See Also

Blu-ray Disc

A Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation optical disc Optical disc

In computing [i], sound reproduction [i], and video [i], an optical disc is flat, circular, usually polycarbonate [i] ... 

 format designed for high-density storage of high-definition video High-definition television

High-definition television is a television [i] broadcasting [i] system with a significantly higher than ... 

 and data.

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Encyclopedia



A Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation optical disc Optical disc

In computing [i], sound reproduction [i], and video [i], an optical disc is flat, circular, usually polycarbonate [i] ... 

 format designed for high-density storage of high-definition video High-definition television

High-definition television is a television [i] broadcasting [i] system with a significantly higher than... 

 and data.

Overview

The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser Laser

A laser is an optical source that emits photons [i] in a coherent [i] beam. ... 

 it uses to read and write to the chalcogenide disc. A Blu-ray Disc can store substantially more data than a DVD DVD

DVD is an optical disc [i] storage [i] media format that can be used for data storage, ... 

, because of the shorter wavelength Wavelength

The wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a wave [i] pattern. ... 

  of the blue-violet laser , which allows more information to be stored digitally in the same amount of space. In comparison to HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

, which also uses a blue laser, Blu-ray has more information capacity per layer . Sony has released 50 gigabyte recordable BDs and will soon be releasing 50 gigabyte BD media discs.
In August 2006, TDK TDK

, formerly , is a Japanese [i] company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic component [i] ... 

 developed a Blu-ray disk with a 200 gigabytes capacity.

History

The Blu-ray standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC Personal computer

A personal computer is usually a microcomputer [i] whose price, size, and capabilities make it suitable ... 

 companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association , spearheaded by Sony Sony

is a Japanese [i] multinational corporation [i] and one of the world's largest media conglomerate [i]s.... 

. It is currently competing with the HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

 format for wide adoption as the preferred next generation optical standard, similar to the videotape format war Videotape format war

The videotape format war was a period of an intense format war [i] of rival incompatible models of video cassette recorders [i] ... 

 between VHS VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard f... 

 and Sony's Betamax Betamax

Sony [i]'s Betamax is the 12.7 mm home videocassette [i] tape recording format introduced in 1975 and de ... 

. As of 2006, neither format has succeeded in supplanting the present home video standard, the DVD DVD

DVD is an optical disc [i] storage [i] media format that can be used for data storage, ... 

.

The Blu-ray Disc Association unveiled their plans for a May 23, 2006 release date at the Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show

The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show [i] held each January in Las Vegas [i] ... 

  in January 2006. Since then, Blu-ray was delayed, but eventually shipped in the U.S. on June 20, 2006.

Currently, a Blu-ray disc can hold a maximum of 50 gigabytes.

Specifications

  • About 9 hours of high-definition video can be stored on a 50 GB disc.
  • About 23 hours of standard-definition video can be stored on a 50 GB disc.


TDK TDK

, formerly , is a Japanese [i] company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic component [i] ... 

 recently announced that they have created a working experimental Blu-ray disc capable of holding 200 GB of data on a single side .

Physical size Single layer capacity Dual layer capacity Sextuple layer capacity
12 cm, single sided 25 GB  50 GB 200 GB TDK
12 cm, double sided 50 GB 100 GB
8 cm, single sided 7.8 GB 15.6 GB
8 cm, double sided 15.6 GB 31.2 GB

Laser and optics

Blu-ray systems use a blue-violet laser Laser diode

A laser diode is a laser [i] where the active medium is a semiconductor [i] similar to that found in a light-emitting diode [i] ... 

 operating at a wavelength Wavelength

The wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a wave [i] pattern. ... 

 of 405 nm, similar to the one used for HD DVD, to read and write data. Conventional DVD DVD

DVD is an optical disc [i] storage [i] media format that can be used for data storage, ... 

s and CD Compact Disc

Cheddar is a village in the district of Sedgemoor [i] in Somerset [i], England [i], situated on the edge ... 

s use red and infrared Infrared

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation [i] of a wavelength [i] longer than that of visible light [i] ... 

 lasers at 650 nm and 780 nm respectively.

