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[winjer]

Blu-ray turns 20 years old: The optical disc that refuses to fade away

The Blu-ray format was officially introduced at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show, although Sony had already developed the first prototypes in 2000. The Las Vegas trade show marked the public debut of the new optical media, sparking a major upgrade in overall quality for home entertainment and data recording solutions.

Blu-ray technology was promoted by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), an industry-wide consortium that continues to develop and license the standard. BDA members include Sony, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Walt Disney, and other major corporations. According to Blu-ray.com, in 2006, BDA members were eager to showcase Blu-ray players, recorders, discs, and other related products.

For the first few years, Blu-ray competed with HD DVD to become the preferred format for high-definition home video. The optical disc format war ended quickly in 2008 when Toshiba, the main proponent of HD DVD, discontinued the competing format. A year later, the company also released its own Blu-ray Disc player.

Blu-ray represented a major technological upgrade over the older DVD format. The new discs required a blue-violet laser – hence the name – to read and write data, allowing digital bits to be stored at a higher density on the 12-cm polycarbonate disc. The original Blu-ray specifications included single-layer discs with 25 GB of storage and dual-layer discs with 50 GB of capacity.

A few years after the original specifications were released, the Blu-ray format expanded to support higher-capacity discs. These so-called BDXL media include triple-layer discs holding 100 GB of data, and even quadruple-layer discs with a massive 128 GB capacity.

While the original Blu-ray format was used for home video releases containing high-quality Full HD streams, larger pressed discs are now used for 4K releases sold under the official "Ultra HD Blu-ray" brand.

Blu-ray was the official media format chosen by Sony for its PlayStation 3 console, and it was eventually adopted by Microsoft as well. Today, aside from the Nintendo Switch, the most powerful consoles from Sony and Microsoft still rely on Blu-ray technology for major game releases and collector's editions.

Although Blu-ray won the last format war, the current market offers little room for optical media or other expensive physical formats. Sony ceased Blu-ray production in 2025, and optical drives are increasingly rare in gaming consoles and PC systems – except in Japan.

Blu-ray is slowly becoming obsolete, yet it still provides the best viewing and listening experience for home media enthusiasts. Personally, I continue to spend a significant – and admittedly excessive – amount of money on both old and new BD/UHBD releases each month, and I plan to keep doing so for years to come.

 

[jshackles]

Man, I was 100% all in on HD-DVD. Had the Xbox 360 external expansion drive and about 40 movies.

 

[ssringo]

Feeling old yet?

Edit: I bought the original US released Dragonball Z on VHS. The ones that made a nice picture with the sides of the boxes.

 

[Escape Goat]

 

[Yoshichan]

i remember the day new line cinema chose blu-ray and essentially won sony the war

that day, hd-dvd went from 250 dollar products to shovelware bin found for 20 bucks

good times

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I still find it interesting how Blurays are still around and hasn't been replaced by another storage meduim for movies and shows. Instead streaming has been replacing that meduim in regards to how people watch stuff. I stream too but I admit I'm not a fan of not being the owner of something and that you no longer have access to the content once I get rid of my subscription

Other than Blurays, I wonder what's the next cheap storage meduim that is able to store more data than a Bluray/4K Bluray will be. If it's just going to be streaming going forward than I would rather just pirate the stuff

VHS Tapes lasted a long ass time and it was interesting seeing the advancement of VHS Tapes to CD to DVD to Blurays to 4K Blurays

 

[nush]

I sat out the HD format wars. Even when Blu Ray had won I think I waited 5 years until I was sure it was a reliable format. Also by then most of my favorite films were on Blu Ray so it was fun to just have a huge weekly upgrade.

 

[HallowedFeast]

Please. I remember buying VHS tapes at school summer fetes.

I don't need DVDs/Blu-rays to feel old.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I still find it interesting how Blurays are still around and hasn't been replaced by another storage meduim for movies and shows. Instead streaming has been replacing that meduim in regards to how people watch stuff. I stream too but I admit I'm not a fan of not being the owner of something and that you no longer have access to the content once I get rid of my subscription

Other than Blurays, I wonder what's the next cheap storage meduim that is able to store more data than a Bluray/4K Bluray will be. If it's just going to be streaming going forward than I would rather just pirate the stuff

VHS Tapes lasted a long ass time and it was interesting seeing the advancement of VHS Tapes to CD to DVD to Blurays to 4K Blurays

You'd be surprised but last I've seen even BluRay didn't manage to replace DVD as movie format until this day. DVD is still king. Not that I get it given the fact that most TVs sold these days are 50+ inch but it is what it is. Crazy…

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

You'd be surprised but last I've seen even BluRay didn't manage to replace DVD as movie format until this day. DVD is still king. Not that I get it given the fact that most TVs sold these days are 50+ inch but it is what it is. Crazy…

I was at a friend house and his parents were watching the Avengers on DVD, the image quality is still really good. It's funny how much the Law of Diminishing Returns has been happening in other sectors not just the gaming industry. For me, Bluray is the limit at the moment of what I'll buy in regards to watching movies/shows/anime. The image quaility still looks amazing and yes I have seen 4K Blurays. I can tell the difference between a Bluray and 4k Bluray but I'm at the point where it doesn't matter to me anymore. I think that's how lot of the population feels about this stuff

 

[VulcanRaven]

I started buying them when I got PS4 so it doesn't feel old to me.

