Sony and Samsung have independently started shipping new Blu-Ray devices to meet the increasing demand in high-definition video worldwide. The new devices are not only a passport to the high-definition digital world, but also the creation of two major trendsetters in the industry, having been among the key factors that triggered the death of Toshiba's HD-DVD.

Sony announced two new Blu-Ray players that can also burn HD media, called the BDZ-A70 and BDZ-T90. The latest Blu-Ray burners come with hard-disk drive and dual-tuners for Japan's digital TV broadcasting system. While the BDZ-A70 model features a 320 GB hard disk and an iLink port able to connect a DV camcorder, the BDZ-T90 packs a 500GB hard-disk drive but lacks the iLink connector.

For the moment, the two units are available on the Japanese market only and sell for an estimative retail price of $1583. Although the two burners do not share the same technical specifications, they sell at identical prices because the iLink port compensates for the storage space difference.

Sony's new products are part of the company's commitment to promoting the Blu-Ray standard. Last year, Sony announced that all its upcoming digital video recorders will be compatible with the Blu-Ray technology.

On the other side, Samsung released a single Blu-Ray player called the BD-P1500. The new device supports full-HD 1080p playback but it can also work with other optical media, such as CDs and DVDs. When playing DVD movie titles, the Blu-Ray device upconverts the resolution to 720p, 1080i and 1080p.

However, Samsung's newest addition comes without support for the BD-Live technology, an interactive system that allows users to enjoy gaming, e-commerce and the whole Internet experience using a wired connection. The new feature will kick in during the following months. However, according to the company, a firmware update will fix the problem at no extra cost.

Samsung will release its BD-P1500 drive in mid-May at an estimative price tag of about $395.