According to film industry insiders Apple has been asking studios to include iPod-ready versions of their movies on future Blu-ray disc releases.

Though movies on Blu-ray discs are expected to start shipping next month and a large screen iPod is still probably months away, Apple wants to make sure that when their next-generation iPod is released it will have a sufficient library of playable content already available for customers to watch.

Apple, who signed up to support the Blu-ray standard back in March 2005, are in a strong position to make their wish a reality. They have been working closely with Sony of late with regard to its HD cameras and Disney too, who have been close partners of Steve Jobs’ Pixar – both Blu-ray advocates.

No details are available of the resolution of the video content Apple wants included but it is likely they will at first match that of the current high-end iPods. With 50GBs of space available on Blu-ray discs there should be no problem at all including full-length movies for iPods.

With video rental chain Blockbuster expected to stock Blu-ray discs from the summer Apple could dominate the portable video market that hitherto has seen companies such as Microsoft and Archos struggle to achieve significant success.

And Japanese Logitec has announced four Blu-ray disc writer drives including one with Apple Mac support. The Logitec LBD-A2FU2/WM external Blu-ray disc writer, which ships in July, features a Firewire and USB 2.0 interface and it supports Roxio Toast 7 Titanium on Mac OS X.

Story filed 03.05.06