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CHIBA, JAPAN-- Sony and Pioneer unveiled at the CEATEC electronics show here this week a prototype optical disc video recorder that utilizes a state-of-the-art blue laser.

The development of a commercial optical disc recording system based on a blue laser is a goal being pursued by many electronics makers at present and is seen as the next-generation leap from today's red laser-based systems. Because blue light has a shorter wavelength than red light, 405 nanometers versus 650 nanometers, data can be packed closer together and a standard optical disc can be made to hold more data.

DVR-Blue, the system on display at CEATEC this week, can store up to 22.5GB data on a standard optical disc--roughly five times the capacity of the latest 4.7GB DVD-RAM disc. Sony and Pioneer said that is enough capacity to record 2.5 hours of high-definition television, an application for which they think the new system will first catch on when commercialized.

The companies, which are working together on the research and development, bought a blue laser for the recorder from Nichia Chemical Industries, one of only two companies in Japan that is capable of producing such a device.

Commercial production is a ways off. The prototype was such a recent development that few details were available, and staff from Pioneer said that up until last week they were even unsure whether the prototype would be finished in time.