The Blu-ray Disc Association has announced that the specification for the next-generation DVD format is complete and that licensing is ready to begin for BD-ROM, BD-RE and BD-R media.

The development comes as the first generation of high-definition movies were unveiled by the HD-DVD and Blu-ray camps at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Blu-ray Disc Association finally approved all specifications for both single-layer (25GB) and dual-layer (50GB) discs on 2 January, and for the BD-R and BD-RE 2.0 specifications on 26 December.

Film producers supporting the Sony-led Blu-ray technology have announced the first batch of movies, including The Fifth Element, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Desperado, For a Few Dollars More, The Guns of Navarone, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, Kung Fu Hustle, The Last Waltz, Sense and Sensibility, Black Hawk Down and The Bridge on the River Kwai, among others.

Meanwhile, the Toshiba-led HD-DVD camp announced that there will be almost 50 HD-DVD titles on offer including Aeon Flux, Batman Begins, The Bourne Supremacy, Jarhead, The Matrix and U2: Rattle & Hum.

The Blu-ray Disc Association expects products to be hitting the shelves this spring.