Blank Blu-ray discs start shipping

Japan's TDK has started shipping blank Blu-ray discs to retailers, and they cost about as much as a first run movie on DVD.

A 25GB recordable disc costs $19.95, according to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the trade group behind the next-generation format. Recordable-rewritable versions of the 25GB disc cost $24.95.

Later this year, TDK will come out with a Blu-ray disc that records on both sides and holds 50GB. The recordable version will sell for $47.99, while the recordable-rewritable version will go for $59.95. TDK began to supply manufacturers with samples in December.

Prices, though, will decline as more manufacturers and manufacturing facilities for the new format come out. Blu-ray players won't hit shelves until later this year.

Two different camps are battling it out to establish the next standard for optical discs. The Blu-ray group--which includes Sony, Philips, Dell and several film studios--says its technology will provide more storage than competing HD DVD.

Toshiba, Microsoft, Intel and the other HD backers, however, say their format will be a lot cheaper.

Many film studios have decided to support both formats. PC and consumer electronics companies, however, are typically being forced to choose one format or another. A few, such as Hewlett-Packard and LG, say they'll support both.

For consumers, the format war will be a headache as they will have to remember to buy PCs that are compatible with their consumer electronics equipment that is compatible with the movies they buy.

Blu-ray discs are composed of copper and silicon and are different from the material used in CDs and DVDs, according to TDK.

[Earl Benser]

No major concern.....

The disks are too expensive. The players, if they ever show up,
will be too expensive. The format war with HD-DVD remains
unresolved. HDTV on regular DVD with MPEG-4 compression
still is the best option. And of course, Sony is unfortunately
pushing the Blu-Ray - like it's another rootkit???

No thanks. I'll check back in a year or so to see if anything really
worthwhile has occurred. But for now, regular DVD's play just
fine on my 61" HDTV. I would rather have HDTV DVD's, but not
the way Sony and Toshiba want me to.

[techguy83]

yep

this pretty much says it all.

[Earl Benser]

No major concern.....

The disks are too expensive. The players, if they ever show up,
will be too expensive. The format war with HD-DVD remains
unresolved. HDTV on regular DVD with MPEG-4 compression
still is the best option. And of course, Sony is unfortunately
pushing the Blu-Ray - like it's another rootkit???

No thanks. I'll check back in a year or so to see if anything really
worthwhile has occurred. But for now, regular DVD's play just
fine on my 61" HDTV. I would rather have HDTV DVD's, but not
the way Sony and Toshiba want me to.

[techguy83]

yep

this pretty much says it all.

[Dead Soulman]

No Need For It

This is another one of those silly wars between manufacturers to squeeze more and more money out of the same old and boring content.

Where are the SACD and 5.1 audio cd's, who bought them??? Not me. I'm not saying the sound quality wasn't there. But, people don't want to replace everything in their household just to make Sony and Toshiba a whole lot richer.

I'm sure there's an improvement from standard definition. But, for God's sake, didn't Hollywood start to make the real money from DVD sales once the DVD players went under $150. Now that the lake of money from DVD sales is drying up, it's time to squeeze it a bit more with something else and new.

Not me, at least not for another couple of years. I'm not going to play guinea pig to Sony and Toshiba. Let the mega rich balance the scale and once one format is globally accepted and the prices have come down, maybe then we'll talk. Until then, regular DVDs are perfect for me.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

You are careful but the average consumer...

You are careful but the average consumer is still buying the "Full Frame" DVDs even though the average DVD player can be made to show a Widescreen DVD in Full Frame. How many people who bought Full Frame DVDs will go back and replace them with Wide Screen versions once they get a Wide Screen TV?

The movie industry could have explained that little problem ton consumers and not even bothered to sell Full Frame versions of movies but this way they get a larger income stream.

When they finally do start providing HD DVDs watch out that they don't provide them in multiple versions there too.

[Dead Soulman]

No Need For It

This is another one of those silly wars between manufacturers to squeeze more and more money out of the same old and boring content.

Where are the SACD and 5.1 audio cd's, who bought them??? Not me. I'm not saying the sound quality wasn't there. But, people don't want to replace everything in their household just to make Sony and Toshiba a whole lot richer.

