LOS ANGELES: Continuing a slow but steady decline that began last year, consumer home video spending slipped 3.7 per cent in the first half of the year, to $US10.9 billion, according to preliminary estimates from Home Media Retailing's market research department. Video purchases are down 3.6 per cent, to $US7 billion, while rentals fell 3.9 per cent to $US3.9 billion. Studio executives aren't surprised, saying that the now-mature DVD business has become increasingly product-driven. More than 80 per cent of US households now have at least one DVD player, and the last wave of consumers to ditch the VCR isn't buying nearly as rabidly as the early adopters. This pattern is reflected in the fact that overall sales of new releases are down about 7 per cent from first-half 2005. [More]