High-volume shipments of Blu-ray players, most of which feature network connectivity, are finally making inroads into the broader disc player and recorder market, reports In-Stat.

By 2013, Blu-ray player shipments will still lag slightly behind the 90 million DVD player unit shipments. However, higher average selling prices will put Blu-ray player revenue at more than 4 times as large as DVD player revenue, the research firm says.

"In North America, significant price drops of Blu-ray players drove unit shipments to triple in 2009," says Michelle Abraham, In-Stat analyst. "The cost differential between standard definition DVD and Blu-ray is becoming much smaller and new features such as IP/network connectivity are becoming increasingly important. Blu-ray is finally starting to make significant advances market."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

- Shipments of network-enabled Blu-ray players/recorders will approach 80 million units by 2013.
- 18% of US survey respondents with at least some interest in purchasing a Blu-ray player cited cost as a barrier.
- Japan dominates the market for Blu-ray recorders. Europe is the largest revenue market for Blu-ray players.
- The key semiconductor providers supporting the Blu-ray and DVD player/recorder market include Broadcom, NEC, MediaTek, Sunplus and Zoran.