Blu-ray Set to Drive Home Video Growth, Study Finds

Blu-ray will drive the growth of the home video market during the next decade, despite its "relatively minor" impact right now, according to a new study.

"The State of Home Video" from SNL Kagan says that Blu-ray will reach 59.7 percent market share and $13.1 billion in revenue in 2014, hitting 73.8 percent and $15.6 billion by 2017.

But Blu-ray's reign may be short lived, according to the study, which expects video-on-demand to increasingly impact high-definition DVD.

"The current economic climate, however, will slow the growth of [Blu-ray] and likely keep it from reaching the heights that it may have in better times," says Wade Holden, analyst at SNL Kagan.

"VOD services will continue to improve in both technology and content over the next decade and begin to draw consumers away from Blu-ray and DVD by 2017."

The study expects the number of high-definition DVD homes to be at 115.2 million by 2017, with 98.8 million homes capable of video-on-demand via high-speed Internet.

The study also finds:

• in 2010, Blu-ray player revenue will hit $1.3 billion
• mass-market penetration will occur in 2013 when revenue hits $6.9 billion
• currently, standard-def DVD comprises 97.1 percent of the home video market

We want to know what you think.

Will Blu-ray's reign be short-lived? Is it the driving force for home video this decade? Let us know in a comment below.