Just one week after Warner, Universal, New Line and Paramount announced their support for the HD DVD format, The Walt Disney Company, the second-largest US media company, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, its home video division, have announced they will support Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray Disc format.



As part of its cooperation with Blu-ray, BVHE will begin releasing content non-exclusively in that format when Blu-ray hardware launches in the North America and Japan. The Company also announced that it will become a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).


Blu-ray Disc is a next generation optical disc format developed for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications.
A single-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 25 gigabytes of data and a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc will hold up to 50 gigabytes of data. This greater storage capacity enables the Blu-ray Disc to store up to five times the amount of content than is possible with current DVDs, and is particularly well-suited for high definition feature films with extended levels of additional bonus and interactive material. Blu-ray also features the most advanced copy protection, backward compatibility with the current DVD format (meaning Blu-ray players will play existing DVDs), connectivity and advanced interactivity.

“Everyone is looking for the right format … to release their content. That is a combination of consumer adoption of the players and the platform, content protection, and adequate capacity. We think Blu-ray is there,” Peter Murphy, senior executive vice president at the Walt Disney Company, told Reuters in a phone interview.