Commonly referred to as Blu-ray Disc, this new next-generation optical disc exceeds current mainstream DVD by leaps. Blu Ray incorporates the enabling of rewriting, recording, and playback of HD (high definition) video. In addition to being able to have a malleable HD format, Blu Ray also can store a whopping 25GB of data!Now thats just on a single layer disc, the dual layers will support an astonishing 50GB! Consumers will benefit tremendously by getting products with very advanced video and audio enhancements embedded in the media. This technology was developed by Sony and Phillips in a joint research project.
Blu ray technology incorporates an actual blue-violet laser that is more precise in nature than current red laser manufacturing processes. This new laser is able to focus light more tightly thus creating more space on a disk for data. This allows for more complicated, astounding quality data to be implemented into the disk. 180 of the worlds leading consumer electronic companies now support Blu Ray products. New feature films are beginning to be released by Disney, Fox, Sony, Lionsgate, and MGM in Blu Ray.
Blu ray technology may take several more years to be embraced by the public. Current cost to make a Blu ray disc have been estimated at 10x more than that of a current DVD disk. The issues associated with the higher cost of Blu-ray discs are the thinner surface layer. Production facilities have to be modified or replaced in order to make the discs.
Blu Ray does have some tough competition to beat. HD-VMD and HD-DVD is also new on the scene with tightly competing specs and performance. These two formats are also much less to manufacture because they still are using red laser technology. Blu Ray has the advantage in this case with its implementation into laptops and computers,and camcorders.
Blu Ray disk players start around $400, where as the other formats are selling at about $150. Whats interesting about these new formats is that there is a secret war taking place on which format becomes king. The Nichi Corporation, who holds the design patents to the Blu-ray's laser system, sits as an associate member of the HD DVD Promotion Group.Even though Apple sits on the Blu-ray Board of Directors, its DVD Studio Pro software supports authoring HD DVD media. Its a strange circle of relationships associated with Blu ray. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few years.
Brandon Mouhot writes on easy ways to copy DVDs. You can learn more by visiting my blog, Copying DVD's Is Easy
http://dvd-burning-software.blogspot.com/
Source: www.isnare.com
