While Blu-ray video sales are supposedly not yet at the level required to make up for a lagging North American home video market in general, a survey commissioned by Warner Home Video nevertheless suggests that Blu-ray media still stands to pick up steam... from PlayStation 3 owners. Backed by this survey, Warner Home Video president Ron Sanders explains at Screen Digest's PEVE Digital Entertainment conference that the percentage of total console usage by PS3 owners spent watching Blu-ray video content increased to 23 percent during the first two months of 2008, up from 15 percent back in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Sanders cited Sony's marketing of the PS3's Blu-ray features as a factor behind the increase in Blu-ray movie viewership. Indeed, Sanders believes the number of PS3 owners actually using the PS3 as a Blu-ray media player on the side increased from 53 percent last September to 80 percent in early 2008. Such figures could help play down concerns that the PS3 itself is holding back Blu-ray growth, due to the public's ignorance/apathy over the hardware's built-in Blu-ray functionality.

Screen Digest meanwhile looks to temper what it fears is premature enthusiasm, especially considering how the timeframe covered in the survey just so happens to be the typically busy Holiday season. How will things look down the road for Blu-ray movies on PS3? Good thing the PS3 can still rely on retail Blu-ray games!

The timing of the Warner research, which was carried out in late 2007 and early 2008, means it is impossible to quantify how much the usual Christmas gift-giving season (and subsequent increase in new BD homes) would have increased consumer spending on BDs without the promotions - or, indeed, whether the uplift is sustainable. Furthermore, the relative lack of strong games titles for the PS3 over this period is also likely to have contributed to the console's use as a BD player. Nonetheless, the sheer size of the PS3 installed base means that even a minimal increase in average per household BD buy rates could have a substantial impact on total hi-def software sales, a fact which played a major role in Warner's decision to abandon Toshiba's HD DVD format in favour of Blu-ray earlier this year