Scottsdale, Arizona- Worldwide DVD player shipments started to decline in 2006 while shipments of DVD recorders continued to rise steadily. Sales of DVD player units declined from 126.4 million in 2005 to 124.8 million in 2006, and DVD recorder sales rose from 14 million in 2005 to 16 million in 2006, according to high-tech market research firm In-Stat. Meanwhile, the format battle over the HD laser disc continues with no resolution in sight. “Currently, there is no clear-cut winner in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format war,” says Alice Zhang, In-Stat analyst. “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.” DVD player sales in Japan peaked in 2003 and North American and European DVD player shipments peaked in 2005. Shipments will continue to decrease in those regions this year, In-Stat predicts. In 2006, DVD player shipments in Japan totaled 2.45 million and recorder shipments reached 3.482 million, while in China DVD player shipments hit 24 million.