According to the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), US, sales of Blu-ray discs in the US grew substantially by 58 % in the 3rd quarter 2011 compared with the same quarter one year ago.

The number of households equipped with Blu-ray players increased by another 52 % year-over-year to 33.5 million households. For the first time since 2008 also total sales in the home entertainment segment rose by 5 %, DEG found.

It is expected that the "Black Friday" and the upcoming Christmas activities will result in an additional boost in sales. During this year?s Black Friday on November 25 Blu-ray players will already be offered below US$ 40, while most of them are available for $100, incuding some that can also be connected for Internet streaming.

Several special offers for blockbusters on Blu-ray disc and new releases in the coming months suggest a further rise in demand. The new releases of successful box office hits of diverse genres such as "Lion King", "Titanic" and "Star Wars: Episode I" in 3D are only the beginning. In addition to numerous new movies, which will be released on Blu-ray, "Lord of the Rings" and the announced sequel of "Avatar" will further increase the demand for physical storage media in the next couple of years.

One of the hottest gifts this holiday season won't be easy to wrap and will definitely have trouble fitting under any tree. DEG said that 60"-plus high-definition TVs are shaping up as one of the strongest retail sellers this holiday season. According to the Digital Entertainment Group, consumers are either upgrading to big, 60"-plus HDTVs or accelerating their conversion from cathode-ray tube televisions.

By December 31st, some 1.3 million 60"-plus HDTV sets are expected to have been sold for all of 2011, up 50% from a year ago, with a substantial number of those sold in the final quarter during this holiday season.