According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, TDK is the first to market with bare Blu-ray Disc media. The company began sampling discs in December.

Retail pricing is set at $19.99 for a 25 GB BD-R (recordable), $24.99 for a 25 GB BD-RE (rewritable).

In addition, TDK will ship 50 GB Blu-ray Disc media later this year with retail pricing set at $47.99 for a 50GB BD-R (recordable) and $59.99 for a 50G B BD-RE (rewritable).

TDK is manufacturing the Blu-ray Discs at its Chikumagawa Techno Factory in Japan. The company uses a high-sensitivity, copper silicon material recording material for long-lasting performance.

Unfortunately, equipment to play the Blu-ray Discs remains scarce. Samsung has delayed U.S. introduction of Blu-ray Disc players until late June.