definition disc formats, Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD, were launched.

4K BD unit sales last year in France topped 60,000 following their retail debut in late April.

Futuresource said UHD digital sellthrough has yet to gain significant traction, but this could change if major pay-TV operators support and sell the format. Another driver is the reported potential launch of a 4K content store from Apple.

“This would certainly be a key game-changer in the mass market march for Ultra HD availability,” read the report.

Meanwhile, strong consumer adoption for Ultra HD does not necessary trickle down to high dynamic range, or HDR, which the report contends is more subjective an improvement than UHD.

“Consumers remain largely uneducated about the advantages of HDR and there is a risk of alienating them due to the recent trend of branding displays HDR compatible, ones which can receive an HDR content stream but cannot reproduce it. With this multi-stage introduction of UHD and associated picture improvements, clear information to the consumer is paramount,” Tristan Veale, market analyst at Futuresource, said in a statement.

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