The Arrival Of Blu-Ray Technology :: Technology

Formatting Problems The Arrival of Blu-ray Technology Blu-ray- also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format which was jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). As compared to the current optical disc format such as DVD, this new format allows users to record, rewrite and playback high-definition (HD) video and store large amounts of data. In fact, Blu-ray’s storage capacity is five times more than traditional DVDs, which can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This high storage capability has also allowed additional content and special features such as downloading extras, updating content via the web, and watching live broadcasts of special events. In addition, when combined with the new BD-J interactivity layer, the users’ experience in watching a Blu-ray movie will be greatly enhanced. For instance, while the director explains the shooting of a scene, we are able to view the scene playing in the background simultaneously. Besides storage capacity and interactivity, high-definition is another reason why Blu-ray is better; a blue-violet laser (405nm) has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), hence the laser spot is able to focus with greater precision. Compared to DVDs, which only supports standard-definition (SD), Blu-ray supports HDTV and offers five times more detail in the clarity and sharpness of picture, and as well as better enhancement effects in HD video and audio quality. Besides Blu-ray, HD-DVD is the other new high-density DVD format competing to be the next-generation optical disc format. The HD-DVD format which is supported by NEC, Toshiba, and Sanyo, relies on the blue-laser technology as well. However, as compared, Blu-ray has a much bigger storage capacity and a higher data transfer rate for both video and audio. So do consumers prefer Blu-ray or HD-DVD? According to an independent study conducted by Cymfony (a market influence analytic company) on the new HD video formats and players, between October 1, 2006 and November 23, 2006, there are 46 percent (in a total of 17,664 posts) higher positive discussions about HD-DVD with authors stating being â€Å"impressed with HD-DVD† vs. â€Å"impressed with Blu-ray†. On the other hand, few posts has discussed the high storage capacity and advance interactivity.