Blu-ray discs store high definition video content and have a storage capacity of 27GB. They are read by players with a blue laser and are not compatible with standard CD or DVD players. Blu-ray drives are often backward compatible and can play both new and old formats. They are mainly used for motion pictures, TV programs, and video game content.
Blu-ray discs are media devices most commonly used to store and archive high definition video content. At first glance they often look like standard CDs or DVDs and work pretty much the same. The biggest differences are their storage capacity and how they are read by players and other receiving devices. In most cases these discs need dedicated players that read the discs with a blue laser rather than the standard red laser. Content producers often like to release movies and game content with this kind of high-powered technology for all that it allows them to do: the images can be sharper and more realistic, and more special features can be included.
Brief history of the optical disc
Disk technology has been a popular way to store music and video files for decades. The first optical discs available to consumers were large video laser discs which were commercialized in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, the familiar compact disc, or CD, became available. One compact disc was capable of holding about 700 megabytes (MB) of data. The first CDs were used for audio albums, then they grew to also contain some video and image content: supplementary material from musicians such as music videos, for example, or digital animations such as for video games or game consoles.
In the 1990s, digital video disc (DVD) technology became popular and eventually became mainstream in many markets in the early 2000s. DVDs look just like a CD on the outside, but are capable of holding much more data. In general, a DVD has the storage capacity for a standard-length movie and, depending on the specification, can usually contain some bonus material as well.
Edits with high definition
Blu-ray is the next iteration on the optical disc timeline. It was established to hold a feature film in high definition television (HDTV) format. Such movies are displayed in significantly higher resolution and therefore require much more storage space. A disc usually holds about 27 gigabytes (GB) of information, or about 40 times the amount of data a standard CD can hold, and at least 10 times the storage of a regular DVD.
Technological differences
Storage issues aside, the key difference between these and older CDs and DVDs is the laser used to read the discs. Blu-ray machines use a blue laser instead of the red lasers used to read older discs. Blue lasers have a shorter wavelength, usually around 450 nanometers, than red lasers, which usually measure around 650 nanometers. Thus, the beam can be focused to a much smaller area. In practice, this means that content producers and developers can fit significantly more data on a single disc.
However, the blue laser also means that these discs are not readable on standard CD and DVD players and players. In almost all cases consumers need to purchase a dedicated device to showcase this type of functionality. Inserting one of these discs into a standard CD or DVD drive usually results in an error message.
However, many blue laser drives are known to be backward compatible, meaning they are capable of reading most standard CDs and DVDs. Many feature an additional red laser or have the ability to switch from red to blue as needed for the puck. Part of this is because manufacturers have realized that consumers who already own a lot of content in older formats may not be willing to repurchase everything in HD just for a better viewing experience, and this could be a barrier for them. in purchasing new content in that format, too. By marketing players that can play both new and old records, distributors hope to actually encourage more sales. Most scholars and researchers think that the growth of Blu-ray will parallel the growing popularity of HDTV and will surpass legacy systems at some point in the not too distant future.
Main uses
The most popular use of this technology is motion pictures and feature film projects, although serial television programs are also often packaged and stored on these discs. They are also increasingly used to store video game content as they can create a more realistic virtual environment for players.
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