Blu-ray Disc Association

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is the industry consortium that develops and licenses Blu-ray Disc technology and is responsible for establishing format standards and promoting business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc. The BDA is divided into three levels of membership: the Board of Directors, the Contributors, and the General Members. [cite web
url = http://www.blu-raydisc.com/top/About_us/about/Section-13546/Index.html
title = Membership Levels (About Us, Blu Ray Association)
accessdate = 2006-12-09
year = 2006]

The "Blu-ray Disc Founder group" was started in May 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Sony, Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.Spearheaded by Sony Corporation, on February 19, 2002 the companies announced [cite web
url = http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/200202/02-0219E/
title = Large Capacity Optical Disc Video Recording Format "Blu-ray Disc" Established
language =
accessdate = 2007-02-05
year = 2007] that they were the "Founders" of the Blu-ray Disc and later changed their name to the "Blu-ray Disc Association" on May 18, 2004 to allow more companies to join their development. Some examples of companies that signed in include Apple, TDK, Dell, Hewlett Packard, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. and Universal Music Group. As of December 2007, there are more than 250 members and supporters of the Association.

Members

Board of Directors

The Blu-ray Disc Association website describes the role of the Board of Directors as follows: [ [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/top/About_us/about/Section-13546/Index.html Membership Levels ] ]

"Companies participating in the Board of Directors are active participants of the format creation and key BDA activities. They are selected from the Contributors by election. The board sets an overall strategy and approves key issues. A board member can participate in all activities and attend all meetings. The Blu-ray Disc Founder companies will make up the initial Board of Directors.Annual fee: $ 50,000"

The current 18 board members (as of January 2008) are: [ [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/general_information/Section-14009/Index.html Supporting Companies ] ]

* Apple Inc.
* Dell Inc.
* Hewlett-Packard Company
* Hitachi, Ltd.
* LG Electronics
* Mitsubishi Electric
* Panasonic (Matsushita Electric)
* Pioneer Corporation
* Royal Philips Electronics
* Samsung Electronics
* Sharp Corporation
* Sony Corporation
* Sun Microsystems
* TDK Corporation
* Thomson SA
* Twentieth Century Fox
* Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
* Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Contributors

The role of contributors as described by the Blu-ray Disc Association Website: [ [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/top/About_us/about/Section-13546/Index.html blu-raydisc.com] ]

"Contributors are active participants of the format creation and other key BDA activities. They can be elected to become a member of the Board of Directors. A contributor can attend general meetings and seminars, and can participate in Technical Expert Groups (TEGs), regional Promotion Team activities, and most of the Compliance Committee (CC) activities. Membership requires execution of Contribution Agreement and must be approved by the Board of Directors.Annual fee: $ 20,000"

The 66 Contributors as of January 2008 are: [ [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/general_information/Section-14009/Index.html blu-raydisc.com] ]
* Adobe Systems
* Almedio Inc.
* Alticast
* Aplix Corporation
* ArcSoft, Inc.
* ATI Technologies Inc.
* Atmel Corporation
* AudioDev AB
* Broadcom Corporation
* Canon Inc.
* Chawk Industries
* CMC Magnetics Corporation
* Coding Technologies GmbH
* Cryptography Research Inc.
* CyberLink Corp.
* DATARIUS Technologies GmbH
* DCA Inc.
* Deluxe Media Services Inc.
* Dolby Laboratories Inc.
* DTS, Inc.
* Electronic Arts Inc.
* Esmertec
* Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd.
* Fujitsu Ltd.
* Gibson Guitar Corp.
* Horizon Semiconductors
* Imation Corp.
* InterVideo Inc.
* Kenwood Corporation
* Lionsgate Entertainment
* LITE-ON IT Corporation
* LSI Logic
* MediaTek Inc.
* Meridian Audio Ltd.
* Metro Goldwyn Mayer
* Metta Technology
* Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co.Ltd.
* Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
* Moser Baer India Limited
* NEC Electronics Corporation
* Nero AG
* Optodisc Technology Corporation
* Paramount Pictures/Viacom
* Pixela Corporation
* Prodisc Technology Inc.
* Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd.
* Ricoh Co., Ltd.
* RITEK Corporation
* ShibaSoku Co. Ltd.
* Sigma Designs Inc.
* Sonic Solutions
* Sonopress
* Sony BMG Music Entertainment
* Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures, Tristar Pictures Screen Gems).
* STMicroelectronics
* Sunext
* Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.,
* Texas Instruments, Inc.
* Universal Music Group
* Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC)
* Visionare Corporation
* Zentek Technology Japan, Inc.
* ZOOtech Ltd.
* Zoran Corporation

