SCOTTSDALE, Arizona - Market research company In-Stat reported last week that worldwide shipments of DVD players are in slight decline, from 126.4 million units in 2005 compared to 124.8 last year, while sales of DVD recorders are rising steadily, increasing to 16 million in 2006 from the 14 million units sold the previous year.

In-Stat's report, Next-Generation DVD Players and Recorders, said combined worldwide sales of DVD players and recorders reached 141.2 million units last year. Peak sales of DVD players in North America were recorded in 2005, but have since slowed.

DVD wars, pitting Blu-ray disc formats against HD DVD players, are not helping retailers move either product, the report said. Even industry attempts to introduce dual-format players will not resolve the confusion consumers are experiencing.

"In-Stat believes that the universal combination player, which plays both HD-DVD and Blu-ray technologies, will not be a sustainable solution as it exists today, as its current price is higher than the price to purchase the two players separately," stated In-Stat analyst Alice Zhang.

The In-Stat release includes forecasts for DVD player and recorder unit sales, revenues, and average selling prices by region through 2011.

For more information, visit http://www.in-stat.com/.