Blu-ray News and Updates

Criteirion Announces February Releases

Posted November 13, 2026 07:13 PM by Webmaster

The Criterion Collection has announced its February batch of releases. They are: The Irishman (2019), Jay Kelly: (2025), Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Romería (2025), Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Victor Sjöström's Hollywood Masterworks (1924-1928), and Mala Noche (1986).

Warner Archive Announces December Releases

Posted November 11, 2026 08:43 PM by Webmaster

Warner Archive has announced its December batch of releases. They are: Decoy (1946), The Informer (1935), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), The Big Store (1941), Tea for Two (1950), Test Pilot (1938), Little Nellie Kelly (1940), The Abbott and Costello Cartoons: The Complete Collection (1967-1968), The Bounty Hunter (1954), and The Mask of Dimitrios (1944).

Severin: Three New Russ Meyer Films Heading to 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray

Posted November 10, 2026 10:46 PM by Webmaster

Severin Films has revealed that it will release three newly restored Russ Meyer films on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. They are: Common Law Cabin (1967), and Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), Blacksnake (1973). All three releases are scheduled to arrive on the market in late February 2027.

The Devils 4K Blu-ray

Posted November 10, 2026 07:54 PM by Webmaster

Warner Bros. Clockwork will release on a Collector's Edition combo pack of Ken Russell's The Devils (1971), starring Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian, and Gemma Jones. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on April 20.

Heart of the Beast 4K Blu-ray

Posted November 9, 2026 06:57 PM by Webmaster

Paramount Home Media Distribution will release a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack of David Ayer's Heart of the Beast (2026), starring Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Uber, Anna Lambe, and Justin Melnick. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on January 26.

Blu-ray Sales: October 25-31: Masters of the Universe Not Frightened by Frankenstein

Posted November 9, 2026 03:22 PM by Sean Greenwood

For the week that ended on October 31st, Alliance Entertainment's Masters of the Universe (2026) remained atop the Blu-ray-only, overall packaged media and 4K UHD charts in its second week, fending off the Criterion Collection's new release of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein (2025), which took second place. Third place on all charts went to The Frighteners, which was released on remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD by Arrow Video this week.

This Week on Blu-ray: November 9-15

Posted November 8, 2026 07:48 PM by Sean Greenwood

For the week of November 9th, the Criterion Collection will release Blue Heron on Blu-ray, as well as Shoot the Piano Player and Marie Antoinette (2006) on Blu-ray and 4K UHD. Other new releases include The Apothecary Diaries: Season 2 from Crunchyroll, Call of the Night: Season 2 from Sentai Filmworks and Mad Bills to Pay from Oscilloscope Laboratories. Catalog titles include Blu-rays for Lock Up: Season 1, Volume 1 from ClassicFlix and Miranda from Cult Films, as well as 4K UHD releases for Planet of the Vampires from Radiance Films, Above the Law from Toy Robot Video, Four Rooms from Kino Lorber, Con Air from Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Memoirs of a Geisha from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Lovely Bones from Paramount Home Media Distribution and Paddington from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Blu-ray Companies to Reveal Launch Details at CES in January

Posted November 29, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that they will unveil specific launch plans for Blu-ray at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. "We're sticking with the spring time frame," said Andy Parsons, a spokesman for Blu-ray, at a demonstration of the new high-capacity DVD format. "At CES, you're likely to hear some announcements from a number of companies as to when you'll see our products on the market," Parsons told a group of analysts, industry members and reporters gathered at the product demonstration at News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox lot. Members of the Blu-ray camp, including executives from Disney, Fox, Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic, attended the press briefing on Tuesday to show off Blu-ray's interactive features, which enable consumers to play games, connect to the Internet and select from various functions, such as subtitles and text, while still watching a movie.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Completes First Full-Length Blu-ray Disc

Posted November 18, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced that authoring has been completed on the first Blu-ray Disc to contain a full-length, high-definition feature film. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle was compressed and authored in MPEG-2 full high-definition (1920 x 1080) by Sony Pictures' Digital Authoring Center (DAC) and is now being shipped to BD hardware companies for player testing. "Sony Pictures authoring tools, together with our unmatched expertise, have made the first Blu-ray Disc a reality and we are thrilled to ship this prototype disc to BD hardware manufacturers for testing," said James Mercs, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Authoring Center, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "We are extremely proud to deliver on the promise of Blu-ray. This is an important step for our industry in order to begin mass production of high-definition movies in the Blu-ray format in the near future," said Don Eklund, Senior Vice President, Advanced Technologies, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Blu-ray Disc to Support Mandatory Managed Copy

Posted November 16, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today confirmed that Mandatory Managed Copy (MMC), which allows users to legally copy discs and transfer the digital files over a home network, will be supported by the Blu-ray Disc format. This was one of two features that HP recently requested be added to the Blu-ray Disc format, the other one was Microsoft's iHD layer for interactivity. "Mandatory managed copy will be part of Blu-ray format, but while HP's request (for interactivity) is being considered, at this point in time, the Blu-ray group is still proceeding down the path of Java," Blu-ray spokesman Andy Parsons told Reuters in an interview. "We are taking their request seriously, but are not willing to delay the launch. I'm not saying we would not implement what they've requested, but it's not going to stop the format at this time."