Members

The Blu-ray Disc Association Website describes Members as follows: [ [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/top/About_us/about/Section-13546/Index.html] ]

"General membership provides access to specific information from Committee discussions. A general member can attend general meetings and seminars. They can participate in specific Regional Promotion Team activities and specific CC activities.Annual fee: $3,000"

There are currently 94 members:
* Acer Inc.
* Alpine Electronics Inc.
* Asahi Kasei Microsystems Co., Ltd.
* Ashampoo GmbH & Co. KG
* Bandai Visual Co. Ltd.
* BASF AG
* Basler Vision Technologies
* BenQ Corporation
* B.H.A. Corporation
* Bose Corporation
* B&W Group
* The Cannery
* Cheertek Inc.
* Cinram Manufacturing Inc.
* D&M Holdings, Inc.
* Daewoo Electronics Corporation
* Daikin Industries, Ltd.
* Daxon Technology Inc.
* Degussa
* Eclipse Data Technologies
* Elpida Memory, Inc.
* ESS Technology Inc.
* Expert Magnetics Corp.
* Fujitsu Ten Ltd.
* Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
* GalleryPlayer Media Networks
* GEAR Software
* Hie Electronics, Inc.
* Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd.
* IMAGICA Corp.
* INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd.
* Infomedia Inc.
* Intersil Corporation
* Kadokawa Holdings Inc.
* Kaleidescape, Inc.
* Kitano Co., Ltd.
* Konica Minolta Opto Inc.
* Laser Pacific Media Corp.
* Lauda Co. Ltd.
* Lead Data Inc.
* LEADER ELECTRONICS CORP
* Lenovo
* Linn Products Ltd.
* LINTEC Corporation
* M2 Engineering AB
* MainConcept AG
* Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
* Must Technology Co., Ltd.
* MX Entertainment
* Netflix Inc.
* NewTech Infosystems Inc. (NTI)
* NEXAPM Systems Technology Inc.
* Nichia Corporation
* Nikkatsu Corporation
* NTT Electronics Corporation
* nVidia Corporation
* OC Oerlikon Balzers AG
* Omnibus Japan Inc.
* Onkyo Corporation
* Online Media Technologies Ltd.
* Ono Sokki Co., Ltd.
* OPT Corporation
* Orbit Corp.
* Origin Electric Co., Ltd.
* Osmosys SA
* Pinnacle Systems
* PoINT Software & Systems GmbH
* Pony Canyon Enterprise
* PowerFile
* Primera Technology, Inc.
* Quanta Storage Inc.
* Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
* Rimage Corporation
* Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
* Dr. Schwab Inspection Technology GmbH
* Shinano Kenshi Co. Ltd.
* Singulus Technologies
* STEAG ETA-OPTIK GmbH
* Sumitomo Bakelite
* Tao Group Limited
* Targray Technology International Inc.
* TEAC Corporation
* Teijin Chemicals Ltd.
* THX Ltd.
* Tsvetov Technologies
* Toei Video Company Ltd.
* Toho Company, Ltd.
* Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
* TOPTICA Photonics AG
* Trailer Park
* UmeDisc Ltd.
* Vivendi Universal Games
* Yamaha Corporation
* Yokogawa Electric Corporation
* 1K Studios, LLC

Timeline of major changes to membership

* On October 3, 2004 20th Century Fox announced that it was joining the BDA, and on July 29, 2005 the studio officially announced its support for Blu-ray Disc.
* On March 10, 2005 Apple Computer announced its support for Blu-ray Disc and joined the BDA.
* On August 31, 2006 Sun Microsystems joined the BDA.
* On August 30, 2007, during the IFA Consumer Electronics Fair 2007, Acer and China Hualu joined BDA, and a few days later Acer also announced that they joined HD DVD North American Promotion Group. [cite web|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/index.php?id=454
title = Acer Joins BDA
accessdate = 2007-09-12
year = 2007] [cite web
url = http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/show/IFA/IFA_Underway_in_Berlin_Blu-ray_Takes_Center_Stage/913
title = IFA Underway in Berlin; Blu-ray Takes Center Stage
language =
accessdate = 2007-09-02
year = 2007] [cite news
url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136626-pg,1/article.html
title = Acer, China Huala Group join Blu-ray Disc camp
language =
accessdate = 2007-09-03
year = 2007]

