Just like CD was an enormous leap from traditional media in the early '80s, Blu-ray Disc (BD) seems to be on course to become the obvious solution for the new age of high definition video. Blu-ray Disc is a next-generation optical disc format with amazing storage capacity. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data.

The Blu-ray name comes from the technology itself; it uses 'blue' laser to read and write data, rather than the red laser used for current DVDs and CDs. According to the Blu-ray Disc Association the spelling of "Blu-ray" is not a mistake; the letter "e" was intentionally left out in order for the term to be registered as a trademark.

<B>Similar Formats Offered</B>

Just like CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray system provides a full spectrum of choices ranging from read-only format for prerecorded HD movies, games and software (BD-ROM), recordable format for HD video recording and PC data storage (BD-R), to rewritable format for HD video recording and PC data storage BD-RE.

<B>Blu-ray Disc Offers up to 5X the Capacity of DVDs</B>

Just as DVD offers a five to 10 times the storage capacity of CD, Bluray Disc represents an increase over DVD capacity by more than 5times and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This is due, among other reasons, to the usage of a blue instead of a red laser and improved lens specifications. The blue laser uses a shorter wavelength (405nm) than the red laser (650nm).

The smaller wavelength allows more data to be stored in the same amount of space. This is due to the smaller 'spot size' that is achievable by using the blue laser.

<B>Blu-ray Supports HDTV but DVD doesn't</B>

Blu-ray Disc offers 1080p video resolution¡XHDTV video quality that far surpasses any other medium or broadcast format available today. In fact, HD offers five times the amount of detail compared to standard-definition (SD). The problem with DVDs is that they only support SD and don't have the capacity to satisfy the needs of HD. That's where Blu-ray comes in; it enables playback, recording and rewriting of HD. Compared with DVD, Blu-ray offers 6 times resolution of DVD and also supports high-definition audio formats and lossless audio.

For the optimal Blu-ray Disc performance, your entertainment system should include:
• Blu-ray Disc Player (Blu-ray Discs will not play on standard DVD players)
• HDTV with 720p, 1080i or higher resolution
• Surround sound speaker system¡X5.1 channel or 7.1 channel
• HDMI connector cables
• High-quality analog cables or digital optical cables

<B>Blu-ray Players will Play DVDs</B>

The Blu-ray Disc system uses the standard 12 cm and 8 cm disc sizes to support backward compatibility with existing CDs and DVDs. Several major consumer electronics companies including Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Pioneer, Sharp and LG have demonstrated products that can read and write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical head. That means you don't have to throw away your current collection of CDs and DVDs; they can still be enjoyed on a wide range of Blu-ray disc playback products, including players, game consoles and Blue-ray disc drive.