Blu-Ray... the hot topic in town !!!

With the television and news paper shouting out blu ray (actually the way they have been writing it, it is blue ray), but hey what's in a name :), blu-ray seems to be the next kid attraction. How hot is it, and what is the techonlogy, let me answer some questions for you.

What is blu-ray ?

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA),PC companies (like Apple, Dell, LG, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and others..). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25GB, which can be used to record over 2 hours of HDTV or more than 13 hours of standard-definition TV. There are also dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB.

How does it make a difference to you ?

Hmm.. remember there used to be records, and then came cassettes, and then CD's and now DVD's, well Blu-ray is the next thing for you. Imagine able to store multiple movies (say all of Alfred Hitchcock movies - about 67 of them all on one disc), all with subtitles, high definition quality and multiple angles. Now that seems interesting, atleast for couch potatoes.

When will it come out ?

Well some of the companies have their players and recorders out in the market, some of them are working on stability issues, and a price point product. So wait and see what happens.

Want more information, well see http://www.blu-ray.com/info/

G