MGM to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

Posted November 9, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM), which owns the world's largest library of modern films, today announced its support of the Blu-ray Disc format. In cooperation with the Blu-ray Disc Association, MGM plans to begin releasing film and television titles from its world-renowned library when Blu-ray hardware launches in North America, Japan and Europe. "MGM's focus has always been to provide movie lovers complete access to the world's largest modern film library in the most technologically advanced formats," said Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO of MGM Studios. "Adopting this new Blu-ray technology, with its expanded storage capacity and increased interactive capabilities, allows us to continue to provide our customers with the best movie viewing experience available." Consumers can now look forward to enjoying titles from franchises such as James Bond, Rocky and The Pink Panther in the Blu-ray Disc format.

Blu-ray Disc Association Surpasses 150 Members

Posted October 21, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), which celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month, has just surpassed 150 members. Established in October of last year, the BDA is responsible for establishing format standards and promoting and further developing business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc. "The Blu-ray Disc Association has gained immense momentum as more companies have chosen to support Blu-ray as the premier next generation optical disc format," said Victor Matsuda, Vice President, Sony Corp. of America, Blu-ray Disc Group. "Our members are instrumental in providing expanded opportunities for both the format and consumers." Lions Gate Entertainment, the 150th member of the BDA joins fellow 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.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Joins Blu-ray Disc Association

Posted October 20, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Warner Bros. Entertainment and its home entertainment division Warner Home Video, which distributes the largest film library of any studio, today announced it has joined the board of directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association and will release its films on the Blu-ray format. "Consumers will soon be able to enjoy a large selection of catalogue favorites and contemporary hits from Warner's vast library on the Blu-ray format," said Jim Cardwell, President, Warner Home Video. Warner Home Video will release titles on the Blu-ray format to support the launch of Blu-ray players in North America, Japan and Europe, giving consumers the ability to enjoy a wide range of new releases and selections from Warner Bros.' vast library and that of New Line Home Entertainment and HBO Home Video on the Blu-ray format. The other studios supporting Blu-ray have welcomed the announcement and are now hopeful that a format war can be avoided.

HP Drives Format Compatibility for High-Definition DVDs

Posted October 19, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

HP today announced that they would like to see Mandatory Managed Copy (MMC) and iHD adopted by Blu-ray Disc to try and bridge the differences between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. The company has formally appealed to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) to include these technologies as part of its format specification to help create a seamless experience throughout the digitally connected home. The move reflects HP's desire to ensure that consumers aren't forced to choose between competing HD formats for DVDs. "We know now that there's going to be a standards war," said Maureen Weber, general manager of personal storage at HP. "Our goal is to minimize its impact. The bottom line is that we're still very committed to Blu-ray, but we want to protect our consumers."

Panasonic to Release Blu-ray Drives and Media for PCs Next Spring

Posted October 5, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Panasonic today announced that the company will introduce Blu-ray Disc drives for notebook and desktop computers along with 25GB and 50GB BD-R/BD-RE media by spring 2006. The notebook drive uses Panasonic's own laminated glass plate prism technology that enables the reduction in size of the optical pickup to one-twelfth (1/12) of the size of conventional pickups. Panasonic plans to ship samples of their BD drive for notebook PCs by the end of this year and commence commercial production by March 2006. Prior to the introduction of the notebook drive, Panasonic will ship samples of the half-height desktop version in October and start volume production by January 2006. The drives will support playback and recording of single-layer and dual-layer BDs as well as all types of recordable DVDs and CDs.

Paramount Home Entertainment to Support Blu-ray Disc Format

Posted October 2, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Paramount Home Entertainment, which earlier this year announced support for the HD-DVD format, has decided that they will begin releasing high-definition movies in the Blu-ray format when hardware becomes available early next year. "We have been intrigued by the broad support of Blu-ray, especially the key advantage of including Blu-ray in PlayStation 3," said Thomas Lesinski, president of Paramount's Worldwide Home Entertainment. "After more detailed assessment and new data on cost, manufacturability and copy protection solutions, we have now made the decision to move ahead with the Blu-ray format." This announcement comes shortly after the movie studios supporting the HD-DVD format decided to postpone their US launch of HD-DVD, and swings the balance of studio support clearly in favor of Blu-ray. There's also speculation that Warner and Universal will follow suit shortly.

Dell and Hewlett Packard Set the Record Straight on Blu-ray

Posted September 29, 2005 12:00 AM by Marwin

Dell and Hewlett Packard, the worlds two largest PC manufacturers, today reiterated their support for Blu-ray and addressed the inaccurate information cited by Microsoft and Intel regarding the Blu-ray Disc format. "Every computer manufacturer in the BDA carefully reviewed both formats and ultimately chose Blu-ray as the superior solution for meeting customer demands and providing the best possible end-user experience," said Maureen Weber, General Manager of Hewlett Packard's Personal Storage Business. "It is surprising that Tuesday's announcement is not aligned with that of the vast majority of the computer industry and is contrary to our consumer research." Virtually every computer company that has expressed a preference for a high definition disc format has chosen Blu-ray Disc as the superior format for computer platforms and applications, including top-tier computer brands such as Dell, Hewlett Packard, Panasonic, Sony and LG.

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.