Blu-ray is an optical disc format which is set to rival Higher definition-DVDin the race to be the de-facto normal storage medium for HDTV. The HD-DVD vs Blu-ray battle resembles that in in between Betamax and VHS and DVD+RW and DVD-RW.

Presently, the main Hollywood movie studios are split evenly in their assist for Blu- ray and Higher definition-DVD, but most of the electronics business is presently in the blue corner.

The crucial distinction in in between these new gamers and recorders and current optical disc technologies is that Blu-ray, as its title suggests, tends to make use of a blue-violet laser to research and produce info instead than a red 1. Blue mild has a shorter wavelength than red mild, and in accordance to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), which is produced up of, amongst other individuals, Sony, Philips, Panasonic, and Pioneer, this signifies that the laser spot can be focussed with greater precision.

Blu-ray discs have a maximum ability of 25GB and twin-layer discs can preserve up to 50GB – adequate for four hrs of HDTV. Like Higher definition-DVD, Blue laser discs do not need a caddy and the gamers and recorders will be in a position to have out current DVD discs. Codecs supported by Blu-ray consist of the H.264 MPEG-four codec which will kind component of Apple’s QuickTime 7, and the Windows Media 9 primarily based VC-1.

The BDA says that even even though blue laser discs and gamers are presently delivery in Japan, they will not ship in the US till the end of 2005 at the very earliest. It is most most likely that gamers will be very costly at initial, in comparison to DVD gamers. In Japan, they cost the equivalent of $2000. Nonetheless, as with all new technologies, expenditures will rapidly drop – especially as Blu-ray will be competing with Higher definition-DVD for that region beneath your Television.

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner – a manual to the kit, the technologies and the programming on HDTV.