Blu-ray is the next generation optical disc format which uses blue violet laser to deliver unsurpassed storage and interactivity and unlocks the potential of HD TV and HD gaming. Sony helped to develop Blu-ray Disc™ to meet the amazing growth in demand for technology that can integrate movies, games, computers and the internet into a single solution. Blu-ray Disc™ technology out-performs regular DVD formats. Unmatched optical media storage allows it to hold up to nine hours of HD viewing on a dual-layer disc and five times the content of a standard DVD. Blu-ray Disc is the format that can do it all and deliver functionality unlike anything you have ever known before. Blu-ray Disc is the ultimate choice for your High Definition entertainment.
1080p - the ultimate picture quality
Remember the first time you saw how DVD pictures looked fantastic compared with ordinary television transmissions? That’s because DVD uses a higher bit-rate than conventional TV broadcasts, and more digital information means better picture and sound quality. It’s the same story with Blu-ray Disc. Recording and playing back digital data at an extraordinary 40 Mbps (megabits per second), BD can effortlessly display Full HD images at 1920x1080 line resolution with progressive scanning.
High Capacity
Blu-ray Discs (BD) are exactly the same diameter (12 cm) as Compact Discs and DVDs. The big difference with BD, however, is loads more storage capacity to hold High Definition content such as videos, pictures, sound and more. To achieve this, Blu-ray Disc uses a blue/violet laser that’s focused to produce an incredibly small, precise pinpoint of light – five times smaller than the beam falling on the surface of a DVD. On the disc itself, tracks of data are squeezed together twice as tightly as on a DVD. Together with the super-fine laser beam, this means that Blu-ray Disc can hold an incredible 25 GB of data on a single-sided, single layer disc. A single-sided dual layer disc holds a massive 50GB of data. 25GB is enough for two and a half hours of movie entertainment in 1080-line Full HD with multichannel digital surround sound plus loads of interactive features and extras thrown in.
7.1 ch Surround Sound
People sometimes think that High Definition is all about great-looking pictures. They’re right, but it’s important not to underestimate just how important audio is too. Digital multi-channel sound is an absolutely central part of the cinema going experience – just imagine paying to watch the latest blockbuster without the bangs, crashes, rumbles and other effects that literally make you shake in your seat.
Sony knew from the outset that sound was going to be a vital component of Bluray, and so the format can handle up to 32 different audio streams. That means that each disc can accommodate a vast range of audio formats, from stereo right up to uncompressed 7.1 multichannel surround.
Interactivity
Aside from breathtaking picture quality and digital multi-channel surround sound, the other thing that has really excited the studio business is Bluray’s interactive possibilities. Although it’s not yet supported by all players, interactivity is something that will add a huge amount of value to your enjoyment of a movie at home. Blu-ray has been designed to offer a more satisfying, far more sophisticated interactive experience compared to what is available with DVD.
You can make choices from pop-up menus on screen without interrupting the movie. Some players will also support an even more powerful interactive mode. If you’ve got a connection to the Internet, this will allow you to download additional content in real time from a server to enhance what’s on the disc. For example, you could access subtitles in your own language for a foreign movie that you bought at an airport in another country. This extra dimension of interactivity also opens up fantastic new possibilities for film makers and distributors. Imagine being able to view the webcast of an exclusive director’s commentary that’s streamed over the Internet and displayed as a picture-in-picture on your HD television screen during the movie.
