Blu-ray News and Updates

Dracula (1958) 4K Blu-ray

Posted September 2, 2026 09:18 PM by Webmaster

Warner Archive, in association with Hammer Films, is preparing 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases of Terence Fisher's Dracula (1958), starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, and Carol Marsh. The releases are scheduled to arrive on the market on October 27.

One Night Only Collector's Edition 4K Blu-ray

Posted September 1, 2026 10:18 PM by Webmaster

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Will Gluck's romantic dramedy One Night Only (2026), starring Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Bobby Cannavale, Molly Ringwald, and LeVar Burton. The two releases are scheduled to arrive on the market on October 20.

Gwendoline Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray

Posted August 31, 2026 09:16 PM by Webmaster

Severin Films has dated and detailed its upcoming Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray release of Just Jaeckin's Gwendoline (1984), starring Tawny Kitaen, Brent Huff, Zabou Breitman, Bernadette Lafont, and Jean Rougerie. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on November 24.

This Week on Blu-ray: August 31-September 6

Posted August 31, 2026 08:24 AM by Sean Greenwood

For the week of August 31st, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release 28 Days Later on 4K UHD. New releases include the anime series Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc (2025) from Crunchyroll and Dry Leaf from Cinema Guild. Catalog titles on Blu-ray include Ten Women in Black and The Magnificent Cuckold from Radiance Films, while catalog titles on 4K UHD include The Hot Spot from Radiance and Tekkonkinkreet from Shout Factory and GKIDS.

Scream Factory and Shout Factory Announce November Releases

Posted August 31, 2026 06:08 AM by Webmaster

Scream Factory and Shout Factory have announced their November batch of releases. They are: The Chow Yun-Fat Collection Volume One, The Family Man (2000), Women in Prison Collection (1971-1985), and The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

IFA 2005 Report and New Photos

Posted September 10, 2005 12:00 AM by Webmaster

Lions Gate Entertainment to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

Posted August 17, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Lions Gate Home Entertainment (LGHE), a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, announced today that it will release content on the new high definition Blu-ray Disc format. As part of its cooperation with the Blu-ray Disc Association, LGHE will begin releasing new films, TV programming and other titles from the company's vast library in that format when Blu-ray hardware launches in North America. "Lions Gate has always maintained the goal of offering the consumer the best quality product," said Steve Beeks, President, Lions Gate Entertainment. "Through Blu-ray, consumers will experience our library of movies with sound and picture quality beyond anything they could have ever imagined. Additionally, Blu-ray's storage capacity along with the level of copyright protection the format offers, the demonstrated manufacturability and acceptable cost proposition, made it the perfect choice for Lions Gate at this time." More details about specific titles for Blu-ray will be announced by LGHE in the coming months.

Universal Music Group Joins Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted August 15, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has joined the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) as a contributing member. The addition of Universal Music Group to the BDA's current lineup of more than 140 leading companies in the hardware, software, consumer electronics and information technology industries is expected to have a major impact on how music is created and enjoyed by consumers. "The delivery of both high-definition video and multi-channel audio technologies is becoming increasingly important," stated Larry Kenswil, President of eLabs, UMG's new media and technologies division. "We recognize that Blu-ray Disc has the capacity, functionality and interactivity both artists and music fans demand. We intend to work closely with the BDA in order to represent the unique requirements of the music industry in the format creation process."

Blu-ray Disc Association Adopts Comprehensive Content Management System

Posted August 9, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

In a move to protect against illegal copying and large scale piracy while leaving consumers the flexibility to manage and enjoy copies of their legally purchased content, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has adopted the most comprehensive content management system ever employed on an optical disc format. The Blu-ray Disc content management system includes three primary components: Advanced Access Content System (AACS), "BD+", a Blu-ray specific enhancement for content protection renewability, and "ROM Mark", a measure unique to Blu-ray Disc to guard against mass production piracy or the mass duplication and sale of unauthorized copies of pre-recorded media. "Content protection is a critical issue for next-generation media distribution," said Joshua Martin, Associate Research Analyst, IDC's Consumer Markets group. "Finalizing the content protection scheme is critical for the launch of blue laser optical disc technology, and new protection schemes should allow for increased consumer flexibility while better protecting prerecorded content compared to current DVD technology."

