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| Blu-ray Discs and the Blu-ray Players required to play them are quickly becoming an integral part of home entertainment. Currently they are the standard, but the route from which they came is an interesting one.
The Blu-ray Disc is an optical storage disc; it is the next generation above the DVD disc. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs (50 GB) the norm for feature-length video. This means that they contain much more information than CDs or DVD’s. The name Blu-ray refers to the color of the optical laser used to read the discs. Blu-ray players are the optical drives that read the Blu-ray discs. In 2000, Professor Shuji Nakamura, of the UCSB Department of Engineering developed the diode necessary for the development of the “Blu-ray” laser. Prototypes were unveiled at the CEATEC exhibition in 2000. In 2002, the Blu-ray Disc Founders founded, the Blu-ray Association, and they announced the “˜Blu-ray’ project. Sony and Pioneer were the main backers, but myriad other industry participants came together, including electronics manufacturers, hardware/software developers, movie and entertainment industry members, to create a high definition player and storage solution. The first prototype Blu-ray player was released in April 2003; developers continued to improve the device until it was made available to consumers in 2006. Concurrent with the development of Blu-ray, Toshiba developed the HD DVD product. Both devices were designed to appeal to the demand for HD (high definition) video playing and storage. What ensued was a format war reminiscent of the contest over VHS and Betamax in the 1970′s. The HD DVD (High Definition Digital Video Disc) intended to capitalize on the fact that consumers would not have to buy additional expensive hardware to play the new discs. The war was extended not because the consumers were wavering, but because the hardware manufacturers and content providers did not want to commit to either side for fear of a bad investment. The tipping point occurred when Blu-ray drivers were included in the new PS3 (PlayStation 3) and the technology was introduced into the mainstream. Toshiba conceded in 2008 and Blu-ray became the industry standard. Today most movies and videos are available on Blu-ray TM as well as video games and once you watch a Blu-Ray TM movie on a HDTV you will never go back. This technology of course will only last as long as it takes for the next advancement to happen. But that is a few years still…
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