New firm makes Blu-ray DVDs for indie filmmakers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A respected Hollywood movie producer and a DVD pioneer said they have formed a company to make and distribute DVDs in the new Blu-ray digital format for independent film and video makers.

The unveiling of Edge of Light Media by John Daly, executive producer of movies such as "The Terminator," and Erick Hansen of Blue Ray Technologies Inc. on Thursday marks another step forward for Blu-ray as it seeks to gain a foothold in the home entertainment market and eclipse the current DVD format.

Blu-ray's high-definition digital technology, which is backed by Sony Corp, offers crisper pictures and more room for special features than current DVDs. Movies on the Blu-ray DVD format have only recently begun reaching homes through Hollywood's major studios.

For the most part, independent filmmakers and owners of TV shows, exercise videos or other home video products have been shut out of the emerging high-definition market unless their producers already have distribution deals with a major studio.

Edge of Light expects to open the Blu-ray market for the independents, which is important because the home entertainment arena is a lucrative one for them.

"It is a solution for indies, because they can't raise the money to have a big Blu-ray release," Hansen told Reuters.

Edge of Light also could help broaden consumer adoption of Blu-ray DVDs, because the titles that many consumers seek such as old movies, videos and TV shows will now be available in the new technology.

Hansen said even these so-called "B" and "C" titles look far better on screen in Blu-ray than the older DVDs.

"It's like a Model T versus a brand new mustang," he said.

Hansen said the company will not produce DVDs in the competing high-definition format known as HD-DVD, which is backed by Toshiba Corp. and which he expects will soon be transcended by the capabilities of Blu-ray.

But while Hansen sees Blu-ray as a superior technology, the two high-definition standards continue to compete in the marketplace for dominance, with no clear winner yet.

Edge of Light Media will be headquartered in Los Angeles and will operate a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Spokane, Washington.