Year-To-Date DVD Sales Reach One Million

Sales of the DVD format reached 1 million units this week, according to numbers released by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). CEMA also announced revised projections for total DVD unit sales (factory to retail) in 1999, increasing previous predictions of 1.8 million to 3 million.""DVD sales continue to vastly outpace introductory sales of VCRs and CDs. It has quickly become a mass market product, demonstrating that consumers want the best possible picture and sound quality they can get. For this reason, DVD is a great harbinger for HDTV ñ people want theatre quality video and sound,"" said Gary Shapiro, President of CEMA.""Typically two thirds of industry sales are made in the second half of the year. If DVD stays on track, volume should reach 3 million before the end of 1999,"" added Shapiro.Shapiro noted that CEMA doesnít expect the absence of Divx to have a negative impact on DVD player sales, ""We saw Divx simply as a product feature.""For more information, contact Jeffrey Joseph at 703 907 7664 or e-mail: jjoseph@eia.org.