| What is Blu-Ray? |
| Blu-ray or Blu-ray disc is an optical disc storage medium. It was mainly developed to be use for recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD). Its physical appearance is the same as a DVD or CD. |
| Why the name Blu-ray? |
| It is simply a combination of Blue for the blue-violet laser that is use to read/write this type of disc and Ray for optical ray. The correct name given is Blu-ray Disc. But it is often shorten to Blu-ray (BD). |
| What do I need to watch Blu-ray Disc Movies? |
| You would need the following: - HDTV(preferably 1080p) - HDMI cable(provides the best picture quality) - Blu-ray Player - Blu-ray Disc Movies |
| Who developed Blu-ray? |
| The Blu-ray Association (BRA) are members made up of from the fields of consumer electronics, computer hardware and motion pictures. They developed this disc format and consist of more than 180 member companies. The board of Directors are: Apple Computer, Inc. |
| How much data can you fit on a Blu-ray disc? |
| This is one of the stronger features of Blu-ray format. It has five times more storage capacity than DVDs. It can hold 25GB (single layer) and 50 GB (dual layer) |
| How much video can you fit on a Blu-ray disc? |
| On a Dual Layer Disc over 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video on a 50GB disc. Over 22 hours of standard-definition (SD) video on a 50GB disc. |
| How fast can you read/write data on a Blu-ray disc? |
| Blu-ray disc specifications lists 1x speed as 36Mbps. Since BD-ROM movies require a 54 Mbps, data transfer rate the minimum speed will be 2x (72Mbps). The option of higher speed will be available. Blu-ray disc have a larger numerical aperture (NA). This should allow speeds of 12x (432Mbps). Speeds of Blu-ray disc of course are limited by the capacity of the hardware. |
| What video codec's will Blu-ray support? |
| Blu-ray players and recorders will support the following video codec's: MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC, SMPTE VC-1 Be aware, it will be up to the movie studios to choose their video codec for their movie releases. |
| What audio codecs will Blu-ray support? |
| Linear PCM (LPCM) - up to 8 channels of uncompressed audio. (mandatory) Dolby Digital (DD) - format used for DVDs, 5.1-channel surround sound. (mandatory) Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) - extension of Dolby Digital, 7.1-channel surround sound. (optional) Dolby TrueHD - lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio. (optional) DTS Digital Surround - format used for DVDs, 5.1-channel surround sound. (mandatory) DTS-HD High Resolution Audio - extension of DTS, 7.1-channel surround sound. (optional) DTS-HD Master Audio - lossless encoding of up to 8 channels of audio. (optional) Be aware, it will be up to the movie studios to choose their audio codec for their movie releases. |
| Will I require an Internet connection for my Blu-ray? |
| No. An internet connection is not needed. It is only needed for some extra features such as downloading new extras, watching recent movie trailers, web browsing, home network, etc. |
| Will Blu-ray discs require a cartridge? |
| No. The first ever Blu-ray disc were contain in a cartage. But now have a layer of hard coating for protection. It makes these disc even less susceptible to scratches an fingerprints. They look and feel similar to DVD's. |
| Will Blu-ray support mandatory managed copy? |
| Yes, Mandatory Managed Copy will be included in the Blu-ray format. Meaning you will be able to make legal copies of your movies for your home network. It will be up to the hardware manufacture if they have this feature. |
| When will I be able to buy Blu-ray products? |
| Blu-ray players and movies are now on the market in the US and Canada. |
| What will Blu-ray products cost? |
| Prices can vary from manufacture and device. Blu-ray products range from players, recorders, drives, writers, media, etc. As with any new products where first production volume is low the cost is usually higher; but as volume numbers increase, a rapid decrease in price occurs, making the products available at a reasonable and affordable cost for everyone. |
| Will Blu-ray be backwards compatible with DVD? |
| Most leading companies have produce players that will read CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray. |
