Blu-ray has scored a hit over rival HD-DVD in the battle over next-generation optical disc technology, according to a US poll sponsored by the Blu-ray Disc Association.

A Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50Gb of data and was seen as the preferred format because of its wider support, suitability for PCs and games machines, and its ability to store large amounts of high-definition or standard-definition video and data.

Some 58 per cent of the 1,200 consumers polled preferred Blu-ray, 26 per cent were undecided, and 16 per cent preferred HD-DVD.

"The truth is that consumers don't really care about the format wars. They want a product that serves their needs, and that is Blu-ray," said Paul O'Donovan, principal analyst at Gartner.

"The research is no surprise because of Blu-ray's storage capacity and flexibility. But we still have to see how it pans out on pricing of devices."

Most UK consumers currently buy and hire videos recorded on DVD-Video with a capacity of 9GB and DVD-Data for PCs. As high definition movies become more available a storage capacity of 25GB to 30GB is needed to include the film, trailers and added content.

A selection of Blu-ray players, recorders and computer drives are in development from leading vendors such as Sony, Hitachi and Sharp, as well as PC hardware from HP and Dell. 

Blu-ray is named after the shorter wavelength blue laser that allows it to store more data on the same sized disc than DVD which uses a longer wavelength.