Hard-coating technology


Because the Blu-ray standard places the data recording layer so close to the surface of the disc, early discs were susceptible to contamination and scratches and had to be enclosed in plastic caddies for protection. The consortium worried that such an inconvenience would hurt Blu-ray's market adoption in the face of the rival HD DVD standard, as HD DVDs place the data layer farther away from the surface, rather like DVDs. Blu-ray discs now use a purpose developed layer of protective material over the reflective data backing .

Both Sony and Panasonic replication methods include proprietary hard-coat technologies. Sony's rewriteable media are sprayed with a scratch-resistant and antistatic coating.

TDK also announced a way to remedy the problem in January 2004 with the introduction of a clear polymer Polymer

Polymer is a term used to describe molecule [i]s consisting of structural unit [i]s and a large number o ... 

 coating that gives Blu-ray Discs substantial scratch resistance. The coating was developed by TDK Corporation TDK

, formerly , is a Japanese [i] company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic component [i] ... 

 and is called "Durabis". It allows BDs to be cleaned safely with only a tissue. The coating is said to successfully resist "wire-wool scrubbing" according to Samsung Optical technical manager Chas Kalsi. It is not clear, however, whether discs will use the Durabis coating or if the use of the coating will prove too expensive.

Verbatim announced in July 2006 that their Blu-ray Recordable and Rewriteable discs would incorporate their hard-coat ScratchGuard technology which protects against scratches, abrasion, fingerprints and traces of grease.

Software standards


Codecs


Codecs are compression schemes that can be used to store audio and video information on a disc. For video, all standalone BD-ROM players must be able to decode three codec formats: MPEG-2 , H.264/AVC , and VC-1 .

Initial versions of Sony's Blu-ray authoring software only included support for MPEG-2 video, so the initial Blu-ray discs were forced to use MPEG-2 rather than the newer codecs, VC-1 and H.264. An upgrade was subsequently released supporting the newer compression methods so the second wave of Blu-ray titles were able to make use of this. The choice of codecs affects disc cost as well as program capacity. The two more advanced video codecs can typically achieve twice the video runtime of MPEG-2. When using MPEG-2, quality considerations would limit the publisher to around two hours of high-definition content on a single-layer BD-ROM.

For audio, BD-ROM players are required to support Dolby Digital Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression [i] ... 

 and DTS Digital Theater System

DTS, owned by DTS, Inc., is a multi-channel digital surround sound [i] format used for both commer... 

, and linear PCM The standard has optional support for Dolby Digital Plus and the lossless formats Dolby TrueHD Dolby TrueHD

Dolby TrueHD, from Dolby Laboratories [i], is an advanced lossless [i] audio codec ... 

 and DTS HD Digital Theater System

DTS, owned by DTS, Inc., is a multi-channel digital surround sound [i] format used for both commer... 

. The linear PCM 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 formats are mandatory, meaning that one of them may be used as the sole soundtrack on a disc, because every player will have a decoder that can process any of these three bitstreams. For lossless audio in movies in the PCM, Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD formats, Blu-ray discs support encoding in up to 24-bit/192 kHz for up to six channels, or up to eight channels of up to 24-bit/96 kHz encoding. For reference, even new big-budget Hollywood films are mastered in only 24-bit/48 kHz, with 16-bit/48 kHz being common for ordinary films.

For users recording digital television broadcasts, the Blu-ray's baseline datarate of 36 Mbit/s is more than adequate to record high-definition broadcasts. Support for new codecs will evolve as they are encapsulated by broadcasters into their MPEG-2 transport streams, and consumer set-top boxes capable of decoding them are rolled out.

Java software support


At the 2005 JavaOne JavaOne

JavaOne is an annual conference put on by Sun Microsystems [i] to discuss Java [i]... 

 trade show, it was announced that Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems

company_name = Sun Microsystems |
... 

' Java cross-platform software environment would be included in all Blu-ray players as a mandatory part of the standard. Java will be used to implement interactive menus on Blu-ray discs, as opposed to the method used on DVD DVD

DVD is an optical disc [i] storage [i] media format that can be used for data storage, ... 

 video discs, which uses pre-rendered MPEG segments and selectable subtitle pictures, which is considerably more primitive and less seamless. Java creator James Gosling James Gosling

James Gosling, Ph.D [i] is a famous software developer [i], best known as the fath ... 