I'm sure there's an improvement from standard definition. But, for God's sake, didn't Hollywood start to make the real money from DVD sales once the DVD players went under $150. Now that the lake of money from DVD sales is drying up, it's time to squeeze it a bit more with something else and new.

Not me, at least not for another couple of years. I'm not going to play guinea pig to Sony and Toshiba. Let the mega rich balance the scale and once one format is globally accepted and the prices have come down, maybe then we'll talk. Until then, regular DVDs are perfect for me.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

You are careful but the average consumer...

You are careful but the average consumer is still buying the "Full Frame" DVDs even though the average DVD player can be made to show a Widescreen DVD in Full Frame. How many people who bought Full Frame DVDs will go back and replace them with Wide Screen versions once they get a Wide Screen TV?

The movie industry could have explained that little problem ton consumers and not even bothered to sell Full Frame versions of movies but this way they get a larger income stream.

When they finally do start providing HD DVDs watch out that they don't provide them in multiple versions there too.

[gkflyboy]

Yea, but where are the recorders?

Blank Blu-Ray discs, that's nice, the PLAYERS are not even out yet, let alone any type of recorders... useful....

[ron836]

no recorders?

I'm thinking the same way. Who wants Blank Blu-Ray discs?......Useless.

[gkflyboy]

Yea, but where are the recorders?

Blank Blu-Ray discs, that's nice, the PLAYERS are not even out yet, let alone any type of recorders... useful....

[ron836]

no recorders?

I'm thinking the same way. Who wants Blank Blu-Ray discs?......Useless.

[Chibi-Acer]

Too expensive

At $20 for 25GB, you might as well buy external hard drives. And if the disc somehow screws up, you'll have one of the world's most expensive coasters.

I suppose if you make HD home videos and want to watch them on a separate Blu-ray video player, this would be the way to go, but as far as data storage goes the price will need to come way down.

[fred dunn]

Agreed

Until Blu-Ray either consolidates with HD-DVD or becomes the decisive winner and the recorders cost about the same as today's higher-quality DVD writers you won't see me buying any of this bleeding edge junk.
I still think DVD-DL is too expensive much less about $1/GB for Blu_Ray media. You're right, You could get a quality RAID backup system for that.

Fred

[Chibi-Acer]

Too expensive

At $20 for 25GB, you might as well buy external hard drives. And if the disc somehow screws up, you'll have one of the world's most expensive coasters.

I suppose if you make HD home videos and want to watch them on a separate Blu-ray video player, this would be the way to go, but as far as data storage goes the price will need to come way down.

[fred dunn]

Agreed

Until Blu-Ray either consolidates with HD-DVD or becomes the decisive winner and the recorders cost about the same as today's higher-quality DVD writers you won't see me buying any of this bleeding edge junk.
I still think DVD-DL is too expensive much less about $1/GB for Blu_Ray media. You're right, You could get a quality RAID backup system for that.

Fred

[perfectblue97]

garbage is garbage, no matter how much of it you have

Last years crop of movies was so poor, I'd only consider buying most of them if I saw them in the bargin bin.

If Sony wants me to pay a premium price for Blu-Ray, they had better kick hollywood into shape and get some good content out.

I'd pay if I thought that I was getting quality, but a bad film is a bad film in HD or standard quality.

[perfectblue97]

garbage is garbage, no matter how much of it you have

Last years crop of movies was so poor, I'd only consider buying most of them if I saw them in the bargin bin.

If Sony wants me to pay a premium price for Blu-Ray, they had better kick hollywood into shape and get some good content out.

I'd pay if I thought that I was getting quality, but a bad film is a bad film in HD or standard quality.

[techlove]

Technology has to develop.

Hi,

I love technology and it should not stop, growing. New technologies, are always welcome. The user can decide, which one to go for, "BLU-RAY" or "HD-DVD". If new technologies, had not come, please think, what all would have been missing, from our lives.

Regards,
Anil Alias.

[techlove]

Technology has to develop.

Hi,

I love technology and it should not stop, growing. New technologies, are always welcome. The user can decide, which one to go for, "BLU-RAY" or "HD-DVD". If new technologies, had not come, please think, what all would have been missing, from our lives.

Regards,
Anil Alias.

[Chef Boyardee]

Blu-ray is the best!

I'm just kidding.

[Chef Boyardee]

Blu-ray is the best!

I'm just kidding.