Japan's TDK has started shipping blank Blu-ray discs to retailers, and they cost about as much as a first-run movie on DVD.
A 25GB recordable disc costs $19.95 (£11.50), according to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the trade group behind the next-generation format. Recordable-rewritable versions of the 25GB disc cost $24.95.
Later this year, TDK will come out with a Blu-ray disc that records on both sides and holds 50GB. The recordable version will sell for $47.99, while the recordable-rewritable version will go for $59.95. TDK began to supply manufacturers with samples in December.
Prices, though, will decline as more manufacturers and manufacturing facilities for the new format come out. Blu-ray players won't hit shelves until later this year.
Two different camps are battling it out to establish the next standard for optical discs. The Blu-ray group — which includes Sony, Philips, Dell and several film studios — says its technology will provide more storage than competing HD DVD.
Toshiba, Microsoft, Intel and the other HD backers, however, say their format will be a lot cheaper.
Many film studios have decided to support both formats. PC and consumer electronics companies, however, are typically being forced to choose one format or another. A few, such as HP and LG, say they'll support both.
For consumers, the format war will be a headache as they will have to remember to buy PCs that are compatible with their consumer electronics equipment that is compatible with the movies they buy.
Blu-ray discs are composed of copper and silicon and are different from the material used in CDs and DVDs, according to TDK.