, at the conference, suggested that the inclusion of a Java virtual machine as well as network connectivity in BD devices will allow updates to Blu-ray discs via the Internet, adding content such as additional subtitle languages and promotional features that are not included on the disc at pressing time. This Java Version will be called BD-J BD-J

BD-J, or Blu-ray Disc Java, is the interactive platform supporting advanced content for Blu-ray Disc [i]... 

 and will be a subset of the Globally Executable MHP  standard. GEM is the world-wide version of the Multimedia Home Platform Multimedia Home Platform

Multimedia Home Platform is an open middleware [i] system standard [i] designed by the DVB [i] ... 

 standard.

There is some concern about the cost of implementing and licensing the Multimedia Home Platform Multimedia Home Platform

Multimedia Home Platform is an open middleware [i] system standard [i] designed by the DVB [i] ... 

 standard. The first generation Blu-ray players are only required to implement a subset of the Java layer, and are not required to support certain features such as Picture-in-Picture Picture-in-picture

Picture in Picture, invented by allows one to watch more than one TV program at the same time on televi... 

, persistent storage, or network connections.

Region codes

The Blu-ray movie region codes are different from the DVD region codes DVD region code

Each DVD [i]-Video disc contains one or more region codes, denoting the area[s] of the world in which di ... 

. The following are the region codes for Blu-ray discs:

Region code Area
A/1 North America North America

North America is a continent [i] in the Earth [i]'s northern hemisphere [i] and almost fully in the western hemisphere [i]... 

, South America South America

South America is a continent [i] situated in the western hemisphere [i] and, mostly, ... 

, East Asia East Asia

East Asia is a subregion [i] of Asia [i] that can be defined in either geographical [i] or cul ... 

 except for China People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , is a country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

B/2 Europe Europe

Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

, Middle East Middle East

The Middle East is a subcontinent [i] for the historical [i] and cultural [i] ... 

, Africa Africa

Africa is one of the greatest sized continents of the Earth.... 

 and Oceania Oceania

Oceania is a geographical [i], often geopolitical [i], region [i] consisting of n ... 

C/3 China People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , is a country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

, Russia Russia

Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country [i] that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia [i] ... 

 and South Asia South Asia

South Asia, also Southern Asia, is a south [i]ern geopolitical [i] region [i] of the Asia [i] ... 

.

Digital rights management


Blu-ray has an experimental digital rights management Digital Rights Management

Digital Rights Management is any of several technologies used by publishers to control access to and usa... 

  feature called BD+ which allows for dynamically-changing keys for the cryptographic Cryptography

Cryptography is a discipline of mathematics [i] concerned with information security [i] and related iss ... 

 protections involved. Should the keys currently in use be 'cracked' or leaked, manufacturers can update them and build them into all subsequent disks, preventing a single key discovery from permanently breaking the entire scheme. Blu-ray also mandates the Mandatory Managed Copy system, which allows users to copy content a limited number of times, but requiring registration with the content provider to acquire the keys needed; this feature was originally requested by HP Hewlett-Packard

The Hewlett-Packard Company , commonly known as HP, is one of the world's largest information technology [i] ... 



. The lack of a dynamic encryption model is what has made DeCSS DeCSS

DeCSS is a computer program [i] capable of decrypting content on a DVD [i] video disc encrypted [i] ... 

 a disaster from the industry's perspective: once CSS was cracked, all DVDs from then on were open to unauthorized decryption . However this new technology, together with Self-Protecting Digital Content , can allow players judged 'bad' to be effectively disabled , preventing their use by their purchaser or subsequent owners. See Advanced Access Content System .

The Blu-ray Disc Association also agreed to add a form of digital watermarking Digital watermarking

Digital watermarking is a technique which allows an individual to add hidden copyright [i] notices or ot ... 

 technology to the discs. Under the name "ROM-Mark", this technology will be built into all ROM Read-only memory

Read-only memory is a class of storage media used in computer [i]s and other electronic devices. ... 

-producing devices, and requires a specially licensed piece of hardware to insert the ROM-mark into the media during replication. All Blu-ray playback devices must check for the mark. Through licensing of the special hardware element, the BDA believes that it can eliminate the possibility of mass producing BD-ROMs without authorization.

