What Was the Launch Day For Blu-ray

[blurayjunkie]

I have only been Blu for 14 monthes, with a total of 71 Blu's. I have a few questions. 1. What day was blu-ray released to the public? 2.Was It Before or After PS3 launch? 3.What were the prices of blu-ray's/players??


Thanks
BSW

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by blurayjunkie

I have only been Blu for 14 monthes, with a total of 71 Blu's. I have a few questions. 1. What day was blu-ray released to the public? 2.Was It Before or After PS3 launch? 3.What were the prices of blu-ray's/players??


Thanks
BSW

I believe it was around June 2006. For sure before the PS3 launch.

[Crimson King]

Originally Posted by blurayjunkie

I have only been Blu for 14 monthes, with a total of 71 Blu's. I have a few questions. 1. What day was blu-ray released to the public? 2.Was It Before or After PS3 launch? 3.What were the prices of blu-ray's/players??


Thanks
BSW

June 20th 2006.

[blurayjunkie]

Originally Posted by BillyJack

June 20th 2006.

Thanks. Anyone remember prices of movies/players? Did anyone here buy Blu-ray on launch day?

[Wdm81]

"Launch day for blu-ray" sound like a futuristic history book detailing when the world launched a weapon against an alien invasion

[curse]

Originally Posted by Wdm81

"Launch day for blu-ray" sound like a futuristic history book detailing when the world launched a weapon against an alien invasion

not far from the truth

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Wdm81

"Launch day for blu-ray" sound like a futuristic history book detailing when the world launched a weapon against an alien invasion

Well it did launch that silly format war vs the doomsday format.

[hardcorefrokid]

Originally Posted by blurayjunkie

Thanks. Anyone remember prices of movies/players? Did anyone here buy Blu-ray on launch day?

+1. I remember seeing Blu-ray players costing up to $1,000 dollars.

[blurayjunkie]

Originally Posted by hardcorefrokid

+1. I remember seeing Blu-ray players costing up to $1,000 dollars.

WoW, glad I Waited lol. I am very happy with blu-ray its been well worth it. In the future I want to get a tv to take full advantage of them. I am looking for a 40-42inch 1080p in the $600 range. It will get there some day.

[casablanca3]

Anyone know what films were available on day one?

[jw]

Blu-ray News



Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player Released


Posted December 1, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony today announced that its first dedicated Blu-ray player, the BDP-S1, has begun shipping to major consumer electronics retailers and specialty dealers nationwide. The player is designed to deliver 1920×1080p output, the highest resolution HD signal currently available through an HDMI connection. Enhancing the entertainment experience further Sony's BD player outputs its signal at 24 frames per second, reproducing a film like image. The BDP-S1 is also backwards compatible with standard DVDs with the added feature of 1080p upscaling through HDMI, giving new life and improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries. The new BD player will be available for about $1,000 at Sony Style stores nationwide, online at SonyStyle.com, and at authorized retailers across the country beginning next week.

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Blu-ray Disc Supporters Launch HDTV Advertising Campaign


Posted November 21, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

A core group of Blu-ray Disc supporters including Twentieth Century Fox, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Sony and Warner Bros, working with advertising and marketing agency, SicolaMartin, have produced a series of advertising and marketing initiatives to promote Blu-ray Disc during the holiday shopping season. In order to best demonstrate the benefits of Blu-ray, the group has produced a 30-second commercial shot for HDTV that debuted on November 17. This spot, along with broader placement in print and online media outlets, builds upon earlier advertising efforts directed at home-entertainment enthusiasts. "This kind of promotional effort is unprecedented," said Peter Staddon, executive vice president, marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "The fact that such a large group of industry heavyweights support Blu-ray Disc is good news for consumers who want to be assured that Blu-ray is the format of choice by industry leaders."

