Netflix predicts Blu-ray boom

But the majority of us are still sticking to standard DVDs

22 October 2008 10:51 GMT / By Katie Scott

DVD rental company Netflix is predicting that the falling price of Blu-ray players will drive up Blu-ray rentals.

The US-based company says that this quarter, around 500,000 of its 8.7 million subscribers will be Blu-ray subscribers in the current quarter.

But it is hoping that a new billing scheme - which added $1 to the fee its members pay monthly - in order to pay for unlimited access to high-definition Blu-ray movies - will mean that the HD format will gain more fans.

The additional cost reflects the fact that Blu-ray discs are still significantly more expensive than standard format DVDs.

The $1 additional fee will be added to bills from the beginning of November, but only for subscribers who had already been hiring Blu-ray movies.