Sony unveiled the first Blu-ray Disc prototypes in October 2000, and the first prototype player was released in Japan in April 2003.

Is Blu-Ray still a thing?

Blu-ray is dead. It's not often that an industry's leading OEM quits, but that's what Samsung has done. ... On Amazon, Samsung had four of Amazon's 10 best-selling Blu-ray players including the most popular model. With its demise, Blu-ray follows Laserdisc, BetaMax, and VHS VCRs into the second-hand stores.

What was before Blu-Ray?

Betamax, or HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray. ... While they seem like very 1980s things, Betamax and VHS came out in 1975 and 1976, respectively. But five years before VHS, there was the U-Matic.