What is Blu-ray?
by Tyler Trudell
Blu-ray, is the name of a next-generation optical disk format developed by the Blu-ray Disk Association (BDA), a group of consumer electronics, personal computer, and media manufacturers (including Sony, Apple, Dell, HP, Mitsubishi, TDK, Hitachi, Panasonic, Phillips etc.). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting, and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. Blu-ray offers five times the traditional storage capacity of traditional DVDs, and will use advanced audio and video codecs to offer consumers and unprecedented HD experience.
Current technologies such as DVD, rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format makes use of a blue-violet laser instead. Blue-violet lasers have a shorter wave-length than red lasers, which makes data able to be packed more tightly and stored in less space. This enables blu-ray disks to hold up to 25GB/50GB even though its the same size as a DVD/CD.