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Sony DADC 50GB Blu-ray Up and Running


Posted November 20, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony DADC has announced that they now have six 50GB Blu-ray Disc production lines up and running. The company, which announced its 50GB Blu-ray production plans in May of this year, is currently ramping up production to 60K discs per day. "We are encouraged by the performance of both our 25GB single layer and 50GB dual layer production technologies, both of which are meeting our expectations," stated Michael Mitchell, Executive Vice President, Manufacturing and Engineering for Sony DADC. In addition to the six dual layer lines currently running, the company has nine 25GB Blu-ray Disc production machines in operation and has shipped over three million Blu-ray Discs for a client base of over 35 customers since beginning production in May of this year.

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PlayStation 3 Launches in North America with Talladega Nights


Posted November 17, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the launch of the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, the company's groundbreaking next-generation computer entertainment system, for sale immediately in North America. In addition to the PS3 hardware, a software line up of more than 20 first- and third-party titles will be available at retailers nationwide. The first half million PS3 systems shipped in North America will include one of this summer's biggest blockbuster hits from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, starring Will Ferrell, on high-definition Blu-ray Disc format.

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Twentieth Century Fox Rushes X-Men for PS3 Launch


Posted November 2, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing X-Men: The Last Stand to Blu-ray Disc on Nov 14, three days before Sony's next-generation video game console makes its US debut. "The demographics between X-Men and PlayStation 3 are a near-perfect match," said Steve Feldstein, Senior VP Marketing Communications for Twentieth Century Fox. "This is the biggest new release yet for Blu-ray, and we're working closely with retailers and others to ensure that when people are buying their PS3s, they're going to know they can get X-Men to play on it." Fox's other Blu-ray titles coming Nov 14, 2006 include Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven, Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter.

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Pioneer Delays Blu-ray Player to December


Posted October 31, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Pioneer is pushing back the launch of its BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player to December as it works to ensure the hardware meets its specifications, the company said today. According to a Pioneer spokesperson the current delay is not because of technical issues, but because some of the player's specifications hadn't been finalized in time for the player to pass testing and ensure the player meets Pioneer's high quality control requirements and fulfills the high performance expectations associated with the Pioneer Elite-brand. "We just want to make sure the player does what it's supposed to do." said Andy Parsons, Senior Vice President of Product Development.

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Sony Pictures Announces Its First 50GB Blu-ray Titles


Posted October 6, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced the imminent arrival of the studio's first 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray titles. The first ever BD-50 title available to consumers will be Click, which streets on October 10, 2006. It will be followed by two more BD-50 releases, Black Hawk Down on November 14, 2006 and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby on December 12, 2006. "We're proud to be the first studio to deliver a 50GB Blu-ray Disc title to the marketplace with Click on October 10, along with two other highly entertaining titles this year that offer the expanded capacity and special features only a 50GB disc can provide." said David Bishop, President, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

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Panasonic to Launch Blu-ray Recorders in Japan


Posted September 20, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Panasonic today unveiled the world's first Blu-ray recorders that also can play back BD-Video discs. The Blu-ray DIGA DMR-BW200 and DMR-BR100 can record high-definition imagery on BD-RE rewritable discs and dub from the built-in hard-disk drive (HDD) to Blu-ray discs at 4x speed without compromising video or audio quality. The new Blu-ray recorder models support single-layer 25GB and dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray discs (BD-RE and BD-R). In addition, the DMR-BW200 and DMR-BR100 come with a built-in HDD with a huge capacity, 500GB and 200GB, respectively. Packed with innovative features, the new Blu-ray recorders will be available in Japan from November 15, 2006.

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IFA 2006 Report and New Photos


Posted September 17, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

IFA 2006, which is the world's largest consumer electronics and IT show, was recently held from September 1-6 in Berlin, Germany and we were of course there to check out the latest Blu-ray products on display. Companies that were showing Blu-ray related products included AMEX, CyberLink, Dell, DTS, Hitachi, HP, LG, Lite-On, Nero, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sonic, Sony and TDK. Among other things we were able to uncover some new and updated products, a mysterious Sharp player, as well as some previously unannounced Blu-ray movies. For more information and lots of photos, please check out our IFA 2006 report. To discuss the new Blu-ray players, recorders, writers, drives, movies and media, check out the Blu-ray Forum.

