Blu-Ray Defines a New HDTV Standard
When HDTV was released in 1998, people could barely believe their eyes. There was a time when people thought that any new technologies couldn’t make that much of a difference, but suddenly they realized they were wrong. Since then millions have made the switch to HDTV and enjoyed thousands of hours of entertainment. But then something even better came along. High definition players such as Blu-Ray have pushed HDTV to it’s limit. Many people knew that the last generation DVD’s were going by the wayside, but they had no idea what it would be replaced by.
Though research began in 2000, Sony and its partners didn’t release a final commercial product until mid 2006. The name Blu-Ray comes from the blue laser that’s used to read data from a Blu-Ray formatted disc. This contrasts with the red laser used to read standard DVD discs. But why is Blu-Ray better than existing DVD formats? Even though Blu-Ray discs and players don’t appear any different than standard DVDs, they can store much more data which means clearer picture, better audio, and more special features. DVDs can hold up to 8 gigabytes of data while Blu-Ray discs can hold 50 gigabytes. Quite a difference. The max resolution of a DVD is 720×480 lines whereas Blu-Ray has a max of 1920×1080 (also referred to as full HD). If you’ve spent $1000 or more on a 1080p television, you’re actually not utilizing everything the set can deliver when watching standard DVDs.
As you probably know, Blu-Ray players were extremely expensive when they were first launched. In fact it wasn’t too uncommon to see one for over one thousand dollars. Then you had the other competitors fighting for their place as the next major media type. The biggest contender was HD DVD. It had a 15 gig capacity, but that was nowhere near the size of a Blu-Ray disc. The only major advantage they had was that more movie studios and suppliers had committed to using the HD DVD format. The devices to play them were also a bit cheaper, meaning more people would buy them. Things did indeed look dark for the Blu-Ray player.
But there was something that Sony had planned, and it was something that would destroy HD DVD. They took their new Playstation 3 and gave it the ability to play Blu-Ray movies. It was suddenly the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market, and it gave more and more people reason to buy Blu-Ray movies. It wasn’t long before it crushed HD DVD without any effort, and soon movie studios chose Blu-Ray as their format. It wasn’t long until the major movie outlets stopped carrying HD DVD movies, and though some companies still produce HD DVD movies, they have all but fallen into the past.
Now days the prices are much lower. Brand name Blu-Ray players are available at extremely low prices, some of them being a mere hundred dollars. Recorders are only a little bit more than that. If you have an HDTV, then you must buy one of these players to unlock it’s full potential. Not only do they hold more data, the quality is utterly amazing.
Anna J Sussman covers the latest promotions and rates for Time Warner Cable. Many readers following Anna’s articles and advice can find the best deals on digital cable, digital phone, and high speed internet service.
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