Blu-ray was designed in order to record, rewrite and playback high definition video (HD). On top of this, the disc can store a very large amount of data. With a Blu-ray disc, you can store up to five times of the traditional DVD, and hold 25GB on a single layer and 50GB on a dual layer disc.

With the use of advanced video and audio codecs and the large capacity of the discs, it will provide the ultimate in the high definition experience. With the extra space, the Blu-ray disc also offers more exciting interactive features and more bonus content. The discs also have very high dirt and scratch resistance.

The secret behind the Blu-ray technology is the laser which read and writes data to the disc, to bring you the ultimate in high definition. Current optical disc technologies, for example DVD, DVD-R and DVD-RW as well as DVD-RAM read and write data with a red laser. However, the Blu-ray uses a blue-violet laser, where it gets its name. So what is the main difference? The reason for the blue-violet laser is that it has a shorter wavelength compared to the red laser. The red laser is 650nm, while the blue-violet laser has a wavelength of 405nm. This makes it possible for the laser to focus with greater precision.

Blu-ray DVD players are available from many popular manufacturers, for example Sony, Samsung, Sharp, LG, Phillips, Panasonic and Pioneer. Apart from these quality brands, Blu-ray is used in the Playstation 3 gaming station. Recently, a number of laptop computers have also started to incorporate the Blu-ray disc player as well as producing Blu-ray drives for desktop computers.

For you to enjoy all of the benefits that Blu-ray technology has to offer, you will need a number of things. These are a HDTV and HDMI cables, to ensure that you get the best picture quality. On top of this of course, you will need Blu-ray discs and a Blu-ray player. It is still possible for you to play normal DVDs on a Blu-ray player, but note that you will only get the standard DVD’s quality, and not the enhanced quality of a Blu-ray disc. Also, you are unable to play Blu-ray discs on anything other than on a Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray is the future of the home entertainment system and it is the standard that is expected to replace the DVD. Since its introduction, Blu-ray has continually advanced and there is no sign of stopping.

Whether you want to keep up to date with the latest technologies or if you want the ultimate best in home entertainment, you will need Blu-ray. What are you waiting for? Get Blu-ray today!