 

[Unknown?]

I was at a friend house and his parents were watching the Avengers on DVD, the image quality is still really good. It's funny how much the Law of Diminishing Returns has been happening in other sectors not just the gaming industry. For me, Bluray is the limit at the moment of what I'll buy in regards to watching movies/shows/anime. The image quaility still looks amazing and yes I have seen 4K Blurays. I can tell the difference between a Bluray and 4k Bluray but I'm at the point where it doesn't matter to me anymore. I think that's how lot of the population feels about this stuff

The main reason I get 4K bluray is audio. Picture doesn't show a difference unless you're close or have a massive TV. I can hear the difference though.

Most 4k streaming has lower quality than a physical blue ray at 1080p also.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Please. I remember buying VHS tapes at school summer fetes.

I don't need DVDs/Blu-rays to feel old.

Me too, I had a job that paid me pretty good in high school. I would go and buy vhs tapes instead of renting them as the prices were pretty close.

That was nearly 30 years ago…

Fudge…

 

[Billbofet]

The main reason I get 4K bluray is audio. Picture doesn't show a difference unless you're close or have a massive TV. I can hear the difference though.

Most 4k streaming has lower quality than a physical blue ray at 1080p also.

Agreed. I have a 120" screen, and even on that, the resolution bump is marginal at best from 13 feet away. I also think HDR is a bit of a scam as it is almost always done poorly.
The sound upgrade on 4k UHD is night and day to me, though. I was just watching Mission Impossible: Fallout, and I could not believe my ears!

 

[Brucey]

My understanding is Sony stopped producing BD-R and BD-RE recordable media. However they still replicate disks for the ultra 4k movie sector:

Sony’s Blu-ray Exit Doesn’t Matter — Here’s Why

Sony is exiting the blank media business, but this doesn’t signal Blu-ray’s death. Reports claiming otherwise are misleading—Blu-ray remains relevant for AV enthusiasts despite Sony’s move.

www.audioholics.com

Just glad Microsoft/Toshiba's shit lesser standard was rejected.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Blu-rays are my preferred choice when buying physical movies. They look and sound fucking great. Best disc format ever.

 

[Catphish]

I've been feeling old since long before bluray, m8.

 

[nkarafo]

Never had or used one. Didn't have a PS3 either.

My path for storage and moving files was CD - DVD - USB flash drives - HDDs.

 

[analog_future]

Jesus, blu-ray still feels like "the new format" in my mind.

 

[Topher]

 

[SirKicksalot]

Other than Blurays, I wonder what's the next cheap storage meduim that is able to store more data than a Bluray/4K Bluray will be. If it's just going to be streaming going forward than I would rather just pirate the stuff

Memory card with USB-C connector. Plug it straight into the TV. Maybe in 2040 we can finally watch Gemini Man in 120 FPS 3D at home.

 

[Fake]

Better old than rely on Netflix thats for sure.

 

[Fbh]

Man I still remember a week or 2 after getting my PS3, going to Blockbuster to rent a Blu-ray. The selection was pretty limited, I ended up renting The Wrestler.

Cool movie, and I was impressed by the quality, though my family said they didn't see much of a difference lol

 

[DeepEnigma]

Bro, RE7 was 9 years ago and almost 5 years for RE8. Both still feel like yesterday.

Time hates us.

RE9 out in a bit over a month.

(I've been on a RE game and backlog kick recently.)

 

[HAYA8U5A]

My understanding is Sony stopped producing BD-R and BD-RE recordable media. However they still replicate disks for the ultra 4k movie sector:

Sony’s Blu-ray Exit Doesn’t Matter — Here’s Why

Sony is exiting the blank media business, but this doesn’t signal Blu-ray’s death. Reports claiming otherwise are misleading—Blu-ray remains relevant for AV enthusiasts despite Sony’s move.

www.audioholics.com

Just glad Microsoft/Toshiba's shit lesser standard was rejected.

That is just consumer blank media discs and has no impact at all on movies and stuff you buy on Blu-ray. Well short of maybe 1% of the Blu-ray market since every now and then you will get some obscure self published independent movie on a BD-R. Even made on demand Blu-ray almost always use pressed discs contary to popular belief that means they would use BD-R when it just means they make them in small batches until demand dies off instead of a large printing run all at once. It was also just Sony's own blank media while companies like Verbatim are still making them. So long story short it was a nothing story that blew up from people misunderstanding and thinking Sony were killing off Blu-ray.

