The Blu-ray Disc Association is shifting its focus on data backup and recording of high-definition broadcast content while stepping away from movie distribution. The recent release of the latest Blu-ray disc format called BDXL offers storage capacity of up to 128GB.

The new format uses more storage layers doubling the storage capacity of existing Blu-ray discs which offer 50GB of storage. The 128GB BDXL discs are write-once while a re-writable format will also be available allowing for 100GB of storage capacity.

BDXL recorders will be used as set-top boxes to record broadcast TV and archive sensitive data, video, and images. While millions of Blu-ray players have been sold on the market, the new format is not compatible with the existing devices. It will require the purchase of new hardware. Such was the case with the evolution of DVD format in the early 2000s.

The existing storage capacity of 50GB Blu-ray discs is large enough to fit most high-definition movies and 3D movies based on the Blu-ray 3D format. The BDXL format addresses the need for high capacity discs to back up data in case of hard drive failure.

Further down the line, you can expect the development of BDXL drives for laptops and computers. No time frame on the release of BDXL hardware has been identified.

More info:
Press Release

We keep seeing proof that the trend of Blu-Ray technology is here to stay.  As the popularity grows, sales will go up and prices will go down.  This will allow the Blu-Ray technology to continue to penetrate the market.

According to High-Def Digest, 3.1 million Blu-Ray discs have sold in the UK since the start of the year…that’s about a 231 percent increase in sales!  Their DVD sales, on the other hand, only went down slightly by about 9.5 percent.

This week, Best Buy discounted a house brand Blu-Ray player, the Insignia Blu-Ray disc player with 1080p output to only $99.99.  Wal-Mart is also offering a deal under $100 with their Magnavox NB530MGX Blu-Ray player for only $98 as a permanent “rollback” from the previous $168 price.  At the same time, online retailer, Amazon, is offering a sale on Blu-Ray discs starting at $14.99 each.  According to NPD Group Inc., Blu-Ray player sales have increased  by 72 percent in the first quarter of 2009 in comparison to the first quarter of 2008.

With the growing Blu-Ray popularity and the increase in sales, we are starting to see the prices drop for Blu-Ray players and Blu-Ray discs.  As this happens, Blu-Ray is starting to become more affordable and available for most everyone.

We found more proof of the growing trend of Blu-Ray technology.  This month, Panasonic will be offering the first-ever portable Blu-Ray player, the Panasonic DMP-B15.

This 8.9-inch WSVGA screen portable Blu-Ray player features PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technology to enhance the picture quality and color sharpness.  Its quality and size makes it the perfect player for superior quality viewing on-the-go.  The two and a half hour rechargeable battery could last a whole trip as a portable Blu-Ray player, or you can plug it into your HDTV with a HDMI cable to use it as a stand-alone Blu-Ray player.  It also features a SD memory card slot to view digital photos or HD video files.  Now you don’t have to give up quality for portability!

Look for it in your favorite electronics store later this month, but since portable Blu-Ray players are new to the market, the price of the Panasonic DMP-B15 is starting out rather high with an SRP of $799.95, which may not be affordable for many.  But as the growing popularity of the Blu-Ray technology increases and more portable players are offered and purchased, we will see the price will start to drop.  Most importantly, as we start to see a product like this offered in stores and online, we are seeing that the Blu-Ray trend is not going away anytime soon.