Thursday, December 17, 2009

Blu-Ray Defines a New HDTV Standard

By Anna J Sussman

HDTV blew people out of the water in the late nineties when they saw how clear the HDTV screen actually was. Millions have jumped onto the HDTV bandwagon, finally able to enjoy their wide screen DVD's, as well as high definition cable TV broadcasts. There are some people that haven't switched over just yet, but those who have been putting it off, have been noticing something different. They have seen the capabilities of Blu-Ray players, and realized that the resolution of HDTV's could finally be pushed to a new frontier. No one knew that Blu-Ray would win over DVD, but now that it has, it's time to start thinking about adding Blu-Ray to your television at home

Sony started it's research in 2000, though they didn't actually come up with a commercial release until 2006. It was called Blu-Ray simply because a blue laser was used to read data from the disc. The question is whether or not Blu-Ray Discs are actually better than their DVD counterparts. Essentially they work in the same way, but Blu-Ray discs have much more storage space. This means they have more room for a clearer picture. It will also have many more special features than a DVD, which means more alternate endings and more behind the scenes action. The size difference is actually quite large, as a DVD holds 8 gigabytes and the Blu-Ray can hold 50 gigabytes. This player is a must have if you have purchased a high definition television.

In the beginning Blu-Ray players were more expensive than most people could afford. You might have had to pay over one $1000 at that time, but if you were lucky you could find one for $600. But these were not the only high definition players on the market. In fact Toshiba and others fashioned the HD DVD, which could hold 15 gigs. Though this wasn't a match for the Blu-Ray's 50 gig capacity, they did have the advantage of an earlier release and a cheaper price. Would this spell the end of the Blu-Ray player?

But you cannot expect the creator of the highly successful PlayStation 2 to stand by and take this beating. In fact, they did not. They released the Playstation 3 with full Blu-Ray capabilities, making it the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. The sales of Blu-Ray movies crushed HD DVD's, and it wasn't long before movie makers chose the superior Blu-Ray format. HD DVD's were rapidly phased out to a point that only a few companies still use them. They have finally gone the way of the Betamax player, and a footnote in the hsitory of multimedia.

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.

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