Timeline of major events and announcements involving members

* On June 30, 2004 Panasonic, part of Matsushita Electric, a founder member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, became the second manufacturer after Sony to launch a Blu-ray Disc consumer product into the Japanese market. The DMR-E700BD recorder supported writing to existing DVD formats, and became one of the first units to read and write to dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes. The launch price of the recorder was $2780 USD. [cite web
url = http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/infoimaging/2004/06/30/infoimagingcomtex_2004_06_30_ky_0000-5850-matsushita.html
title = Matsushita unveils DVD recorder adopting Blu-ray Disc format+
accessdate = 2006-08-25
year = 2006] [cite web
url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,116753-page,1/article.html
title = Panasonic Unveils Blu-ray Recorder
accessdate = 2006-08-25
year = 2006]
* On December 8, 2004 The Walt Disney Company (and its home video division, Buena Vista Home Entertainment) announced its exclusive support for Blu-ray Disc.
* On January 7, 2005 Vivendi Games and Electronic Arts announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format.
* On July 28, 2005 Verbatim Corporation, part of Mitsubishi Chemical Media, announced its support for Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD storage format development. [cite web
url = http://www.verbatim.com.sg/corporate/press_releases.cfm?ID=1045
title = Verbatim Announces Development Plans for both BluRay and HD-DVD
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006]
* On August 17, 2005 Lions Gate Home Entertainment announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray Disc format.
* On September 7, 2005 Samsung confirmed their next generation of optical drives will support Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD discs.
* On October 2, 2005 Paramount announced they would endorse Blu-ray Disc, while still supplying content on the rival HD DVD — in order to give consumers a choice.
* On October 20, 2005 Warner Bros. announced they would release titles on the Blu-ray Disc format, in addition to HD DVD Video. [cite web
last = Arnold
first = Thomas K.
url = http://www.homemediaretailing.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=8150
title = Another Victory for Blu-ray Camp
accessdate = 2006-04-03
year = 2005] [cite web
url = http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27111
title = Warner joins Blu-ray cabal, Toshiba reacts
accessdate = 2006-04-03
year = 2005]
* On November 9, 2005 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced it would support Blu-ray Disc, and plans to have titles available when Blu-ray Disc is launched. [cite web
url = http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20051109/LAW09909112005-1.html
title = MGM to Support Blu-ray Disc Format
accessdate = 2006-04-03
year = 2005]
* On November 19, 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they finished editing the first Blu-ray Disc, a full-length movie, "". The disc uses MPEG-2 compression at a resolution of 1920×1080 (it was not announced whether it will be 1080p or 1080i) and claims to use a menu interface that would succeed current DVD-Video interfaces. [cite web
url = http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20051118/LAF08318112005-1.html
title = Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Completes First Full-Length Blu-ray Disc
accessdate = 2006-04-03
year = 2005]
* On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Samsung and Philips announced their first Blu-ray Disc players for the U.S. market. Samsung announced the BD-P1000, retailing for $1000 USD and sporting HDMI output with backward support for DVD formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW, and DVD+R), while Philips announced the BDP-9000. Philips also announced their all-in-one PC TripleWriter Blu-ray Disc drive and range of Blu-ray Disc media would arrive in 2nd quarter of 2006. [cite web
url = http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/04/bd-1000-first-u-s-blu-ray-player/
title = Samsung's BD-P1000: first U.S. Blu-Ray player
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006] [cite web
url = http://www.press.ce.philips.com/apps/c_dir/e3379701.nsf/0/DCA237306B285637C12570ED004B2C60?opendocument
title = Philips introduces new Blu-ray Disc products and media – the ultimate consumer storage platform for high definition entertainment
