BDA calls for industry-wide support for Blu-ray

Following Toshiba’s recent decision to halt the production of HD-DVD devices, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is calling for the industry to unite behind the Blu-ray high definition format.

The Association is calling for support to persuade HDTV owners to adopt the Blu-ray format, in preference to the dominant DVD-Video format.

Victor Matsuda, Chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee, wants the Blu-ray Disc to be at the heart of the home entertainment industry, and believes this will require the participation of the whole industry, including CE manufacturers, content providers, software developers, replicators and retailers.

A major challenge to Blu-ray will come from HD downloads, and the BDA is keen to publicise the higher quality viewing experience provided by Blu-ray Discs. It is planning to increase its marketing programme to publicise the benefits of the format.

According to the BDA, Blu-ray is six times superior in picture quality to SD DVD, and substantially superior to cable or satellite.