DVD player unit sales fell to 124.8 million worldwide in 2006 from 126.4 million in 2005, according to In-Stat's "Next-Generation DVD Players and Recorders Worldwide" report.



Sales of DVD recorders rose 16 million in 2006 from 14 million in the year before. Combined DVD player and recorder sales reached 141.2 million units in 2006.

"Currently, there is no clear-cut winner in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war," said Alice Zhang, In-Stat analyst, in a statement.

"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," Ms. Zhang said.

North American and European DVD player shipments peaked in 2005. Japan reached its peak for DVD player sales in 2003.