When HDTV sets initially began arising in the marketplace in 1998 people were dazzled at the clearness HD offered over regular TV screens. Since then millions of men and women have upgraded their televisions to enjoy wide screen pictures with DVDs and high definition cable and satellite channels. While many people still haven't made the jump, a recent technology breakthrough has made even HDTV backers take notice. Developed by Sony, Blu-Ray has pushed television resolutions to the next level. Just a couple years ago, nobody had a clue what format would become the inheritor to DVD, but now Blu-Ray has take the crown and I'll tell you why you should consider adding Blu-Ray to your home entertainment system.
Though research started almost ten years ago, Sony and its partners did not present a final commercial product till mid 2006. The name Blu-Ray comes from the blue laser that's used to read data from a Blu-Ray formatted disc. This conflicts with the red laser utilized to read standard DVD discs. Yet why is Blu-Ray better than existing DVD formats? Although Blu-Ray discs and players don't appear any different than normal DVDs, they can save much more info which means clearer picture, improved audio, and more special extras. DVDs can hold up to 8 gbs. of info while Blu-Ray discs can hold 50 gbs.. Quite a difference. The max resolution of a DVD is 720x480 lines whereas Blu-Ray has a max of 1920x1080 (also known as full high definition). If you have spent $1000 or more on a 1080p television, you're essentially not making use of everything the television can deliver when watching regular DVDs.
In the beginning prices for Blu-Ray players were well above what an average consumer wished to pay. Costs between $700 and $1000 were not unusual for first generation Blu-Ray players. And, there had been another competing standard on the market that made plenty of confusion. Toshiba and NEC introduced their own DVD successor with the announcement of the HD DVD format. HD DVD, with enough space for 15 gbs., was an advance over regular DVDs but didn't match the specs of Blu-Ray. But HD DVD did have some market authority. First, they made it to store shelves a quarter before Blu-Ray. Second, HD DVD devices where a little less expensive to make and had a cheaper price tag as a result. Lastly, HD DVD had more movie studios on board at launch than Sony did which meant more movies were at first available while Blu-Ray stayed rare.
Sony had a big trick up their sleeve that quite possibly saved Blu-Ray from a Betamax fate. Sony included a Blu-Ray player into their long awaited PlayStation three and sold the entire device cheaper than most stand alone players were being sold for at the time. After that, Blu-Ray began making strides till soon it outsold HD DVD 2-to-1 by late 2007. More movie studios started to sign on to the Blu-Ray standard solely, starting with Warner Brothers in early 2008. Straight after Toshiba stopped making HD DVD players and recorders. By years end rental firms Netflix and Blockbuster, as well as major shops, announced they would no longer carry HD DVD films. Now all major studios release their films on Blu-Ray. A couple still produce HD DVD and Blu-Ray releases concurrently.
Costs have fallen significantly during the last few years too. Many big name brand Blu-Ray players from firms like Panasonic and LG can easily be found between $150 and $250. Blu-Ray disc recorders are in the $200 - $400 range and dropping just as fast. For anyone who likes watching films at home and has invested in a high definition television, now is a fabulous time to look into adding a Blu-Ray player to your setup. Even those who may be doubtful about Blu-Ray's enhancements over DVD owe it themselves to head down to their local home entertainment store and ask for a Blu-Ray demonstration. The picture sharpness and audio fidelity from Blu-Ray is truly outstanding.
Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com
