Blu Ray Disc Player

There are no new formatting wars on the horizon; Blu-ray will be “it” for a while. Blu-ray is a superior way to view movies, but the cost of players is still out of budget for many. The Blu-ray movies cost more than DVD’s and there is less of a selection (though that is quickly changing). Some TV’s don’t have the features to utilize the features of many Blu-ray players. These issues will all be changing in the future.

Those who recall the days when DVD players and movies were out of budget know the prices will come down on Blu-ray players and movies. The reasons this happens with all new technology:

The number of Blu-ray titles took a big jump in June when Warner Brothers decided to release its movies in Blu-ray. Once Toshiba stepped down from the format wars and chose to no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, it increased the demand for Blu-ray titles and players. Until the war was over, many consumers didn’t want to invest in one of the formats to find out it would become outdated when the format wars were over. Now that Blu-ray has been declared the winner, consumers are ready to buy. As demand increases, so does competition, and prices begin to drop. This is really good news for consumers.

Manufacturers are ready to invest in producing a more affordable player. This will be another factor in the price of Blu-ray disc players coming down. A related product, the television, is being manufactured with features that are compatible with Blu-ray player features. These TV’s are increasing in number and their prices are also coming down.

The Blu-ray market and related technological advances are just beginning. Though it has been around for a few years, no one wanted to take the plunge until earlier this year when HD DVD no longer competed with Blu-ray. The future of Blu-ray is bright and on the verge of a tremendous and exploding growth.

We have been without a good format war since the late 1970’s and the early 1980’s, when we watched VHS vs. Beta. In 2008 the hunger for a new challenger was satisfied. HD DVD teased us, leading us to believe it may be the next one to claim the title. That was until February 2008 when the contender, HD DVD backed down…Toshiba chose to no longer develop and no longer manufacture HD DVD players. Blu Ray was waiting in the wings for its chance to claim the title and it was not in vain. Blu Ray has been declared the winner! By March of 2008, the HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved. In 2008 major content manufacturers and key retailers stopped supporting the format.

So what is the difference between Blu Ray and HD DVD and why did Blu-ray win the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format war? Before answering that question, the first thing to do is to learn more about each format.

HD DVD

High-definition digital versatile disc is the long name for HD DVD. The original design was developed as a successor to the DVD format that most users are familiar with. Toshiba was the principal developer of this technology. The single layer capacity for HD DVD is 30 GB and double layer capacity is 60 GB for a HD DVD-ROM. More on HD DVD:

High quality video and audio
SD video capacity about 13 hours
HD video capacity 3.3 or 5.1 hours
Discs and players are not region coded

BLU-RAY

The shorter wavelength of a blue-violet laser makes it possible to focus the laser spot with effective precision. This allows an increased amount of data to be packed closer together which uses less space for storage. This means the Blu-ray can fit more data on a disc. Combined with the change of numerical aperture (how much the laser spreads out) to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB. More on Blu-ray:

High quality video and audio
SD video capacity about 23 hours
HD video capacity 5.6 or 8.5 hours
Discs and players are region coded

Blu-ray won the format war with HD DVD due to it being superior in capacity and quality. Blu-ray also had many more manufacturers and movie studios supporting it.

There are many similarities between Blu-ray and HD DVD. Sadly for the consumer, the electronic makers chose not to unify the standards of Blu-ray and HD DVD, so the battle began. There were flashbacks of VHS vs. Beta as Blu-ray vs. HD DVD played out. The winner was, of course, Blu-ray. These are some of the differences between the two:

Disc capacity- How much data can be stored

Blu-ray- 25GB (single layer), 50GB (dual layer), 100GB (prototype quad layer)

HD DVD- 15GB (single layer), 30GB (dual layer), 51GB (prototype triple layer)

Video capacity- How many hours can be played

Blu-ray- SD: approximately 23 hours and HD: 8.5 or 5.6 hours, depending on encoding method

HD DVD- SD: approximately 13 hours and HD: 5.1 or 3.3 hours, depending on encoding method

Manufacturer support- Which home theatre systems

Blu-ray- Hitachi, Mitsubishi, LG, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Philips, Thomson/RCA

HD DVD- Toshiba, LG, Thomson/RCA, Onkyo, Samsung

Manufacturer support- Which PC storage type

Blu-ray- Apple, Dell, BenQ, HP, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony, TDK

HD DVD- Microsoft, Intel, HP, NEC, Toshiba

Studio support- Which format the movies will be released in

Blu-ray- Sony Pictures (including MGM/Columbia TriStar), Disney (including Touchstone, Miramax), Fox, Warner, Lions Gate, Warner (as of May 2008)

HD DVD- Paramount, Studio Canal, Universal, the Weinstein Company, DreamWorks Animation

Compatible video game consoles

Blu-ray- PlayStation 3

HD DVD- Xbox 360 (via external HD DVD accessory, sold separately)

Number of titles available- Released titles and titles scheduled to be released

Blu-ray- 2007 there were about 360 and by mid 2008 releases are increasing steadily with a record jump in June due to Warner Brothers releasing their movies in Blu-ray beginning in May 2008

HD DVD- 2007 there were about 330. With Blu-ray winning the format wars, there is a decreasing amount in 2008.

Both have superior video and audio, but it was differences like the amount of data that can be stored which made Blu-ray the format of choice.

When you decide to make the switch from a DVD player to Blu-ray, it can be confusing when you don’t know how to pick a good Blu-ray disc player. The best Blu-ray player is the one that meets your needs, your budget, and has features that you can use on your TV.

When shopping for a blu ray disc player, it is important to know something about the television that it will be played on. Some features on a Blu-ray player will need a television that is compatible. Take a printout of the features and specifications of your TV or bring in the instruction book for reference. There is no need to spend extra money on a player with features that you can’t use. Some features will require the use of an HDMI connection to utilize them and others will require firmware upgrades.

Here are some of the options available on a Blu-ray Disc player.

DVD Upscaling to 1080p via HDMI
Get the most out of your existing DVD collection when they are upscaled to 1080p quality.

BRAVIA® Theatre Sync™ (HDMI-CEC)
This helpful function reduces the hassle and time consuming job of powering up, routing signals, etc. Instead set up is as simple as a push of one button.

BD/DVD/CD playback and AVC-HD with x.v.Color output
Play back all your favorite Blu-ray Disc Movies, DVD's, Audio CD's, and AVC-HD (delivers digital picture and sound quality comparable to that of High Definition, but on a DVD) discs.

Full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema Video Output
Blu-ray Disc movies are mastered at 24 frames per second, so it matches the way almost all Hollywood movies are shot, which is 24 frames per second

Cinema Tuned Picture Presets
This makes getting a "best picture" for your movies even easier. Whether you view your movies in a dark theater, or in a bright room, we got you covered with picture settings all carefully selected by the same engineers that make movies in Hollywood.

Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM Output
With up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, Uncompressed Multi Channel Linear PCM lets you hear the movie with incredible clarity and realism.

BD-Java Interactive Capability
With the capacity to store more on a disc, Blu-ray Disc media and BD JAVA programming, give content creators the ability to provide new ways for customers to interact with their favorite movies.

It can be tough picking out a new piece of technology for your home, as is usually the case with most new products. Be sure and take your time in purchasing a Blu-ray Disc player so that you can find the best deal and the best player to fit your needs.