<P> The BD format was developed by the Blu - ray Disc Association, a group representing makers of consumer electronics, computer hardware, and motion pictures . Sony unveiled the first Blu - ray disc prototypes in October 2000, and the first prototype player was released in April 2003 in Japan . Afterwards, it continued to be developed until its official release on June 20, 2006, beginning the high definition optical disc format war, where Blu - ray Disc competed with the HD DVD format . Toshiba, the main company supporting HD DVD, conceded in February 2008, and later released its own Blu - ray Disc player in late 2009 . According to Media Research, high - definition software sales in the US were slower in the first two years than DVD software sales . Blu - ray faces competition from video on demand (VOD) and the continued sale of DVDs . Notably, as of January 2016, 44% of U.S. broadband households had a Blu - ray player . </P> <P> The information density of the DVD format was limited by the wavelength of the laser diodes used . Following protracted development, blue laser diodes operating at 405 nanometers became available on a production basis . Sony started two projects in collaboration with Philips applying the new diodes: UDO (Ultra Density Optical), and DVR Blue (together with Pioneer), a format of rewritable discs that would eventually become Blu - ray Disc (more specifically, BD - RE). The core technologies of the formats are similar . The first DVR Blue prototypes were unveiled at the CEATEC exhibition in October 2000 by Sony . A trademark for the "Blue Disc" logo was filed February 9, 2001 . On February 19, 2002, the project was officially announced as Blu - ray Disc, and Blu - ray Disc Founders was founded by the nine initial members . </P> <P> The first consumer device arrived in stores on April 10, 2003: the Sony BDZ - S77, a $3,800 (US) BD - RE recorder that was made available only in Japan . But there was no standard for prerecorded video, and no movies were released for this player . Hollywood studios insisted that players be equipped with digital rights management before they would release movies for the new format, and they wanted a new DRM system that would be more secure than the failed Content Scramble System (CSS) used on DVDs . On October 4, 2004, the name "Blu - ray Disc Founders" was officially changed to the Blu - ray Disc Association (BDA), and 20th Century Fox joined the BDA's Board of Directors . The Blu - ray Disc physical specifications were completed in 2004 . </P> <P> In January 2005, TDK announced that they had now developed an ultra-hard yet very thin polymer coating ("Durabis") for Blu - ray discs; this was a significant technical advance because a far tougher protection was desired in the consumer market to protect bare discs against scratching and damage compared to DVD, while technically Blu - ray Disc required a much thinner layer for the denser and higher frequency blue laser . Cartridges, originally used for scratch protection, were no longer necessary and were scrapped . The BD - ROM specifications were finalized in early 2006 . </P>

When did the blu ray player come out