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Twentieth Century Fox Announces Its First Blu-ray Releases


Posted September 3, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced its first wave of Blu-ray releases, which will arrive at retail outlets worldwide in November. The first wave of BD releases include Behind Enemy Lines, Fantastic Four, Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut), Kiss of the Dragon, The Omen (666), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Speed and The Transporter. Taking full advantage of the next generation format's high definition technology and advanced Java-based functionality, titles will be presented with the highest quality audiovisual elements including AVC (MPEG4 Compression) and HD "Lossless" Audio (select tracks) and many have unique interactive special features. The Studio will also release Ice Age: The Meltdown (known as Ice Age 2 Internationally) day-and-date with the DVD release in November.

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MGM Announces Fourth Quarter Blu-ray Releases


Posted September 2, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

MGM Home Entertainment today announced four new BD releases for the fourth quarter, which are demographically on target with for adopters and Playstation 3 purchasers. Slated for release on November 28, 2006 is Bryan Singer's acclaimed thriller Usual Suspects (day-and-date with a special edition DVD) and the compelling Nicholas Cage-starring action, war film, Windtalkers. On December 5, 2006 the company will release Sylvester Stallone's Academy Award winning, crowd-pleaser, Rocky (day-and-date with a special edition DVD), and the Chow Yun-Fat and Seann William Scott, comic, action thriller, Bulletproof Monk.

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TDK Develops Blu-ray Media with 200GB Capacity


Posted September 1, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, has reached a landmark in the development of recordable blue laser technology, achieving a groundbreaking capacity of 200GB. Bruce Youmans, TDK Vice President of Product Research & Development, said: "The ultra-ambitious technology roadmap for Blu-ray has now been confirmed as realistic, with landmarks such as this proving the long term value of the format against its rivals. TDK was the first to develop a prototype 100GB recordable Blu-ray Disc, and yet again, our landmark achievement in creating a 200GB disc is affirming the company's position as a true pioneer in advancing the capabilities of optical media."

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Sun Microsystems Joins Blu-ray Disc Association Board of Directors


Posted August 31, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced that Sun Microsystems, the creator and leading advocate of Java technology, has joined the consortium's Board of Directors. "Sun's announcement today is another example of the tremendous support for Blu-ray Disc," said Victor Matsuda, Vice/President/Chair, Blu-ray Disc Association's Global Promotion Committee, Sony Corporation of America. "Sun has already played a key role in the powerful new interactive features that set Blu-ray apart, and we look forward to working with them as we bring this revolutionary new disc format to consumers." Sun joins the growing list of computing, consumer electronics, media, manufacturing, gaming and entertainment companies supporting the Blu-ray Disc platform.

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Paramount Announces Its First and Second Wave of Blu-ray Releases


Posted August 21, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Paramount Home Entertainment will roll out its first four Blu-ray movies on September 26, 2006 with a slate that mirrors its first HD-DVD releases this summer. Included in the first wave are Tomb Raider, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Four Brothers and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. A second wave with U2: Rattle and Hum, Aeon Flux and The Italian Job hit October 10, 2006. Later in the month, the studio will release Mission Impossible III with high-definition-exclusive bonus features such as enhanced commentaries with Tom Cruise and director J.J. Abrams and high-def-quality featurettes.

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Sony Now Shipping 50GB Dual-Layer Blu-ray Media


Posted August 16, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Sony Electronics has begun U.S. shipments of 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray Disc recordable (write-once) media. The company also confirmed that it plans to start shipping 50GB dual-layer rewritable BD media later this year. "The arrival of 50GB Blu-ray Disc media is an important milestone in the evolution of this new format," said Mike Lucas, director of marketing for Sony Electronics' Media and Application Solutions Division. "The capacity represents more than four hours of HD quality video, at a 24Mbps transfer rate, allowing users to take full advantage of Sony's Blu-ray Disc burners and VAIO desktop and notebook computers."

