DVDS BECOMING MORE UBIQUITOUS.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

Nearly 14 million DVD players were sold to U.S. consumers during the first six months of 2005 - a 6 percent increase over the year before - and shipments of DVD titles were up by 20 percent, according to a midyear report released Tuesday by the Digital Entertainment Group.

Since the launch of the DVD format eight years ago, more than 140 million players have been sold to consumers including set-top and portable players, DVD recorders, home-theater-in-a-box systems, and DVD/VCR combinations. This brings the number of DVD households in the U.S. to 75 million.

While the DEG's numbers reflect growth, the numbers reveal a slowing of the DVD boom, which enjoyed explosive growth during its first seven years.

Among the types of players continuing to grow in popularity are car DVD systems, which are now offered as standard features in 22 new-vehicle models. Portable DVD player sales are projected to grow 57 percent versus last year, the DEG said.

``DVD is increasingly impacting all aspects of consumers' lifestyles, transcending beyond the living room into every room of the home, as well as into cars and a variety of portable devices for use on the go,'' said Mike Fidler, vice president, DEG and senior vice president, home products, Sony Electronics. Also in strong growth mode are DVD recorders, which saw shipments more than double during the first six months of this year compared with the same time period in 2004.

The industry-funded nonprofit DEG also reported Tuesday that in the first half of 2005, more than 770 million DVDs were shipped to retailers, a 19 percent increase over the same period last year. This brings the total number of units shipped since the launch of the DVD format to nearly 4.7 billion discs and approximately 47,000 different titles.

Among the top-selling titles so far this year are ``The Incredibles,'' ``Shark Tale,'' ``Meet the Fockers,'' ``National Treasure'' and ``Ray.'' DEG Vice President Peter Staddon, executive vice president of marketing for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, said DVD sales were initially driven by film enthusiasts who built large libraries and have reached a saturation point.

Now other factors and genres are driving sales, although at a somewhat slower pace, Staddon said.

``Today, the industry is also experiencing solid growth from a number of other genres, including TV on DVD, music on DVD, family fare and special interest, as evidenced by the impressive array of titles available from expanded distribution channels.''

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com