Disc Technology
Disc technology has come a long way in recent years with the introduction of Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs. The introduction of these high definition discs has seen the producers of these products in a war to win the market share in much the same way that Beta and VHS fought for market share in the 1980 when videos first hit the consumer market.
Blu-ray Discs currently enjoy an advantage with latest gaming console, 'Playstation 3,'incorporating Blu-ray Disc technology. The Blu-ray Disc got its name from the blue-violet laser which is used to read and write on this type of disc.
Interesting clip on how CD and DVDs are made:
Blu-ray
Similar to the High Definition DVD, the Blue Ray Disc offers its users far greater storage space (25 gigabytes, GB) than your normal DVD (4.7 GB). The HD DVD cans store 15 GB of data.
Blu-ray Discs also have a region code with Australia grouped alongside Europe, Greenland, French territories, Middle East, Africa and New Zealand. It is interesting to note on the map below that the leading Blu-ray manufacturers (Japan, Korea, Malaysia) have been bracketed with the U.S. to ensure the early releases of U.S. content to those markets.
However, this may pave the way for HD DVDs to gain more than their market share in another big market, Europe.
Blu-ray Discs seem to be winning the war at the moment. One of the key comments for the HD DVD side fo the argument is that the majority of Blu-ray Discs released prior to 2007 have been released onto the market in the 25 GB single layer format. All HD DVD movies have been released in the 30 GB dual layer format.
That's a valid point if you want to have an argument about which product holds sway pre 2007. Movie companies such as Sony, Disney, and Fox are all using the Blu-ray disc while Warner releases movies in both formats.
The price of Blu-ray Discs has also fallen recently and they are now competitive with HD DVDs.
Blu ray news
IFA: Sony touts 3D, partnerships
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:04:00 +1000
At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin on Wednesday, Sony touted its 3D capabilities, announcing 3D updates for the PS3 and Blu Ray players, introducing a prototype 3D Vaio ...
Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:35:02 +1000
The ever-popular Mad Men Series 3 is available on DVD and Blu Ray from tomorrow.
3D Blu ray arrives on the PC thanks to NVIDIA
Tue, 25 May 2010 16:26:02 +1000
NVIDIA's 3D Vision now supports 3D Blu-ray through a driver update. Unfortunately the most common 3D Vision monitor isn't supported.
Samsung First to Release 3D LED TV and 3D Blu Ray Disc
Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:53:02 +1000
The creepy tale of Slender Man
Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:20:31 +1000
This post isn't (on the face of it) directly relevant to community engagement but is all about ways in which web technologies are changing the way our society tells its ...
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:29:38 +1000
Large HD screen, matching speakers and Blu Ray DVD makes this multimedia laptop a good choice for the movie buff.
DeepDiscount.com offers The Prestige on Blu-ray Disc for $9.98 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $3.
At DeepDiscount.com, buy one select Blu-ray disc movie and get a second for free via coupon code "LABORBD". With titles starting at $10.19 and free shipping on all orders, many combos are at the lowest total price we've seen. Deal ends September 7. Some best bets:
iNetVideo via Buy.com offers Watchmen: The End is Nigh The Complete Experience for PlayStation 3 for $13.99. With free shipping, it's $1 less than purchasing the title direct from iNetVideo.com. (It's also $3 less than the best price we could find for the Blu-ray movie alone.) It features the Watchmen: The End is Nigh video game (parts 1 and 2), Watchmen Blu-ray movie, special features, and more. Deal ends September 10.
Amazon.co.uk offers Band of Brothers: The Complete Series on Blu-ray Disc for $24.60 (£15.99). At final checkout, it drops to $20.97 (£13.61). With $4.74 (£3.08) for shipping, that's a buck under our mention from a month ago and the lowest total price we could find by $14. It includes the entire 10-part miniseries and more.
Disney Movie Rewards takes $10 off the upcoming release of Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition Blu-ray / DVD Combo Set via a unique printable coupon. Just enter coupon code "786936171631" in the "magic code" box to unlock a link that will print a unique coupon. (You will need to login or register for an account to be eligible for this deal.) That's the best offer we've seen for the Diamond Edition set. This title is expected to be released on October 5.