 

[AJUMP23]

Been old for a long time.

 

[ToughestSoul]

Pain in the ass DRM when you want to play them on PC.

 

[Cfh123]

I thought 4K streaming and Bluray would be about the same quality. Bluray is way better for both audio and video. It is still an excellent media format 20 years later.

 

[BillMaxwell]

Blu-ray turns 20 years old: The optical disc that refuses to fade away

I feel ancient.

 

[p_xavier]

Still haven't watched the first BDs.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Yes, it makes me feel old. What made me feel even older the other day was playing GTA III on a PS2 emulator and realizing that the in-game radio station Flashback FM, which was already categorized as playing retro songs at the time the game was released in 2001, was featuring tracks that were 18 years old back then. Now the game itself is more retro than the retro throwback soundtrack it included. It is honestly scary to think about.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Man, I was 100% all in on HD-DVD. Had the Xbox 360 external expansion drive and about 40 movies.

Don't worry, I preferred Beta Max..

I feel your pain

 

[rm082e]

Ha! I was an HD DVD fanboy.

I think I had 60+ movies on it by the time Universal pulled the plug. We moved in 2019 and I took the time to re-buy used copies of the important movies on BD, downloaded rips of a few, then tossed my Toshiba player and discs in the trash as we were cleaning out to pack.

At last count I think I was around 270 BDs. Most of them I haven't watched in years. I still love the format, but they're definitely a relic at this point. The last one I bought was TLOU Season 1. My kids call BD "old people shit".

 

[Baemono]

Yes, it makes me feel old. What made me feel even older the other day was playing GTA III on a PS2 emulator and realizing that the in-game radio station Flashback FM, which was already categorized as playing retro songs at the time the game was released in 2001, was featuring tracks that were 18 years old back then. Now the game itself is more retro than the retro throwback soundtrack it included. It is honestly scary to think about.

Indeed. It's hard for me to grasp the idea of a GTA Vice City themed gamed would be nowadays people wearing stuff like Avril Lavigne or the Black Eyed Peas and listening to the OffSprings on the radio.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Indeed. It's hard for me to grasp the idea of a GTA Vice City themed gamed would be nowadays people wearing stuff like Avril Lavigne or the Black Eyed Peas and listening to the OffSprings on the radio.

Man. GTA Vice City was released 16 years after the time period in which it is set. GTA IV was set and released in 2008, which is now 18 years ago. Again, it is scary to think that what was once a commentary on present-day America has suddenly become a period piece that captures an era long gone.

We are old.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Holy crap.
I'll never forget the day I got a PS3 (very, very late, in early 2012) and bought a few BRs to test the format.
I A/Bd Aliens. I still had a plasma EDTV at the time, meaning it was 480p.
I play a scene from the BR. Until then, DVD looked like perfection, and BR looked stellar too.
Then I played the same scene on the DVD. And I went, "OMG what is this shit?!?!"
The difference was incredible. DVD looked like absolute shit.

But in the end, BRs were always quite expensive and I didn't feel like rebuying all of my DVDs in the new format too. I never even had a dedicated BR player, always used consoles to play BRs. And now it's been a while since I even played a movie from a disc anyway.

But jeez, 20 years. Now that I think of it, 4K BR must've probably been around for at least a decade by now.

 

[turbo_blade]

i got my first bluray (Casino Royale) bundled with my PS3.

i've moved on from Bluray. sold/binned all my old movies. that's a lie, i do have some of a tv show i really like but there's really no reason to hold on to it because i could just stream it (and i downloaded it too). still got my original bluray player too because my PS3 drive stopped working.

streaming is good enough for me and anyway i hate having stuff cluttering up my house. the only physical media i own is a handful of paperback books, some ps1/ps2 games, and the blu ray box set mentioned above.

 

[Brucey]

Never had or used one. Didn't have a PS3 either.

My path for storage and moving files was CD - DVD - USB flash drives - HDDs.

I was VHS->Laserdisc ->DVD->Blu-ray

PS3 40GB Spiderman version was my first BD player, since supplemented with Panasonic UB820-K for Dolby Vision and tone mapping.

 

[Von Hugh]

I bought my first and only blu-ray media in 2009 or 2010. Band of Brothers. Then Netflix came around 2012 and there was no need for physical media anymore. What was lost in image quality was gained in convenience.

I had a bunch of HD-DVD movies, however, because at some point the Xbox 360 add on was basically like only 50 dollarinos. I probably never rewatched any of those HD-DVD movies.

 

[[Sigma]]

Still collecting Blu-Rays til this day. Steady sweeping up classics from my earlier years when im reminded of them. Bought The Wraith like a month ago.