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Disney and Buena Vista Announce Upcoming Blu-ray Releases


Posted July 17, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) president Bob Chapek today announced that BVHE will begin releasing titles beginning September 19, 2006 on the Blu-ray Disc format. Titles available on that date will include Walt Disney Pictures' Dinosaur and Eight Below; Miramax Films' Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and The Great Raid. These four titles mark the first wave of an ongoing release strategy from BVHE which will support the Blu-ray format. A second wave of releases will be available on October 17, 2006, including Walt Disney Pictures' Glory Road and Haunted Mansion; Touchstone Pictures' Dark Water and Gone in Sixty Seconds; and Dimension Films' The Brothers Grimm.

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Warner Announces Its First Wave of Blu-ray Releases


Posted July 12, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Warner Home Video (WHV), which distributes the largest film library of any studio, today announced that it will launch its first titles in the Blu-ray format on August 1, 2006. The first wave of Warner titles include two new releases, a catalog favorite and a title new to the high definition format: the critically acclaimed Oscar nominated drama Good Night and Good Luck starring David Strathairn and George Clooney; Academy Award winning, Training Day starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke; Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer's noir comedy caper Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; and Rob Reiner's clever romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Mark Ruffalo and Shirley MacLaine, Rumor Has It. Future waves of Blu-ray launch titles will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Samsung Launches Industry's First Blu-ray Player


Posted June 15, 2006 12:00 AM by Marwin

Samsung today announced that the industry's first Blu-ray player has been shipped to retailers in the U.S. market for availability on June 25th. The Samsung BD-P1000 plays Blu-ray software titles at the highest resolution available via a native 1080p HDMI output for films digitally mastered in 1920×1080p. The BD-P1000 also up-converts conventional DVDs to 1080p through the HDMI digital interface so the picture quality of any traditional DVD will look noticeably more detailed when used with the disc player. The BD-P1000 is backwards compatible and plays both standard DVDs and CDs in addition to supporting all DVD formats including, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, and DVD+R. Connectivity includes HDMI, Component, S-video and composite outputs. Supported audio formats include Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, MP3 and 192KHz LPCM. The BD-P1000 will be available in stores on June 25, 2006 at a MAP of $999.99.

[Propellarhead9]

I know when PS3 came out it was a big deal because it was the cheapest Player on the market, that was when it was 500 or 600 bucks. One of the reason I didn't really get into Blu until a few months ago. The most I have ever seen a single movie for was 45

[tilapiah6]

It's stunning to think about how far it's come. Thankfully, the trend in Blu-ray price drops is going strong!

[that1guystudios]

Originally Posted by tilapiah6

It's stunning to think about how far it's come. Thankfully, the trend in Blu-ray price drops is going strong!

I got to play with the Samsung 1000 the day it was released with a handful of titles at Circuit City. I just remember the hourglass logo that showed while it took nearly a minute to load the disc (The original 5th Element Release...which looked terrible, but still way better than DVD!) It's come such a long way since then!

[Diesel]

I remember my brother was working at Best Buy at the time the first blu-ray players were hitting the shelves.

When he told me that they were like $1,000 I thought, who the hell would want one of those things

[tru_to_blu]

In 2006 and the players was over a $1000.00

[goochspot]

jwbbud, thanks for compiling a nice history read!

[aggienader08]

I didn't even buy my first HDTV until fall 2006 and it was right when this stuff was coming out. It was a projection LG "30 and I wanted so bad to watch a blu on it but the players were $1,000 +. Instead my roommate worked at Best Buy and bought us an upconverting DVD player to hold me off of buying a blu-ray/HD-DVD player. It worked until I bought a used PS3 from Gamestop a year later for $500. Wow, that seems so long ago. I can't believe the PS3 is only $300!! Can y'all remember when Sony was so adamant about the $600 price tag?

[Fighter]

Aahhh....and what a beautiful launch day that was back in '06

[goochspot]

Originally Posted by jbpo

That's exactly what I was thinking as well, what is the purpose in researching the launch date of this technology, instead of focusing on release dates of some good flicks.

Because some of us care. Plus there are plenty of threads focusing on release dates of some "good flicks". There's enough space on this forum for one thread to be focused on the history of blu-ray. How do you feel about the history of other subjects?