Blu-Ray

Today, storing your essential digital media and your high definitions is the common practice. That is why; manufacturers have come up with high-density optical disc formats, and called them the Blu-ray discs. What is Blu-ray?

Overview- The term Blu-ray disc is actually derived from blue-violet lasers that are used to read and to write this particular type of disc. Because Blu-ray has shorter wavelengths about four hundred and five nm, more data are stored on Blu-Ray discs than the conventional DVD formats that use red, six-hundred fifty nm lasers. The single Blu-ray discs can store up to twenty five gigabytes, five times those of the single layer DVDs that can only store a maximum of more than four gigabytes. Likewise, the dual layer Blu-ray discs can store up to fifty gigabytes, still more than six times more than the dual layer DVD with storage of only 8.5 gigabytes. Blu-ray discs are somewhat similar with Sony’s PDD or Professional Disc for Data that has been launched in 2004, but the Blu-ray discs offer higher and faster data transfers. While the Blu-ray discs are intended both for home and business use, the PDD is only aimed for business data archiving as well as business data backups.

Blu-ray discs can store high definition videos for up to nine hours when the 50GB discs are used, and with the standard definition videos, can store for up to twenty hours. On average, the single-layer discs can basically hold high definition features of more than a hundred minutes when using the MPEG-2 format, with additional rooms for two hours of added materials in standard definition qualities. The dual layer discs can extend the said number for up to three hours of HD quality, with nine hours of SD additional materials.

The Blu-ray disc systems use blue and violet lasers operating at wavelengths of 405nm, somewhat similar with the ones that are used for the HD DVDs, to read and to write a particular data. The conventional DVDs and CDs both use red lasers at 650 nm and infrared lasers at 780 nm. The Blu-ray or BD-ROM specifications define four profiles of the Blu-ray players. All of the video-based profiles are generally required for full implementations. The first is the 1.0 profile. This is currently the profile where all the present Blu-ray players are generally based on. The players that are based on this particular profile are required only to have not more than 64KB of data storage, typically used in bookmarks as well as other preference storages. The 1.1 profile, likewise, is know formally as the “Final Standard Profile” that add secondary video decoders, secondary audio, and capabilities of supporting 256MB of storage to store audio, video and title updates. For players that are introduced by October 31, 2007, compliance with this specific profile is mandatory.

The third profile is the 2.0 profile or the BD Live. This profile adds network connectivity on a list of needed functions. This also helps increase local storage capabilities up to 1GB. However, there are no players that are compatible with this profile but the players from the other profiles can still play the key feature of the discs. Finally, the last profile called the profile 3 is generally intended for audio-only players and this does not necessarily require video decodings.

Since Blu-ray disc standards place data recording layers closer to a disc’s surface, early discs were prone to scratches and contaminations and the disc has to be enclosed in caddies made from plastic to ensure protection. The Blu-ray manufacturers observed this concern earlier, thus, giving them enough time to produce discs that use layers of protective materials on the main surface of the disc where data is read.

If you want to have the best quality storage for your digital media and your high-definition videos, consider having the Blu-ray discs.