Blu-ray Discs Hit Shelves in May
Online staff -- EDN, March 1, 2006
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) and Lionsgate are targeting May 23 to deliver the first wave of Blu-ray disc titles, planned to coincide with the launch of the first commercially available Blu-ray disc player from Samsung Electronics.
Samsung’s launch will be followed shortly by Blu-ray disc players from Pioneer and Sony, along with a Blu-ray disc compatible VAIO PC from Sony.
SPHE and MGM Home Entertainment, acquired last year by Sony, will first release eight Blu-ray disc titles, including “50 First Dates” and “The Last Waltz.” Another eight titles will be released on June 13.
"The first Blu-ray disc titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment mark a significant milestone in the [Blu-ray disc] revolution of home entertainment" said Philip Abram, VP of marketing for Sony Electronics' home products division, in a statement. "We are excited about the upcoming launch of the BDP-S1 Blu-ray disc player and with engaging content from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, consumers are in for a spectacular high-definition experience."
Lionsgate intends to release 10 titles, including “Crash” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” on May 23. A second wave of five additional titles will follow shortly thereafter with a June/July date still to be determined. Lionsgate Blu-ray discs will range from $29.99 to $39.99.
"Watching a film in your living room is about to radically change forever and we can't wait to maximize Blu-ray's technological capabilities and see for ourselves how far we can take the home movie-watching experience," said Lionsgate President Steve Beeks in the statement.
Samsung Electronics plans to release its Blu-ray disc player, BD-P1000, to electronics retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit on May 23. Pioneer’s BDP-HD1 and Sony’s Blu-ray disc enabled VAIO PCs will be released shortly thereafter.
On the other side of the blue-laser DVD divide lies Toshiba America Consumer Products L.L.C., which got aggressive last week, kicking off a 40-city tour to preview its HD DVD player. Toshiba plans to have its HD DVD player in stores the week of March 26.
Studios including Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video and The Weinstein Company are backing the HD DVD format, releasing their titles later this year.
