For today’s post we will provide the readers with a technology update. The topic discussed today is gaining popularity day by day – Blu-ray Discs and the technology behind them.

We thought its easier if we made this an FAQ article to help you browse through a list of most common questions we have about a Blu-Ray Disc and be able to read about just those questions which intrigued you.

What is a Blu-Ray Disc?

Blu-Ray also known as Blu-Ray Disc or BD is a new generation optical storage disc jointly developed by the member organisations of the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA) which reads like who’s who of recordable media technology.

Why Blu-Ray?

While current optical discs like DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW etc use only the red laser ray to read/write data onto them, this format uses the blue-violet ray, hence Blu-Ray technology. The blue ray has shorter wavelength than the red ray, hence can be used for spot-on laser precision needed to record HD images.

Then are the BD players backward compatible?

Yes, the BDs can be made backwards compatible quite easily when equipped with space and cost effective CD/DVD compatible optical pickup unit.

Is Blu-Ray supported by household brands in consumer technology?

Blu-Ray technology is supported by more than 200 of the leading consumer electronics, personal computer, recording media and video games and music companies worldwide. The format also has support fromall major Hollywood studios and other smaller studios worldwide to become natural successor to the current DVD format. Just for the record the BDA Board of Director roll call reads as below:

• Apple Computer, Inc.
• Dell Inc.
• Hewlett Packard Company
• Hitachi, Ltd.
• LG Electronics Inc.
• Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Pioneer Corporation
• Royal Philips Electronics
• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Sharp Corporation
• Sony Corporation
• Sun Microsystems, Inc.
• TDK Corporation
• Thomson Multimedia
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Walt Disney Pictures
• Warner Bros. Entertainment

How much video can you fit in a BD?

A standard 50GB disc can hold 9 hours of HD video and over 23 hours of SD(standard definition) video.

Will Blu-Ray replace DVD?

In long term yes, in the near future the two formats would co-exist till the HD television gains more popularity making standard definition TV obsolete.

What are the key differences between BD and DVD?

Following are few key differences between the two formats:

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