In addition, Blu-ray players must follow AACS guidelines pertaining to outputs over non-encrypted interfaces. This is set by a flag called the Image Constraint Token , which restricts the output-resolution without HDCP to 960×540. The decision to set the flag to restrict output is left up to the content provider. According to CED Magazine, Sony/MGM and Disney currently have no plans to down-convert, and Fox is opposed to it as well. Warner Pictures is a proponent of the ICT, and it is expected that Paramount will also implement it . Other studios releasing Blu-ray content have not yet commented on whether or not they will use down-conversion. AACS guidelines require that any title that implements the ICT must clearly state so on the packaging.

Applications


Compatibility

While it is not compulsory for manufacturers, the Blu-ray Disc Association recommends that Blu-ray drives should be capable of reading DVDs for backward compatibility. For instance, Samsung's first Blu-ray drive can read and write CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs.

JVC JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is an international [i] consumer and professional electronics corporation [i] ... 

 has developed a three layer technology that allows putting both standard-definition DVD data and HD data on a BD/DVD combo disc. If successfully commercialized, this would enable the consumer to purchase a disc which could be played on current DVD players, and reveal its HD version when played on a new BD player. This form of hybrid disc does not appear to be ready for production, however, and no titles have been announced that utilize this disc structure.

Stand-alone recorders and game consoles

The first Blu-ray recorder was unveiled by Sony Sony

is a Japanese [i] multinational corporation [i] and one of the world's largest media conglomerate [i]s.... 

 on March 3, 2003, and was introduced to the Japanese market in April that year. On September 1, 2003, JVC JVC

, usually referred to as JVC, is an international [i] consumer and professional electronics corporation [i] ... 

 and Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics, one of the largest electronics [i] companies in the world, is headquartered in Seoul [i] ... 

 announced Blu-ray based products at IFA in Berlin Berlin

Berlin is the capital [i] city and a state [i] of Germany [i]. ... 

, Germany Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

. Both indicated that their products would be on the market in 2005.

In June 2004 Panasonic Panasonic

Panasonic is an international [i] brand name [i] for Japan [i]ese electric products manufacturer Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. [i]... 

 became the second manufacturer to launch a Blu-ray recorder to the Japanese market. Launching in July the DMR-E700BD was one of the first few units to support writing to existing DVD formats, and to single-side dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes.
The launch price of the recorder was $2780 USD, with 50 GB disc costing around $69 USD and the 25 GB disc costing around $32 USD.

Sony has announced that the PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3

[i]

... 

 will be shipped with a 2x Blu-ray drive, likely read-only as is the case with most game console optical drives. According to Sony's press releases, it will support DVD, CD and SACD  formats in addition to BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE. The Japanese release date for PS3 is on November 11, 2006. The release date of the PS3 in North America has been announced for November 17, 2006, and everywhere else in March, 2007. Sony also announced in March 2006 their first consumer Blu-ray disc player the BDP-S1, would be available in stores by July 2006.

On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show

The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show [i] held each January in Las Vegas [i] ... 

 Samsung and Philips announced their first Blu-ray consumer products to the US market. Samsung launched the first Blu-ray player for the US market, the BD-P1000, retailing for $1000 USD and sporting HDMI output with backwards support for most of today's standard DVD formats , while Philips launched the BDP-9000 player. Both players were expected to arrive in stores sometime in 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2006.

On April 13 2006, Panasonic announced their first Blu-ray player for the US market, the DMP-BD10 would be shipping together in late 2006 along with their first commercially available plasma 1080p HDTVs.

PC data storage

Originally, blu-ray drives in production could only transfer approximately 36 Mbit/s , but 2x speed drives with a 72 Mbit/s transfer rate are now available. Rates of 8x or more are planned for the future.

Hewlett Packard Hewlett-Packard

The Hewlett-Packard Company , commonly known as HP, is one of the world's largest information technology [i] ... 

 has announced plans to sell Blu-ray-equipped desktop PCs and laptops. In December 2005, HP announced that they would also be supporting the rival HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

 technology. Philips Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is one of the largest electronics [i]... 

 was scheduled to debut a Blu-ray computer drive in the second half of 2005, but it was also delayed. On March 10, 2005 Apple Computer Apple Computer

Apple Computer, Inc. is an American [i] computer [i] technology [i] corporation [i] with ... 

 joined the Blu-ray Disc Association.

In July 2005, information was leaked about an upcoming Pioneer Pioneer Corporation

is a Japan [i]ese multinational [i] corporation [i] that specializes in digital entertainment products, based ... 

