So why buy Blu-ray? My DVD player and disc works just fine. And isn’t the DVD format one of the most successful stories in consumer history since it only took DVD a few years to completely destroy the mighty VHS and conquer the home video market. So why should I change?
The simple answer is this: Blu-ray has a better picture, better sound quality and more special interactive features. You get all of this with little change in how you actually watch your movies at home because the Blu-ray disc’s physical appearance is the same as a DVD or CD, and also the blu-ray player looks the same as any DVD player. Even the Blu-ray display menus is basically what you are use to with DVD menus. Granted, with this new technology comes some new terms like 1080p and blu-ray profiles. It can get a little frustrating, but really all you need to do is insert a Blu-ray disc into a blu-ray player and watch. Just like you would with a DVD, except now your watching movies in glorious High Definition.
The main selling feature of the blu-ray format is it has five times more storage capacity than DVDs. It can hold 25GB (single layer) and 50 GB (dual layer), which allows for recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video. On a Dual Layer Disc you get over 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video on a 50GB disc and over 22 hours of standard-definition (SD) video on a 50GB disc, whereas a DVD disc can only hold about 8GB of data, far less then a blu-ray disc.
So the question that should be asked is not why should I change to a Blu-ray player, but rather why not change? The Blu-ray disc offers superior picture, sound and special features. And most leading companies now produce players that will read CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray. They also have a feature called ‘upscaling DVD’. The blu-ray player will convert your DVD discs, which have standard DVD resolution (480i), to High Definition standards (720i-1080i). But this upconversion is not the same as a Blu-ray image because it is not as detailed or life-like as a high definition blu-ray image.
The blu-ray disc also offers you bonus views and BD-live, where you can get extra online content such as updated movie trailers and interactive online games. The fact is, since the dismissal of the HD-DVD format, Blu-ray disc is the strongest competitor in the world of High Definition. To get the most viewing pleasure from your HDTV, Blu-ray disc will always come out on top over DVD discs.
