Blue-Ray Technology Explained

While DVD has been the best way to watch movies at home for years, the advent of Blu-ray has raised the bar. With a 1080p high-definition picture and high-definition lossless audio, Blu-ray is the new best way to watch movies at home.

Blue-Violet Lasers

Standard DVDs and CDs use a 650nm red laser. Blu-ray technology uses a 450nm blue-violet laser. This narrower beam allows the focal point of the laser to be more tightly focused, which allows for the packing of more data in the same space.

Blu-ray Discs Hold More

Thanks to the 450nm blue-violet laser, a Blu-ray disc can hold up to five times the data of a standard DVD. A standard dual-layer DVD will hold about 8.5 gigabytes of data, whereas a dual-layer Blu-ray disc will hold around 50 GB of data.

Blu-ray Discs are Stronger

Blu-ray discs are hard-coated with a protective film. This makes the discs more durable and scratch-resistant than standard DVDs and CDs.

BD-Live Technology

Blu-ray technology is also much more interactive than standard DVD. Using an Internet connection and Java-based software architecture, Blu-ray offers the ability to download new content and access interactive features from your player.

Blu-ray is Backward Compatible

Standard DVDs and CDs will play on all Blu-ray players, so there is no need to get rid of your old discs.

References

• Blu-Ray Association FAQs