Domestic shipments of DVD players were up 92.6 percent in April from a year earlier to 185,000 units, posting a surge in the runup to the World Cup finals, an industry group said Wednesday.
The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association attributed the sharp rise to lower prices for DVD players and an increase in DVD titles.
However, demand for DVD recorders was particularly strong due to the upcoming soccer finals, it added.
Shipments of liquid crystal display color TV sets also showed strong growth, rising 27.6 percent to 67,000 units in April. Demand for large-screen TVs was especially robust, the association said.
Shipments of videocassette recorders meanwhile fell 16.8 percent to 372,000 units, down for the 14th consecutive month, it said, noting the VCR market has moved closer to saturation.
The value of shipments of consumer electronics equipment rose 0.8 percent from a year earlier to 150.6 billion yen, marking the first year-on-year rise in 10 months, the association said.