The first Blu-ray movies will be released on May 23rd. Two leading distributors, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Lionsgate, have announced the release of 13 titles to coincide with the launch of the first commercially available BD player by Samsung.

Sony will release 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, The Last Waltz, Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX; at the same time Lionsgate will ship Crash, Lord of War, The Punisher, Saw and Terminator 2.

Further titles will be released in June and July as Pioneer introduces its first BD player and Sony's computer division begins selling its first BD-equipped Vaio laptop.

"We are primed to ensure that a variety of Blu-ray Disc content is available at retail to support the introduction of the first BD players from Samsung Electronics and Pioneer, as well as the first BD player and compatible VAIO computer from Sony," said Benjamin S Feingold, president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "Sony Pictures further intends to provide additional titles to coincide with the launch of BD products from other manufacturers. We're thrilled that the Blu-ray Disc era is about to begin."

Lionsgate President Steve Beeks said that there has never been a home entertainment experience to match Blu-ray.

"Watching a film in your living room is about to radically change forever and we can't wait to maximize Blu-ray's technological capabilities and see for ourselves how far we can take the home movie-watching experience," he said.

Apple Computer on Tuesday unveiled a new mini-computer designed as a hub for digital entertainment, and a home stereo system linked with its popular iPod music player.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs showed off the new-generation Mac Mini and the iPod Hi-Fi at a press conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Jobs turned to a second black cloth-draped pedestal and uncovered a home stereo base for Apple's internationally top-selling iPod music players.

"This thing is a lot more under the hood than it seems like," Jobs said with a wave toward the compact iPod Hi-Fi, which was priced in the "iPod economy space" at $349.

"I'm an audiophile," Jobs said. "I've had stereos costing, well I won't say because you'll think I'm crazy. But, costing a lot more. And, I'm thinking of getting rid of mine for this."

More than 42-million iPods have been sold worldwide and Apple's iTunes online music store recently sold its billionth song.

"A billion sold in less than three years," Jobs boasted. "We beat McDonald's. That's great."

As of the end of January, iPod commanded 78% of the MP3 digital music player market, according to Apple. Forty percent of the car models sold in the United States offer iPod connectivity, Jobs said.

Jobs referred to iPod Hi-Fi as "home stereo reinvented".

"They still need to do more work on the boom box," Blount said, referring to the boxy iPod Hi-Fi. "That is where I wasn't blown away."

The Minis potential wirelessly connect digital-data devices in a home made it "a building block for what will be pivotal down the road," but the price needed to drop to make it more attractive to today's consumers, Blount said.

A set of offices in Apple's headquarters had been converted into a mock dormitory room, kitchen, living room and home office, each equipped with Apple's new technology.

"It's simple and elegant," Apple senior product manager Ji Chulani said as he remotely orchestrated Hi-Fi music and a Mac Mini photo slide shop on a television in the carpeted faux living room.

"Other companies give you the pieces and tell you to figure it out. The buck stops here. We make all the pieces and figure it out for you. You get to sit back and enjoy the show."