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Imagine a disc which can store 5 times the data, provide superior audio and video quality and provide better random access functionalities compared to a DVD (Digital Video Disc). Yes!! The next generations of optical disc formats are here. They are Blu Ray and HD DVD. In this post I am highlighting the features of the Blu Ray. In the coming posts, I will discuss about HD DVD and the format war which is currently in progress between them.

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc.

The Blu-ray Disc format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers, with more than 170 member companies from all over the world.

Discs store digitally encoded video and audio information in pits: spiral grooves that run from the center of the disc to its edges. A laser reads the other side of these pits: the bumps, to play the movie or program that is stored on the DVD. The more data that is contained on a disc, the smaller and more closely packed the pits must be. The smaller the pits and therefore the bumps, the more precise the reading laser must be.

Unlike current DVDs, which use a red laser to read and write data, Blu-ray uses a blue laser (which is where the format gets its name). A blue laser has a shorter wavelength of 405 nanometers than a 650 nanometers wavelength of a red laser.

Blu-ray Disc provides the following key features:

1. Maximum picture resolution: Blu-ray Disc delivers full 1080i video resolution to provide superior picture quality. DVD players typically output video in either standard NTSC 480i. Although DVD has superior resolution and image quality, when compared to CD and standard cable television, it is still only half the resolution of BD.
2. Largest capacity available anywhere (25 GB single layer/50 GB dual layer). Blu-ray Disc offers up to 5X the capacity of today’s DVDs.
3. Best audio possible. Blu-ray Disc provides as many as 7.1 channels of native, uncompressed surround sound for crystal-clear audio entertainment.
4. Broadest industry support: More than 90% of major Hollywood studios, virtually all leading consumer electronics companies, four of the top computer brands, the world’s two largest music companies, the leading gaming companies, all support Blu-ray Disc.
5. The largest selection of high-def playback devices: Blu-ray Disc is supported by many of the leading consumer electronics and computing manufacturers. That means you can maximize the use of your home entertainment system with the widest selection of high-def playback devices including players, recorders, computers, game consoles.
6. Backward compatibility: Blu-ray Disc players enable you to continue to view and enjoy your existing DVD libraries.

DVD is very successful, and will definitely be around for some time. However as it is implemented, DVD is not a high-definition format. With the features, devices and support available, for me Blu Ray will definitely be the thing for the future.