Twentieth Century Fox to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

Posted July 29, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Twentieth Century Fox, a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) since October 2004, announced today that it will release content on the new high definition Blu-ray Disc format through its subsidiary Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "Blu-ray is a superior high definition technology that is a full step forward in the evolution of consumer packaged media," added Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "For consumers, the release of our films on Blu-ray will provide in-home entertainment beyond anything they have imagined. On the business side, the advanced functionality, picture quality and data capacity at a competitive manufacturing cost along with 'room for growth' as new consumer usage options are developed, fully realizes the promise of a next generation format and represents the future of home entertainment." The company will begin releasing new films, TV programming and other titles from Fox's vast celebrated library of best-selling film and television programming when Blu-ray hardware launches in North America, Japan, and Europe.

Study Shows Consumers Prefer Blu-ray Disc Over HD-DVD

Posted July 13, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

A new poll suggests that as the battle between Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD heats up, consumers overwhelmingly prefer Blu-ray Disc as their format of choice. In the poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, a nationally recognized strategic polling firm, consumers were given a side-by-side comparison of the two formats. Out of the 1200 consumers surveyed 58% preferred Blu-ray Disc, 26% were undecided and only 16% preferred HD-DVD. Of those consumers who indicated that they are extremely interested in purchasing the next-generation format, 66% favored Blu-ray, 19% were undecided and only 15% preferred HD-DVD. Among the key reasons consumers preferred Blu-ray were the ability to play the discs in more CE devices, personal computers and gaming consoles, backward compatibility with current DVD media, disc capacity and the ability to record large amounts of high-definition or standard definition video and data.

Blu-ray Disc Ready for Cost Effective Manufacturing

Posted May 25, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that Blu-ray Disc manufacturing is ready to go. Broad acceptance and adoption of Blu-ray Disc has contributed to process improvements and cost efficiencies that bring the long-term cost of manufacturing BD-ROM discs in line with current DVD replication costs. "There are a lot of companies trying to stake out a position in various aspects of BD-ROM manufacturing," said Kazuhiro Tsuga, executive officer of Matsushita Electric. "As a result, we are seeing multitudes of improvements in processes and technology, as well as the effects of economies of scale that make replication extremely cost effective." With these developments in the industry, replication facilities in the United States are setting up and preparing to mass produce BD-ROMs. Technicolor is establishing a complete pilot BD disc manufacturing process by July 2005. Cinram which already has a pilot replication line is awaiting the delivery of commercial lines.

TDK Develops 2X, 100GB Blu-ray Disc Prototype

Posted May 19, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

TDK has developed a prototype Blu-ray Disc that can store twice as much data, and record it at twice the speed as existing Blu-ray Discs. The disc, unveiled at a TDK exhibition in Tokyo this week, can record data at 72Mbps, double the 36Mbps transfer rate for current Blu-ray Discs. "TDK increased the write speed by using a more powerful laser and making some changes to the material of the disc's recording layer," said Nobuyuki Koike a spokesman for TDK. "The first generation of Blu-ray discs can already record data faster than it is transmitted in high-definition TV broadcasts, so the faster recording speed isn't needed there. But it will be advantageous when content is copied from a hard-disk drive to an optical disc for back-up or archiving," said Koike.

Sony PlayStation 3 To Feature Blu-ray Drive

Posted May 16, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony today unveiled the final specs for their next-generation PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game console, which yet again confirms that the PS3 will adopt Blu-ray technology to meet the high requirements of 1080p HD, the standard resolution for games and movies on the PS3. "We want to pack everything in today and future-proof this as much as possible." said Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. The decision to adopt a next-generation optical disc format has been welcomed by leading game publishers such as EA Games and Vivendi Universal Games, as it will allow game developers to create stunning high-definition (HD) games without having to worry about the additional storage requirements of HD. The Blu-ray drive will support all Blu-ray formats (BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE) and be fully backward compatible with current CD/DVD formats to enable PS1/PS2 games to be played. The PS3 is scheduled for release in early 2006.

