As next-gen sales numbers on DVDs still number in the hundreds and sometimes maybe a few thousand (rather than in the hundreds of thousands or millions, as standard DVD at its peak), one title both incompatible formats now have in common is "Planet Earth," the widely acclaimed BBC documentary produced over five years with the help of an HD camera-equipped gimbal attached to the underside of a helicopter. (TV Technology, Feb. 21, 2007).
The multipart series, which recently garnered high viewer numbers in its U.S. premiere on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD, was ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc charts, in figures recently released for the week ending May 6. The high chart positions were not a surprise, although the fact that the HD DVD version outsold the Blu-ray version of the same title is perhaps noteworthy, although sales numbers were very close.
While Blu-ray continues hanging onto a healthy edge in overall market share for the week (60 percent versus 40 percent), the HD DVD version of "Planet Earth" sold 100 copies for every 95 copies of Blu-ray, according to High-Def Digest.
