February 19, 2008, 9:42 AM — The high-definition movie disc battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc can be
traced all the way back to 2000, when companies began experimenting with using
new blue lasers in optical disc systems.
Because the wavelength of blue light is shorter than that of the red lasers
used in DVD, less physical space is needed to record each bit of data and so
more information can be crammed onto a DVD-sized disc. This extra space was
needed to store the new high-definition video and TV services that were starting
to be commercialized around that time.
But what started in 2000 as technical research became a battle between the
world's largest electronics companies and movie studios, with the consumer caught
in the middle.
Here's a look at the major milestones from the first research:
2000
Oct. 5 -- Sony and Pioneer unveil
DVR Blue at Japan's Ceatec show. The format would go on to form the basis
for first-generation Blu-ray Disc BD-RE.
Nov. 1 -- Sony
announces the development of Ultra Density Optical (UDO), a blue-laser optical
disc format proposed to replace magneto-optical discs.
2002
Feb. 19 -- Led by Sony, nine of the world's largest electronics companies unveil
plans for Blu-ray Disc.
Aug. 29 -- Toshiba
and NEC propose to the DVD Forum the next-generation optical disc format
that will become HD DVD.
Oct. 1 -- Prototypes of both formats are unveiled at Japan's Ceatec exhibition.
Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Pioneer and JVC showed prototype Blu-ray Disc recorders
while Toshiba showed a prototype under the name Advanced Optical Disc (AOD).
2003
Feb. 13 -- Licensing
of Blu-ray Disc begins. Player makers pay US$20,000 to license Blu-ray while
the content-protection system license carries a $120,000 annual fee and additional
charge of $0.10 per player. Media makers pay $8,000 annually and $0.02 per disc
for the copy protection system.
April 7 -- Sony
announces its Blu-ray Disc-based Professional Disc format for data archiving
applications.
April 10 -- Sony puts on sale in Japan the world's first Blu-ray Disc recorder,
the BDZ-S77. It's based on a 23G-byte cartridge version of the BD-RE disc and
costs ¥450,000 (US$3,815 at the time). The machine and a later model from
Panasonic lack support for prerecorded movies that will launch later and prove
an expensive early step into next-generation video.
May 28 -- Mitsubishi
Electric joins the Blu-ray Disc group.
2004
Jan. 7 -- Toshiba
unveils its first prototype HD DVD player at CES. The player includes backwards
compatibility with DVD.
Jan. 12 - Hewlett-Packard and Dell put their support behind Blu-ray Disc.
June 10 -- The first commercial version of HD DVD-ROM is approved by the DVD
Forum.
Sept. 21 -- Sony announces
the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray Disc.
Nov. 29 -- Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO
and New Line Cinema announce
support for HD DVD.
Dec. 9 -- Disney announces support for Blu-ray Disc.
2005
Jan. 7 -- Backers of both formats promise players and movies in North America
by the end of the year -- something that never materialized.
March 24 -- Talk and hope of a common format as Ryoji Chubachi, then Sony's
president-elect, says: "Listening to the voice of the consumers, having
two rival formats is disappointing and we haven't totally given up on the possibility
of integration or compromise."
April 21 -- Sony and Toshiba begin discussions on the possibility of a single
format. The talks ultimately go nowhere.
Aug. 18 -- Lions Gate Home Entertainment and Universal Music Group decide to
back Blu-ray Disc.