 Blu-ray drive; the OEM BDR 101A Pioneer BDR-101A

The Pioneer [i] BDR-101A is the world's first PC [i] compatible Blu-ray Disc [i] ... 

. On December 27, 2005, Pioneer formally announced the drive which was released in the late second quarter of 2006. The drive writes at 2x on BD-R and BD-RE, 8x on DVD+R and DVD-R, and 4x on DVD-RW and DVD+RW.

Optical heads allowing the reading of CD/DVD/Blu-ray discs have already been developed and are expected to be included after first release of DVD/Blu-ray only drives.

The Panasonic Blu-ray SW-5582 is the first drive to support all 3 formats.

On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show

The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show [i] held each January in Las Vegas [i] ... 

 Philips Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is one of the largest electronics [i]... 

 announced its SPD7000 Triplewriter Blu-ray internal drive for the PC and Blu-ray BD-R/B-RE/BD-RE media discs would be available in 2nd quarter of 2006.

In March 2006 Sony announced a Blu-ray disc player, a VAIO VAIO

VAIO, an acronym [i] for Video Audio Integrated Operation, is a subbrand for many of Sony [i]'s computer [i] ... 

 desktop PC with a Blu-Ray recorder, and a Blu-ray internal PC drive would be released in the summer of 2006.

In April 2006 Panasonic said it would be releasing a Blu-ray internal PC drive in the summer, the LF-MB121JD, priced at $850 USD United States dollar

For details of current paper money [i] and coins, see Federal Reserve Note [i] and United States coinage [i] ... 

. The new drive would be able to comprehensively read and/or write 13 BD / DVD / CD formats, which includes both BD-R/RE formats. It will read both 25 GB and 50 GB dual layer discs and write to them at 2x speeds.

As of June 2006 Sony sold the first commercially available VAIO VAIO

VAIO, an acronym [i] for Video Audio Integrated Operation, is a subbrand for many of Sony [i]'s computer [i] ... 

 AR laptop and RC desktop PCs with a built in Blu-Ray recorder.

In June 2006 LiteOn announced their first internal Blu-ray drive LH-2B1S would be released August 2006 for the UK market. Also in June Plextor announced their first internal 2x Blu-ray drive PX-B900A would be released in 3rd quarter of 2006.

In July 2006 BenQ announced they will be selling a Blu-ray device for the Europe, China and Taiwan markets.

Sony's first after-market Blu-ray drive is announced in July 2006 with shipment due in August.

In August 2006 LiteOn announced their first triple laser internal Blu-ray drive for the US market would be available in 3rd quarter of 2006.

Corporate support


  • On June 30, 2004 Panasonic Panasonic

    Panasonic is an international [i] brand name [i] for Japan [i]ese electric products manufacturer Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. [i]... 

    , part of Matsushita Electric, a founder member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, became the second manufacturer after Sony to launch a Blu-ray consumer product into the Japanese market. The DMR-E700BD recorder supported writing to existing DVD formats, and became one of the first units to read and write to dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes. The launch price of the recorder was $2780 USD.
  • On October 3, 2004 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox

    Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the major American [i] film studio [i]s, ... 

     announced that it was joining the BDA, and on July 29, 2005 the studio officially announced its support for Blu-ray.
  • On December 8, 2004 The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company

    The Walt Disney Company is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world.... 

      announced its non-exclusive support for Blu-ray.
  • On January 7, 2005 Vivendi Universal Games and Electronic Arts announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format.
  • On March 10, 2005 Apple Computer Apple Computer

    Apple Computer, Inc. is an American [i] computer [i] technology [i] corporation [i] with ... 

     announced its support for Blu-ray and joined the BDA.
  • On July 28, 2005 Verbatim Corporation Verbatim Corp.

    The Verbatim Corporation is a US company and it is the worldwide leader in flash-memory producers.... 

    , part of Mitsubishi Chemical Media, announced its support for Blu-ray and HD DVD HD DVD

    HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

     storage format development.
  • On August 17, 2005 Lions Gate Home Entertainment announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format.
  • On September 7, 2005 Samsung Samsung Group

    The Samsung Group is composed of numerous South Korea [i]n business [i] sectors including Samsung Electronics [i] ... 

     confirmed their next-generation of optical drives will support Blu-Ray and HD DVD HD DVD

    HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

     discs.
  • On October 2, 2005 Paramount Paramount Pictures

    Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American [i] motion picture [i] production [i] ... 

     announced they would endorse Blu-ray, while still supplying content on the rival HD DVD -- in order to give consumers a choice.
  • On October 20, 2005 Warner Bros. Warner Bros.

    Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. or simply Warner Bros., is one of the world's largest producers o... 

     announced they would release titles on the Blu-ray format, in addition to HD DVD Video. Of the six largest Hollywood studios, this leaves only Universal Studios Universal Studios

    Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal [i], is one of the major American [i] film studio [i] ... 

     supporting HD DVD exclusively.
  • On November 9, 2005 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced it would support Blu-ray Disc, and plans to have titles available when Blu-ray Disc is launched.
  • On November 19, 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they finished editing the first Blu-ray Disc, a full-length movie, . The disc uses MPEG-2 compression at a resolution of 1920x1080 and claims to use a menu interface that would succeed current DVD-Video interfaces.
  • On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show

    The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show [i] held each January in Las Vegas [i] ... 

     Samsung Samsung Group

    The Samsung Group is composed of numerous South Korea [i]n business [i] sectors including Samsung Electronics [i] ... 

     and Philips Philips

    Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is one of the largest electronics [i]... 

     announced their first Blu-ray players for the US market. Samsung announced the BD-P1000, retailing for $1000 USD and sporting HDMI output with backwards support for DVD formats , while Philips announced the BDP-9000. Philips also announced their all-in-one PC TripleWriter Blu-ray drive and range of Blu-ray medias would arrive in 2nd quarter of 2006.
  • On January 5, 2006, the Consumer Electronics Show Consumer Electronics Show

    The International Consumer Electronics Show is a trade show [i] held each January in Las Vegas [i] ... 

     displayed Blu-ray movie titles with the 1080p logo on the case.
  • On January 12, 2006 Digital Playground, a prominent pornographic movie studio, announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format.
  • On March 7, 2006 Sony announced it would be shipping rewriteable single-layer 25 GB 2x speed Blu-ray discs to Europe, with dual-layer discs arriving later in the year.
  • On March 16, 2006 Sony announced a Blu-ray disc player, the first VAIO VAIO

    VAIO, an acronym [i] for Video Audio Integrated Operation, is a subbrand for many of Sony [i]'s computer [i] ... 

     desktop PC with a Blu-Ray recorder, and a Blu-ray internal PC drive would be released in the summer of 2006. The VAIO PC would be shipped with a free 25 GB Blank BD-RE Blu-ray disc worth $25 USD United States dollar

    For details of current paper money [i] and coins, see Federal Reserve Note [i] and United States coinage [i] ... 

    .
  • On April 3, 2006 Blueray, an Italian videoproduction company, announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format.
  • On April 10, 2006 TDK announced in a press release that it began shipping 25 GB BD-R and BD-RE media . TDK also announced that it would be releasing 50 GB BD-R and BD-RE media later this year .
  • On May 16, 2006 Sony announced its first VAIO notebook computer that will include a built-in Blu-ray burner with a 17" WUXGA display capable of displaying 1080p . The VAIO shipped in June including software to play Blu-ray movies and an HDMI-A input for other HD devices.
  • On May 17, 2006 Pioneer Pioneer Corporation

    is a Japan [i]ese multinational [i] corporation [i] that specializes in digital entertainment products, based ... 

     shipped BDR-101A Pioneer BDR-101A

    The Pioneer [i] BDR-101A is the world's first PC [i] compatible Blu-ray Disc [i] ... 

    , a PC-based Blu-ray burner drive.
  • On June 15, 2006, Samsung announced the industry's first BD-P1000 player had begun shipping to US retail stores for availability on June 25 2006.
  • On June 29, 2006, Plextor announced their first internal Blu-ray drive PX-B900A would be released in 3rd quarter of 2006.
  • On July 11, 2006 Human Computing announced that it is shipping the first Blu-ray PC software.
  • On July 18, 2006 Verbatim Corporation Verbatim Corp.

