Is Blu-Ray Here to Stay?

Comparing Blu-Ray, DVD, and VHS movie formats is like comparing LP's, 8 track tapes, cassette tapes, and CD's. Each movie format is an improvement on the previous. Each format contains more storage capacity and better picture quality.

Blu-Ray is the latest addition to the new generation of optical disc formats. It was developed to accommodate recording, rewriting, and playback of high-definition video (HD). Blu-Ray is named for its data recording method, a blue-violet, highly focused, precision laser writes data to Blu-Ray discs. Blu-Ray has the capacity to store five times as much data as a DVD. A single layer Blu-Ray disc holds 25GB. A double layer disc holds as much as 50GB.

Other optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data. Despite the different lasers used for Blu-ray and DVDs, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit.

What all of this means for home movie viewers is crisp, high quality movie picture and sound. Surround sound and HD TV's combine with Blu-Ray discs to offer an optimal viewing experience.

The Blu-Ray Disc association is a surprising combination of leaders in the electronics industry including: Apple, Dell, HP, Hitachi, Mistubishi, Pioneer Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Sun Microsystems, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Brothers Entertainment and more. As with other advances in technology industries creating a successful product, in this case medium for delivering movie entertainment, requires the collaboration of strong companies, progressive CEO's, and innovative research teams. The benefactor of the best in the business working together is the consumer.

Major movie companies are supportive of Blu-Ray because it translates into greater sales in two ways: 1) consumers will buy Blu-Ray to watch their favorite movies in the comfort of their home. Those who have not been pleased with picture quality when transferring a movie from film to disc appreciate higher quality viewing. 2) When consumers realized DVD's were around to stay, they began to get rid of VHS tapes, replacing favorite movies with DVD's. By this time, the movie industry had potentially made three sales on one movie; at the theater, on VHS, and DVD. Just when you got your collection converted to DVD and the technology for recording to DVD has become more mainstream it's time to switch to Blu-Ray.

According to Forbes.com, they think the transition to Blu-Ray may be slow, as most viewers aren't discerning enough to see the difference in upgraded HD-DVD's and Blu-Ray. However, Blockbuster recently opened more of their market to Blu-Ray. This, according to Forbes, has the potential to speed up the transition process.

A lot of boy-ish excitement surrounds Blu-Ray technology. Grown men race to be the first with the new technology. The same thing happened with Bluetooth technology and it spread like wild fire.

The biggest hurdle to moving Blu-Ray into the mainstream is currently the cost of Blu-Ray players and game systems that accommodate Blu-Ray discs. An HD-DVD player is $200 less than a Blu-Ray disc player. As it becomes more mainstream the price should drop dramatically, as it has on HD products.

The other thing movie companies have to keep in mind is technology like that introduced at the CES show in Las Vegas this week. Internet and mp3/mp4 devices are beginning to play a major role in the distribution and viewing of video media. Emerging technology allows an iPod to be plugged into the T.V. via a dock. Video is transferred from the mp4 device directly to the T.V. This means more movie downloads and digital storage as opposed to stacks of discs, which inevitably end up scratched and smudged.

Resources:

Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray FAQ

"No Blue Skies for Blu-Ray" Forbes.com