accessdate = 2006-08-25
year = 2006]
* On March 7, 2006 Sony announced it would be shipping rewritable single-layer 25 GB 2x speed Blu-ray Discs to Europe, with dual-layer discs arriving later in the year. [cite web
url = http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/03/07/sony_blank_blu-ray_media/
title = Sony to ship blank Blu-ray Discs this month
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006]
* On March 16, 2006 Sony announced a Blu-ray Disc player, the first VAIO desktop PC with a Blu-ray Disc recorder, and a Blu-ray Disc internal PC drive would be released in the summer of 2006. The VAIO PC would be shipped with a free 25 GB Blank BD-RE (rewritable) Blu-ray Disc worth $25 USD. [cite web
url = http://news.com.com/Sony+unveils+Blu-ray+player,+Vaio+PC/2100-1041_3-6050698.html
title = Sony unveils Blu-ray player, Vaio PC
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006]
* On April 10, 2006 TDK announced in a press release that it began shipping 25 GB BD-R and BD-RE media (at prices of $19.99 USD and $24.99 USD respectively). TDK also announced that it would be releasing 50 GB BD-R and BD-RE media later this year (at prices of $47.99 USD and $59.99 respectively). [cite web
url = http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060410005113&newsLang=en
title = TDK Begins Shipping Its Highly Anticipated Blu-ray Disc 25 GB Recordable And Rewritable Media; Exclusive Material Formulations and Manufacturing Processes Deliver Bit-Perfect Recording and Playback
accessdate = 2006-04-10
year = 2006]
* On May 16, 2006 Sony announced its first VAIO notebook computer that will include a built-in Blu-ray Disc recorder with a 17" WUXGA display capable of displaying 1080p (at a price of $3499.99 USD). The VAIO shipped in June including software to play Blu-ray Disc movies and an HDMI-A input for other HD devices. [cite web
url = http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/05/16/sony_vaio_ar_premium_blu-ray_burner_notebook/
title = Sony announces first VAIO notebook computer to include built-in blu-ray burner.
accessdate = 2006-05-17
year = 2006]
* On May 17, 2006 Pioneer shipped BDR-101A, a PC-based Blu-ray Disc recorder drive. [cite web
url = http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060517005229&newsLang=en
title = Pioneer Ships PC-Based Blu-ray Disc Drives
accessdate = 2006-05-25
year = 2006]
* On June 15, 2006, Samsung announced the industry's first BD-P1000 player had begun shipping to U.S. retail stores for availability on June 25, 2006. [cite web
url = http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20060615_0000263736
title = SAMSUNG Launches Industry's First Blu-ray Disc Player To The U.S. Market
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006]
* On July 18, 2006 Verbatim Corporation announced that it was shipping its ScratchGuard coated BD-R and BD-RE Blu-ray Disc recordable and rewritable discs to stores in Europe, with discs priced between £20 and £24 (GBP). [cite web
url = http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2006/07/verbatim_to_release_bdr_bdre_media.html
title = Verbatim to release BD-R, BD-RE media
accessdate = 2006-08-24
year = 2006]
* On August 16, 2006 Sony announced shipment of 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray Disc recordable discs with a suggested retail price of $48. [cite web | url=http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/b2b/media_app_systems/release/24099.html | title=SONY NOW SHIPPING 50 GB DUAL LAYER BLU-RAY DISC MEDIA IN THE U.S. | publisher=Sony | accessdate=2006-08-17]
* On January 4, 2008, Warner Bros. announces that it would abandon HD-DVD support by the end of May.
* On January 5, 2008, New Line Cinema announced it would be following Warner's lead, backing Blu-ray exclusively.
* On February 11, 2008, Netflix announced to phase out HD DVDs and begin to carry only Blu-ray Discs.` [cite web|url=http://netflix.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=265
title = Netflix, Citing a Clear Signal From the Industry, Will Carry High-Def DVDs Only in Blu-ray Format
accessdate = 2008-02-12
year = 2008]
* On February 19, 2008, Universal Studios announced it would be releasing movies on Blu-ray format.
* On February 21, 2008, Paramount Pictures announced it would be releasing movies on Blu-ray format.

References

External links

* [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/ Blu-ray Disc Association]
* [http://www.blu-raydisc.com/en/about/SupportingCompanies.html Full list of supporting companies]