Eventhough the below news are not totaly photonews, we keep and open mind and post it, as it clearly has a lot of applications in photography as well. So go ahead & read below.

Ridgefield Park, NJ, June 15, 2006 - Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced today that the industry's first Blu-ray disc player has been shipped to retailers in the U.S. market for availability on June 25th. The Samsung Blu-ray disc player (BD-P1000) has been eagerly awaited by consumers anticipating the opportunity to view High Definition discs on their existing HDTVs. Blu-ray is the next generation disc format which offers close to five times the resolution of conventional DVDs making it the highest picture quality available on the market. The format is supported by many of the leading movie studios, including Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) and LionsGate Pictures which will release Blu-ray content this month. The innovation marks the latest technology breakthrough brought to market by Samsung and further underscores the brand commitment to offering consumers the ultimate home theater experience.
"The emergence of Blu-ray is an enormous boon for HDTV owners, video enthusiasts, and for those who actively seek the best picture and sound possible in their home theater," said Jim Sanduski, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Samsung's Audio and Video Products Group. "Until now, there hasn't been a pre-recorded media solution for consumers to take full advantage of the pristine picture their HDTVs are capable of producing. As the first company to deliver a Blu-ray player in the U.S. market, Samsung has reinforced its commitment to provide our consumers with the most riveting and innovative home theater experience possible."
Blu-ray is the premier next generation optical disc format and is supported by more than 170 of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers. While current optical disc technologies such as DVD and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser which better utilizes the space on the disc allowing more than five times the amount of information. Samsung BD-P1000. You can read more at www.samsung.com