Sony today announced the sales of samples of key components corresponding to Blu-ray Disc standards.

Beginning early part of December this year, samples of the following key components for BD player/recorders, including optical heads and optical related semiconductor devices will be available, thus offering opportunities for manufactures to develop BD related products, as well as supporting to expand the overall BD market.

"Sony has a long history of innovating new technologies that become the industry standard, and with today's announcement, we are confident in the continuation of that tradition," said Dr. Osamu Kumagai of Sony's Device Solutions Company at Microsystems Network Company. "By making available to the industry the key components and technologies of Blu-ray Disc recorder, drive and other BD related products, we expect the Blu-ray Disc market to expand, and thus our consumers will enjoy, record and experience High Definition contents".

The current maximum capacity for the BD format is 27GB/54GB (one side, single layer and single side, double layer, respectively). The discs are capable of storing Digital High Definition broadcast content for a maximum of 2 hours and 15 minutes/4 hours and 30 minutes, without any compression. Additionally, they are capable of storing full-length feature films, while maintaining the high-quality, utilizing the large storing capacity.

Sony was the first to commercialize a Blu-ray Disc player in April 2003. Since then, Sony has been rapidly developing new products and technologies, including the hybrid-type three wave optical pick-up component for recording and playback of CD, DVD and BD format discs (announced in May 2004); and development and commercialization of BD-ROM* manufacturing equipment (announced in August 2004). Sony is therefore supporting BD standards from various angles.

* The physical format of BD-ROM Standards has been established in August 2004.

The announced BD compatible recording/playback optical head, which is composed of blue-violet 405nm laser diode and optical related parts, can be considered as the 'heart' of BD recorder which is capable of writing and reading of data to and from a disc. In addition, the other semiconductor devices are LSIs which control the recording/playback optical head and enables appropriate signal transformation for recording and playback of the disc. By combining the optical head with these LSIs, it facilitates manufactures to develop BD related products.