Panasonic to Begin Pilot Production of Blu-ray Discs

Posted May 3, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Panasonic will start operating a pilot production line for Blu-ray Disc replication and open a technology center for creating Blu-ray Disc titles in May. The Blu-ray Disc line, which is based within the Panasonic Disc Manufacturing Corporation facility in Torrance, will begin full pilot production of single-layer BD-ROM discs by the end of May, and dual-layer BD-ROM discs in December. "Panasonic has established this Blu-ray Disc pilot production line and authoring technology center to help the Blu-ray Disc industry get off to a smooth start," said Mr. Kazuhiro Tsuga, executive officer of Matsushita Electric. "Now, working with solution providers, Panasonic will meet the industry's needs for both 0.1mm-based Blu-ray Disc replication and High Definition content authoring." By opening the BD-ROM replication line and authoring technology center, Panasonic expects to spur the development of a local end-to-end BD-ROM technology base for title production services and further demonstrate actual Blu-ray Disc title creation to Hollywood studios, replicators and production houses.

Sony and Toshiba in Talks About Unifying Blu-ray and HD-DVD

Posted April 21, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony and Toshiba are reportedly in talks about the possibility of unifying their next-generation optical disc formats into a single unified standard. After reaching a basic agreement that a unified standard would be desirable, they are now trying to agree on a hybrid format that takes advantage of each standard's strengths. Toshiba has acknowledged that they are in talks with the rival camp and related parties, but deny that any deal is in the works. The company recognizes a single format is best for consumers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that executives are prepared to agree on a hybrid format. Sony also denied anything had been decided, stating that the talks are part of the company's efforts to bring the "best experience" to the consumer, and any deal, if it happens, is likely to result in technological cooperation in future developments for Blu-ray. While a final deal is still far from certain, both camps are well aware that a single unified format would be in their best interest as a drawn-out fight would likely confuse consumers and hinder the industry's development.

Sonic Debuts Blu-ray Disc Burning and Playback Software

Posted March 14, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sonic Solutions, a leader in digital media software, and Philips & BenQ Digital Storage Corporation (PBDS), a leading Blu-ray (BD) technology company, today debuted Blu-ray Disc recording/playback solutions that will allow consumers to burn and play back discs in the new high-capacity BD digital media format. In a joint demonstration with PBDS, Sonic unveiled its AuthorScript Blu-ray Data Recording Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as Blu-ray support in its popular Roxio- and Sonic-branded consumer software applications. "Working together with Sonic gives us access to proven, reliable burning technology," said Paul Jochjims, senior product manager at PBDS. "This collaboration will help us offer our customers a quality, easy-to-use solution that's ready at the earliest possible stage of this exciting new market." Sonic plans to make its AuthorScript Blu-ray Data Recording SDK available for licensing in the summer of 2005, enabling producers of personal computer (PC) and consumer electronics (CE) products to immediately support Blu-ray drives when they become available.

Apple Joins Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted March 10, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that Apple has joined the consortium and will become a member of the Board of Directors. "Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Consumers are already creating stunning HD content with Apple's leading video editing applications like iMovie HD and are anxiously awaiting a way to burn their own high def DVDs." Apple has been a leader in driving consumer adoption of DVD authoring and is now helping bring High Definition (HD) to market with a complete line of HD content creation tools for consumers and professionals alike including iMovie HD, Final Cut Express HD and Final Cut Pro HD editing software. Apple will work together with the BDA on the development and promotion of the Blu-ray Disc format.

Blu-ray Disc Association Surpasses 100 Members

Posted February 15, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) surpassed a milestone today as its membership grew beyond 100 companies. "What's most remarkable about the growing support for Blu-ray is not just its sheer volume, but its breadth." said Brian Zucker of Dell Inc.'s Client Product Group. Established in October of last year, the BDA has rapidly gained the support of leaders from the computer, consumer electronics, video gaming, optical media, disc replication, authoring and content industries. All of these industries are critical to the successful development and launch of a high-definition optical format. Among the most recent companies to join the BDA are Toho Co., Ltd and Toei Video Company, Ltd., which are the two leading movie studios in Japan. Toho Co., Ltd. is a leading production house and distributor of movies in Japan. Toei Video is known for its production of movies, sales of DVDs as well as other packaged media. Toei Video generates a steady stream of release titles from its diversified parent company Toei Co., Ltd. that includes Japanese films, animation and independent films.