    The Verbatim Corporation is a US company and it is the worldwide leader in flash-memory producers.... 

     announced that it was shipping its ScratchGuard coated BD-R and BD-RE Blu-ray recordable and rewriteable discs to stores in Europe, with discs priced between £20 and £24 .
  • On August 16, 2006 Sony announced shipment of 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray recordable disks with a suggested retail price of $48.
  • On August 31, 2006 Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems

    company_name = Sun Microsystems |

... 

 joined the BDA

The BDA has over 170 members. Its Board of Directors consists of representatives from Apple Computer Apple Computer

Apple Computer, Inc. is an American [i] computer [i] technology [i] corporation [i] with ... 

 Corp.; Dell Dell

Dell Inc., an American [i] computer-hardware [i] company based in Round Rock [i] ... 

, Inc.; Hewlett Packard Hewlett-Packard

The Hewlett-Packard Company , commonly known as HP, is one of the world's largest information technology [i] ... 

 Company; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics LG Electronics

LG Electronics is an affiliate of the South Korea [i]n LG Group [i] which produces electronic products. ... 

 Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Mitsubishi Electric

is a Japanese [i] company based in the Tokyo Building in Tokyo [i], manufactures [i] elec ... 

; Panasonic Panasonic

Panasonic is an international [i] brand name [i] for Japan [i]ese electric products manufacturer Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. [i]... 

 ; Pioneer Corporation Pioneer Corporation

is a Japan [i]ese multinational [i] corporation [i] that specializes in digital entertainment products, based ... 

; Royal Philips Electronics Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , usually known as Philips, is one of the largest electronics [i]... 

; Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics, one of the largest electronics [i] companies in the world, is headquartered in Seoul [i] ... 

 Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation Sharp Corporation

is a Japanese [i] electronics [i] manufacturer, founded in 1912 [i].
... 

; Sony Corporation Sony

is a Japanese [i] multinational corporation [i] and one of the world's largest media conglomerate [i]s.... 

; Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems

company_name = Sun Microsystems |
... 

; TDK Corporation TDK

, formerly , is a Japanese [i] company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic component [i] ... 

; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the major American [i] film studio [i]s, ... 

; Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures is an American [i] film studio [i], with off-shoot studios in Japan [i] ... 

 and Television; Warner Bros. Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. or simply Warner Bros., is one of the world's largest producers o... 

 Entertainment.

Alternatives


The primary rival to Blu-ray is HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

, championed by Toshiba Toshiba

is a multinational [i] high technology [i] electrical and electronics [i] manufact ... 

, NEC Corporation NEC

NEC Corporation is a multi-national information technologies [i] company headquartered in Minato [i] ... 

, Microsoft Microsoft

company_name = Microsoft Corporation
... 

, and Intel Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation , founded in 1968 [i] as Integrated Electronics Corporation and based in Santa Clara, California [i] ... 

. HD DVD has a lower theoretical disc capacity per layer , but currently benefits from correspondingly lower manufacturing costs for both pre-recorded and recordable media. In addition, since no Blu-ray movie titles have shipped on 50 GB dual-layer discs, HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

 currently features more real-world capacity . Blu-ray detractors believe that the 50 GB disc is unlikely to ever be cost effective, while Blu-Ray proponents expect BD media manufacturing costs to approach those of HD DVD, once production volume has ramped. All Blu-ray movies currently released have been on single-layer 25 GB discs. Sony's goal is to reach the standard of 50 GB dual-layer discs capable of storing four hours of high-definition MPEG-2 video content, but up to this point in time the cost of mass producing dual-layer Blu-ray discs has been too high. Alternatively, studios releasing movies on Blu-ray may choose to switch to VC-1 or H.264/AVC in the future, allowing four hours of high-definition content to fit on a single layer BD disc.

In terms of audio/video compression, Blu-ray and HD DVD are similar on the surface: both support MPEG-2, VC-1, and H.264 for video compression, and Dolby Digital , PCM, and DTS for audio compression. The first generation of Blu-ray movies released used MPEG-2 , while initial HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

s releases used the more efficient VC-1 codec. Blu-ray proponents point out that Blu-ray permits a higher maximum video-bitrate, as well as potentially higher average bitrates . In terms of audio, there are greater differences. Blu-ray allows conventional AC-3 audiotracks at 640 kbit/s, which is higher than DVD/HD DVD's maximum, 448 kbit/s. On the other hand, Dolby Digital Plus support is mandatory for standalone HD DVD players at a maximum of 3 Mbit/s, while only optional for BD players and capped at 1.7 Mbit/s.

