LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Panasonic Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Sony Corporation, and TDK Corporation will be honored with the 62^nd annual Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award during the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for their contributions to the Blue Laser Optical Systems for Consumer Playback which was announced by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) on October 25^th. The development of the blue laser optical systems was fundamental for the distribution and recording of full HD content on optical discs at consumer price levels.

Today, the Blu-ray Disc™ format is used by millions of consumers worldwide to watch their favorite feature films in the comfort of their own home. Since its introduction in 2006, over 1400 million Blu-ray™ pre-recorded discs, 188 million Blu-ray™ recordable/rewritable discs, 50 million Blu-ray™ players & recorders, 41 million PlayStation®3 units and over 25 million Blu-ray™ PC readers & writers have been produced.

“Sony began development of blue laser optical technology in the late 1990s, realized the world's first high definition recording on 20GB optical media by using blue-violet laser, and has contributed greatly to the continuous development of the Blu-ray Disc™ format and the business by releasing a wide variety of Blu-ray Disc™ devices,” said Jun Yonemitsu, Chief Distinguished Researcher and Deputy Senior General Manager of Home Entertainment Development Div., Sony Corporation. “We would like to thank the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and everyone who worked together to make the format a success.”

“Consumers appreciate the high quality that Blu-ray Disc™ delivers, so they can finally enjoy the full potential of their HDTV”, said Chris Buma, Senior Director Program Manager Standardization of Philips Electronics. “And now, as the Blu-ray 3D™ format begins to take off, that potential is even greater.”

“Panasonic is proud to have developed so many of the key technologies introduced in the Blu-ray Disc™ format. These are not only optical disc technologies, such as Dual Layer 50GB discs, but also leading-edge audio visual technologies such as video compression, authoring and 3D”, said Shunji O'hara Executive Engineer, Corporate R&D, Panasonic Corporation. “It is a great pleasure to see consumers around the world enjoying an advanced AV lifestyle with Blu-ray Disc™ devices.”

In anticipation of the high-definition television (HDTV) market adoption - Panasonic, Philips and Sony have been working on a blue laser optical system already since 1997. In 2000 the companies joined forces and initiated the Blu-ray Disc Founders in 2002, followed in 2004 by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), in which all industry key stakeholders participated to successfully launch a worldwide standard for high definition content distribution.

High storage capacity, new replication technology, advanced audio and video codecs, web connectivity and interactivity and new authoring systems were key innovations for Blu-ray Disc™. In addition to this, a recording system using recordable discs is another important technology of the Blu-ray Disc™ format. It allows consumers to record HD broadcasting programs in their home. It also provides high capacity storage for PC and professional usage. Since the early age of Blu-ray™ standardization, Panasonic, Philips, Sony and TDK as optical media manufacturers have been working on the development of recordable Blu-ray™ discs.

“The Blu-ray™ recordable disc solution addresses the need for HDTV recording, storage for large data, “ said Hajime Utsunomiya, General Manager, SQ Research Center, TDK Corporation. "With the Blu-ray™ recordable disc, users leverage the benefits of capacity, speed, instant access and removability."

The four companies will accept the Emmy® Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the award ceremony on January 6^th 2011 during the CES in Las Vegas – Nevada.

*Blu-ray Disc™, Blu-ray™, Blu-ray 3D™ and the logos are trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association

*“Sony” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.

*”PlayStation” and “PS3” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

*All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners

* Use of the trademarks and service marks of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (“NATAS”), including the mark EMMY®, requires the prior express written permission of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.