CeBIT Panasonic will ship its first Blu-ray Disc player in Europe in the Autumn, the consumer electronics giant said today, providing a timeframe for the next-generation optical disc format's roll-out in the Old World. It also announced single- and dual-layer recordable and rewriteable blank BD media, all designed to work with 2x speed drives.

The single- and dual-layer discs provide 25GB and 50GB of raw storage capacity, respectively.

Related stories

• Sony debuts DVD Walkman
• Toshiba unveils world's first HD-DVD player
• Panasonic Blu-ray player to cost 'under $1,500'
• Ulead yanks Blu-ray support from week-old app
• Warner HD DVD debut delayed
• Sony names Blu-ray disc kit ship dates
• Blu-ray body confirms format to use 'interim' copy protection code
• Not CeBIT
• Region-free HD DVD to debut in Europe 'next month'
• Sony to ship blank Blu-ray Discs this month
• LG Blu-ray Disc player to support HD DVD too?
• Blu-ray to hit US in May
• Sony, NEC to merge optical drive teams
• Sony admits PS3 could be delayed
• Blu-ray Disc developers complete specification

Worryingly, Panasonic's press statement warned: "Specifications are subject to changes without notice!" We hope the exclamation mark indicates this a humorous reference to the recent shenanigans with the AACS copy-protection specification not being finalised in the timeframe anticipated by both the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps. If not, BD may take even longer to come to market than anticipated...

Whatever, Panasonic's media announcement comes a few days after Sony made a similar announcement, though while Sony put a date on its single-layer BD-RE and BD-R disc debuts - March and April 2006, respectively - Panasonic preferred not to. Presumably, it's waiting to get dual-layer product ready, something even Sony couldn't say when it would offer in Europe. ®