On November 29, 2004 four Hollywood studios announced non-exclusive agreements to support HD DVD HD DVD

HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

. Since that time, Paramount and Warner have chosen to release titles in both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Blu-ray is a very similar format to PDD Professional Disc for DATA

Professional Disc for DATA is a recordable optical disc [i] format which was introduced by Sony [i] in 2... 

, another optical disc format developed by Sony but offering higher data transfer speeds. PDD is not intended for home video use and is aimed at business data archiving and backup. The UDO Ultra Density Optical

Ultra Density Optical is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format design ... 

 format is also aimed for similar purposes.

Other competitors:
  • Digital Multilayer Disk – the successor technology to Fluorescent Multilayer Disc
  • Forward Versatile Disc – red laser Laser

    A laser is an optical source that emits photons [i] in a coherent [i] beam. ... 

     format
  • Holographic Versatile Disc Holographic Versatile Disc

    Holographic Versatile Disc is an optical disc technology still in the research stage which would greatly... 

     - standards with 200 and 300 GB storage are under development and prototypes expected in 2008
  • Versatile Multilayer Disc

Released titles


The first Blu-ray titles released on June 20, 2006 were Hitch, The Fifth Element The Fifth Element

The Fifth Element is a science fiction [i] action movie [i], directed by Luc Besson [i], starring Milla Jovovich [i] ... 

, House of Flying Daggers, , 50 First Dates, XXX by Sony Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc., abbreviated to SPE, is the television [i] and film [i] producti... 

; and The Terminator The Terminator

The Terminator is a 1984 [i] science fiction [i]-action film [i] featuring body-builder [i] ... 

by MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

company_name = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.... 

.

To date, 55 titles have been released and a further 53 have been given release dates for 2006. All titles currently released are on 25 GB single-layer Blu-ray discs. Apart from 3 VC-1 and 2 AVC encoded titles all current releases use MPEG-2 video compression.

On September 5 2006 Warner released the first 3 titles using VC-1 encoding, Blazing Saddles, Firewall and Lethal Weapon.A further 6 VC-1 encoded titles , Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Corpse Bride

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is a 2005 [i] Academy Award [i]-nominated stop-motion-animation [i] ... 

, Swordfish Swordfish

Swordfish are large, highly migratory, predator [i]y fish [i] characterized by a long, flat bill in cont ... 

, Space Cowboys, The Fugitive, Lethal Weapon 2 and House of Wax, were released on September 26. On November 28 2006 Warner will release their first 50 GB title, Superman Returns Superman Returns

Superman Returns is a 2006 [i] superhero film [i] based on the fictional [i] ... 



On September 19 2006 Disney released the first two titles to be encoded using AVC, namely Eight Below and The Great Raid The Great Raid

The Great Raid is a 2005 war film [i] which tells the story of the January 1945 liberation of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp [i] ... 



On November 14 2006 Fox will be releasing their first 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray title, Kingdom of Heaven. Sony will release their first dual-layer titles, Layer Cake and Black Hawk Down. Other titles, , Fantastic Four Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is Marvel Comics [i]' flagship comic book [i] superhero [i] team, created by Stan Lee [i] ... 

and the recent remake of The Omen The Omen

The Omen is a 1976 [i] suspense/horror film directed by Richard Donner [i] and starring Gregory Peck [i] ... 

 will be released on the same day and will be using AVC encoding and DTS HD Lossless Master Audio.

See also


... 


  • HD DVD HD DVD

    HD DVD is a next-generation optical [i] disc [i] format designed for high-den ... 

  • Professional Disc for DATA Professional Disc for DATA

    Professional Disc for DATA is a recordable optical disc [i] format which was introduced by Sony [i] in 2... 

  • Format war
  • Holographic Versatile Disc Holographic Versatile Disc

    Holographic Versatile Disc is an optical disc technology still in the research stage which would greatly... 



References


External links

  • by Hugh Bennett
  • - BDA web site
  • - Includes pictures and a comparison of HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
  • - Comparison of HD DVD and Blu-ray
  • - 200 GB BD-RE with 6 Layers
  • - JVC Develops World's First Blu-ray/ DVD Combo ROM Disc Technology
  • - FAQ for Blu-ray, HD DVD, EVD, FVD...
  • - An up-to-date list containing all movies announced for Blu-ray with release dates



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