The perfect way to begin 2012.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 11, 2000 -- With more than 1 million units sold in the fourth quarter of 1999, the DVD market soared over the holiday season, just-released stats show. With many retailers struggling to keep players in stock, at least one outlet was reporting holiday increases in DVD hardware and software in the triple-digit range. "It was a huge item at Christmas," Warner Home Video Vice President of DVD Marketing Steve Nickerson said in a statement. "Some retailers thought they were overstocked but ended up selling out." Despite early naysaying and a frontal assault from a well-financed competitor, the DVD format has not only survived, it has become arguably the most successful consumer-electronics product launch in history. With more than 5.4 million players sold since its bow in 1997, the DVD format is expected to hit the 8 million-players-so