Alongside lip gloss, cereal bars, bottles of mineral water and hair straighteners, Blu-ray Disc players will now be included in the UK’s official inflation calculations after Government statisticians looked into the contents of people’s homes and handbags to assess how the nation’s spending habits have changed.
Each year, the Retail Price Index and Consumer Price Index (a list of about 650 items which are used to measure the rate of inflation) are refreshed to ensure that they represent the types of products the nation is buying. This year, Blu-ray Disc players have been included for the first time – demonstrating that they have reached a significant stage in consumer penetration.
Lavinia Carey, Director General, British Video Association commented: We welcome the news that Blu-ray players have been added to the UK’s shopping basket of goods and services. We see this as a milestone moment for Blu-ray that reflects consumers’growing appreciation of high-definition and what the format has to offer. With over 57% of households now owning an HDTV, sales of Blu-ray players – the technology that gives you the best high definition movie experience – are going to continue to grow throughout 2010, particularly in the run up to the FIFA World Cup as even more people make the move to HD.
The full press release from the British Video Association can be read here.
