Hannover, Germany — Sony will launch a high-end desktop computers incorporating a Blu-ray disc drive by midyear, said the company at the CeBIT show here today.

The technology will work its way down to more affordable models over time, the company said. After-market Blu-ray drives are expected on the market in the next few months.

Toshiba has committed to shipping an HD DVD drive, Blu-ray’s competitor, in an upcoming Qosmios notebook computer in April.