The most successful home entertainment device in history
The New York Times on the rise of the DVD....
"It is the most successful home entertainment device in history," said Warren Lieberfarb, president of Warner Home Video. "In five years, it has gone from zero to 30 million households, and a quarter of those have more than one DVD player. Nothing else has come close to doing that in such a short time, not CD's, not VCR's, not personal computers, not even television itself."
...In 2001, $10.3 billion was spent in the United States to buy copies of films for home use, of which $5.4 billion, or 52 percent, went for DVD's. Adams Media Research estimates that in 2002, $12.4 billion will be spent, with $8.1 billion, or 65 percent, going for DVD's.
"The initial release of the motion picture in movie theaters is becoming, to a large extent, little more than a preview trailer for the subsequent purchase of the DVD," said Martin W. Greenwald, president of Image Entertainment, which produces dozens of pop-music and DVD titles for the retail market.