Sonopress Joins Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted January 18, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sonopress LLC, a global leader in media replication and turnkey services, today announced that it has been named a contributing member of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). "It is critical to our business goals that we continue to participate in discussions around cutting-edge formats, and ensure that we are well prepared to meet both the current and future needs of our customers," said Peter Schaper, VP Technology and Development of Sonopress. "We are pleased to be among the first to join the elite group of companies that will contribute to the Blue-ray Disc Association. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and the feedback of our customers as we observe the ongoing acceleration of the Blu-ray format." As a contributor to the BDA, Sonopress will attend general organizational meetings and seminars, and participate in Technical Expert Groups, regional Promotion Team events and Compliance Committee activities.

EA and Vivendi Universal Games Join the Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted January 6, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that two leading game publishers, Electronic Arts (EA Games) and Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games), have joined the BDA. "The delivery of high-definition games is becoming increasingly important to us. Blu-ray Disc has the capacity, functionality and interactivity we need for the kinds of projects we have in mind." said Scott Cronce, Electronic Arts Worldwide Studio CTO. "The technical requirements for game development today demands more advanced optical-disc technologies. Blu-ray Disc offers the capacity, performance and high-speed Internet connectivity to take us into the future of gaming." said Michael Heilemann, Chief Technology Officer, VU Games.

JVC Develops Blu-ray/DVD Combo Disc Technology

Posted December 24, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) today announced that it has developed the world's first Blu-ray/DVD combo disc technology, which opens the way for the emergence of video releases containing content in both Blu-ray and DVD formats on a single disc. The new combo disc, which has a total storage capacity of 33.5GB (25GB BD-ROM, 8.5GB DVD), uses a triple layer structure made possible by the development of a proprietary high-performance reflective film that reflects the blue laser used for Blu-ray, but is transparent to the red laser used for DVDs.

Bandai Visual Joins the Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted December 21, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that Bandai Visual, a leading Japanese animation (Anime) content developer, has joined the consortium. In Japan, Bandai Visual is a pioneer of animation software and widely held by viewers as a high-quality content creator. Currently, the animation movie industry is working to create a new library of high-definition content, for which the Blu-ray Disc format will provide the ideal solution.

Disney and Buena Vista to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

Posted December 8, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Walt Disney Company and Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) today announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format, and said they will make a wide range of new releases and catalog titles available next year when Blu-ray hardware launches in the North America and Japan. Disney also announced that it will become a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu- ray Disc Association (BDA).

Singulus to Develop and Manufacture Production Equipment for Blu-ray Disc

Posted November 30, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Singulus Technologies, the world's leading maker of optical disc replication equipment, announced today that it will manufacture production equipment for pre-recorded Blu-ray Discs (BD-ROM). "We are very excited to be working on the Blu-ray Disc, especially at the birth of the new format." said Roland Lacher, CEO and President of Singulus Technologies.

Sony and Nichia Co-Develop Components for Smaller Blu-ray Devices

Posted November 16, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony and Nichia have successfully co-developed a wholly integrated dual wavelength laser coupler compatible with BD/DVD, which they plan to supply to other companies. In conventional BD/DVD laser optical disc systems, the laser diode and optical receiver parts corresponding to each wavelength were independent of each other.

HP to Introduce Blu-ray Disc Drives in PCs Next Year

Posted November 15, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

HP today announced that they will start selling PCs equipped with Blu-ray Disc drives in late 2005, starting in its desktop PCs, media center PCs, personal workstations, and digital entertainment centers. "Our decision to back Blu-ray was largely because of its capacity advantage (over HD-DVD), as well as the interactive features being built into the specification." said Maureen Weber, general manager of optical storage at HP. Pushing products based on Blu-ray to market is a priority for HP.

Sharp Introduces Blu-ray Disc Recorder with Hard Drive/DVD

Posted November 11, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sharp today announced that they will introduce a new Blu-ray Disc recorder on the Japanese market in December. The new BD-HD100, which features a built-in hard drive (160GB), can record and play back high-definition video (HDTV) without any loss in quality. It comes equipped with the world's first twin BD/DVD tray that enables digital dubbing between the hard drive, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs, including the ability to dub five DVDs (4.7GB) onto a single Blu-ray Disc (25GB).

