Simonis: Momentum behind lack of updates

European chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association, Frank Simonis, has claimed that the incompatibility between older players and new features is a result of the need to "get the players on the market".

Blu-ray recently announced a range of new innovations for the Blu-ray player including smoother playback and internet accessible content but older players do not have the ability to be upgraded to make use of the changes.

And Mr Sinomis claimed that, to battle with HD DVD, Blu-ray had to produce a player for the market as soon as possible.

"We needed to create momentum and get the players on the market," he said.

"If we had postponed launch to add in the hardware for the latest features, we would not be in the situation we have today," he added.

Sony's PlayStation 3 is currently the only player on the market capable of utilising the range of new bonus features on Blu-ray discs.