Sony to Ship 1st 50GB Blu-ray Disc Tuesday

Sony Pictures on Tuesday will release its first 50GB Blu-ray disc—which can store twice the amount of data of an average Blu-ray disc—making it the first to release a film in the high-definition next-generation DVD format on a disc with such storage capacity, according to a Hollywood Reporter article posted on Reuters.co.uk.

Sony Headquarters

The first 50GB Blu-ray release from Sony will be of Click featuring Adam Sandler, and two additional Sony titles, Black Hawk Down and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, will be released on 50GB Blu-ray in November and December, respectively, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Sony is one of three large Hollywood studios that has announced plans to release titles on 50GB Blu-ray discs, the Hollywood Reporter reports. 20th Century Fox plans to make available on Nov. 14 Kingdom of Heaven on 50GB Blu-ray disc, and Lionsgate expects to release The Descent in December, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The 50GB Blu-ray release of Click will feature the complete set of extras included with the normal DVD release—and they’ll be in high-definition—as well as uncompressed pulse code modulation (PCM) audio, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

When Black Hawk Down hits retailers in November, it will include a new technology from Sony, dubbed “Blu-Wizard,” which enables users to tailor their setting for unique ways to view extra features, the Hollywood Reporter reports.

Blu-ray and its next-generation rival DVD format, HD DVD, are locked in a head-to-head battle for supremacy in the high-definition DVD space, and many electronics firms and retailers are trying to decide on which format—if either—to throw their support behind. Some firms have already picked a format, and others say they’ll offer titles in both formats, though the associated costs will likely deter many from going that route. Toshiba developed the HD-DVD format, and Sony backs Blu-ray.

Sony BDZ-V9

In related news, Sony recently said it would release two Blu-ray recorders—the BDZ-V9 with 500GB drive and the BDZ-V7 with 250GB drive—in Japan in December. Matsushita (Panasonic) plans to release its Blu-ray recorders in Japan in November.

Related Links:

• HD DVD, Blu-ray Dual Format Disc in the Works?

• Report: DVD Format Wars to End in Draw

• Matsushita Blu-ray Recorders to Hit Japan in Nov.

• Sony Blu-ray Disc Recorders, PCs to Hit Japan in Dec.

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