TDK Develops New Hard-Coating Technology for Blu-ray Discs

Posted October 30, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

TDK has successfully developed a new hard-coating technology that makes Blu-ray Discs even more resistant to scratches and fingerprints than existing DVDs, without requiring a cartridge to protect the discs. Two separate layers of fine silica particles prevent scratches, and fluorine-containing resins in each layer repel ink marks. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is pleased with the development because no consumer optical disc that uses a cartridge has ever been a commercial success. The new hard-coating is expected to provide a boost to the upcoming Blu-ray Disc format, which members of the BDA plan to launch next year as a successor to DVDs.

Ceatec 2004 Report and New Photos

Posted October 19, 2004 12:00 AM by Webmaster

Ceatec 2004, which is one of Asia's largest consumer electronics and IT shows, was recently held and drew more than 180,000 visitors this year. Companies that were showing Blu-ray related products include JVC, Panasonic, Pioneer, Mitsubishi, Mitsumi, Sharp, Sony, and TDK. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) also had a booth where they were offering general information about the BDA and the Blu-ray Disc format. The group is currently in the process of evaluating advanced audio codecs and finalizing the logical/application format for BD-ROM discs, which they expect to be finished by the end of the year. For more information and lots of photos, please check out our Ceatec 2004 report.

JVC Develops Small Lens for Use in Portable Blu-ray Devices

Posted October 13, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

JVC, also known as Victor Company of Japan, announced today that it has developed the world's first single lens with a numeric aperture of 0.95. The ultra-small lens has a focal length of 0.75mm, and is 1.2mm in thickness and 2.1mm in diameter, about 25% smaller in lens surface area than the smallest Blu-ray Disc system lens (NA of 0.85) the company has already developed. In principle, the new lens can boost the capacity of a 12cm-diameter single-layer disc to more than 40GB of data. The small lens will enable the development of smaller BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickups, as well as portable Blu-ray players and other mobile devices.

JVC Becomes a Member of Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted October 11, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC), a worldwide consumer and professional electronics company, has joined the Blu-ray Disc Association, further strengthening the already overwhelming support for the Blu-ray Disc high- definition optical-disc format among the world's leading consumer electronics and PC companies. JVC becomes one of the first companies to join the newly formed Blu-ray Disc Association, which was created to broaden the opportunities for other companies to help develop, promote and establish Blu-ray Disc as an industry standard for high-definition optical storage.

Blu-ray Disc Association Launches With More Than 70 Companies

Posted October 5, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Today, more than 70 companies from the consumer electronics (CE), information technology (IT), media and software industries held the first official meeting of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), which supports the continued development and promotion of the Blu-ray Disc format. Earlier this year, membership was opened to organizations interested in promoting the Blu-ray Disc format. "We believe the BDA's growth from 13 to 73 companies over the last three months reflects the depth of industry acceptance and support for the Blu-ray Disc as the next generation optical disc format," said Maureen Weber, General Manager of HP's Optical Storage Solutions Business.

20th Century Fox Joins Blu-ray Disc Founders

Posted October 4, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Twentieth Century Fox has accepted the invitation of the Blu-ray Disc Founders (BDF) becoming the latest member of the group. While the Studio has not committed to publish on the format, it believes that as a Founder it can influence the outcome of key issues including successful content protection as well as production costs and logistics, among other issues. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment President, Mike Dunn, added, "We look forward to the eventual completion of specifications that will result in a high-definition format with an attractive cost structure similar to current DVD production, within a secure environment with value-added features and interactivity well beyond that offered by today's DVD format".

Sony to Begin Sales of Key Components for Blu-ray Disc Players/Recorders

Posted September 27, 2004 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony today announced that they will begin sales of key components such as optical heads and optical related semiconductor devices for BD players/recorders in December. "Sony has a long history of innovating new technologies that become the industry standard, and with today's announcement, we are confident in the continuation of that tradition", said Dr. Osamu Kumagai of Sony's Device Solutions Company at Microsystems Network Company.