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--> What is Blu-ray? <--

  Blu-ray is the name of one of the two new optical high definition discs. Containing video content in pure 1080p (1920 X 1080) resolution, Blu-ray has been designed to deliver pristine high definition video to your new HDTV set. Compared to DVDs with a standard definition picture in 480p (640 X 480) resolution, Blu-ray touts an increase of 6 times the picture quality of DVD. In addition to a boost in video resolution, Blu-ray also provides us with more colors and an increase in content flexibility. The Blu-ray edition of Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix has 12 different language soundtracks (including an ‘Uncompressed’ English soundtrack) and 16 subtitle tracks. This is achieved by utilizing a higher disc capacity. A dual layered Blu-ray disc holds up to 50 GB of data whereas a dual layered DVD can only hold about 9 GB. Blu-ray discs can also have more advanced bonus content including mini-games and ‘picture-in-picture’ video commentaries.

What about that HD-DVD format?


  HD-DVD is the competing format to Blu-ray. Blu-ray is developed by Sony while HD-DVD is made by Toshiba. Similar to the format war between Betamax and VHS, Blu-ray and HD-DVD are in direct competition for the future market in home entertainment purchases. Whenever a movie studio releases a film on Blu-ray or HD-DVD, a royalty is paid to Sony or Toshiba in order to utilize the technology. Many people ask if there is a difference between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Allow me to clarify this. Simply put, the answer is yes. There are several technological differences and similarities between the two formats. To start, HD-DVD’s dual layer disc capacity is only 30GB compared to the 50GB that Blu-ray provides. That 20GB of space may not always affect the picture quality of a movie but in some instances it will. To date, almost all of the movies released on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray have used identical video transfers. This would seem to indicate that the lack of space is not a prime concern for the studios when mastering these discs. However, going back to the previous example of Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix and its many language and subtitle tracks, the HD-DVDs lower disc capacity seems to limit the format’s capabilities. The HD-DVD version of said disc only contains four audio tracks and three subtitle tracks. Take that into consideration for films that may be lengthier and I can already see future shortcomings. Bonus features on HD-DVDs will also be more likely to appear only in 480p versus high definition do to the space constrictions. To top it all off at the time of this writing, HD-DVD only has two major Hollywood studios supporting it – Universal Studios and Paramount/Dreamworks. Blu-ray has more major studios exclusively supporting it – Sony/MGM, Fox, Lionsgate, Disney/Buena Vista, and Warner Brothers/New Line. Warner Brothers recently dropped support of the HD-DVD format in January 2008 and since then a slew of companies have also ceased support of the competing format. In February 2008, Netflix announced its Blu-ray exclusivity and on the same day electronics retail chain Best Buy also released a statement declaring that they will be ‘pushing’ Blu-ray as the ‘preferred high definition format’. During 2007, rental chain Blockbuster was the first company to drop support of HD-DVD and go Blu-ray exclusive. I predict by the end of 2008, HD-DVD will become obsolete.

   UPDATE (02-19-2008): Toshiba Corporation has announced its cessation of HD DVD players and recorders officially ending the 'format war'.

What do I need to enjoy Blu-ray?



  Because Blu-ray is a high definition format, the most important item you need is an HDTV set. There are 720p, 1080i, and 1080p sets. Blu-ray’s native resolution is 1080p so this is the ideal set to own. If you only have a 720p or 1080i set, don’t worry. Even 720p sets offer much better picture quality than standard definition and for most folks is an adequate setup. Some people say that they cannot even distinguish between 720p and 1080i/p. This will have a lot to do with the size of your television and how close you sit to it. At a particular distance and television size, the eye cannot perceive any additional information. For best results, go with a 1080p model if you haven’t already purchased a TV. Every new HDTV set in stores today will have at least one HDMI port on it. Although it is not absolutely required to run a Blu-ray, I’m going to tell you that an HDMI connection between your TV and Blu-ray player is required. Every Blu-ray player will have an HDMI port on it (including the Playstation 3). HDMI is a single cable that carries both your high definition video and audio to your TV or receiver. HDMI is the best possible connection you can make to your HDTV. HDMI will be the only way you can get a true 1080p picture to your HDTV from a Blu-ray player as many players will only output 720p resolution over a ‘component’ connection. Component cables are the familiar ‘Red Green Blue’ video connection cables. Blu-ray Disc Players generally do NOT come with component or HDMI cables. This will be a separate purchase. HDMI cables can be expensive and everyone needs a different size cable. I believe this is why they are not included in the box. You can buy an HDMI cable at any big box retail store but they are going to charge you an insane mark up on it. I’d recommend buying one online from www.monoprice.com or from one of the following Amazon links.


  HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface and provides a pure ‘digital connection’ to your HDTV. Since HDMI is a digital connection (think USB), a more expensive cable will NOT provide a better picture quality. As long as you are getting your picture and your audio, then your inexpensive HDMI cable is doing the same work that a $100+ Monster HDMI will. The final piece of equipment needed is a Blu-ray Disc Player. Several manufacturers have players on the market including Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Denon, Sharp, LG, and Philips. Right now I would recommend going with a Blu-ray Player that supports Profile 1.1 discs. There are separate ‘profiles’ of Blu-ray discs. This isn’t too important to know about but basically Profile 1.1 players and discs give you the ability to enjoy those fancier bonus features. Most players released before 2008 are only Profile 1.0. Eventually, a newer profile standard will be available including an internet connection to your Blu-ray player. Now is a good time to buy a Blu-ray player unless you want to wait for Profile 2.0 players. Profile 2.0 players are expected later this year but take that with a grain of salt as the switch to Profile 1.1 players hasn’t even fully began. The players listed below are the players that I recommend. These players are all Profile 1.1 compatible.



  The Playstation 3 is an excellent Blu-ray Disc Player for many people including myself. It is fully upgradeable making it truly future proof. Drawbacks of the Playstation 3 system as a Blu-ray Disc Player are as follows:


Lossless Audio


  Many people are not concerned with audio but anyone who is a fanatic of home theaters find themselves investing into better audio than their TV’s built-in speakers – You know who you are! So with the advent of Blu-ray Discs come exciting new surround sound tracks. There are three distinct ‘codecs’ used to provide the listener with lossless surround.


  In order to enjoy these soundtracks in their full glory, you will need the following:


  Blu-ray’s audio formats are also available in two flavors: 5.1 and the new 7.1. If you have the room for 7 satellite speakers and a subwoofer go for it. Not too many Blu-ray soundtracks use 7.1 but they are becoming more common as each week passes. 3:10 to Yuma, War, and Pan’s Labyrinth all make use of the new 7.1 capability. I’m not going to get into recommending specific A/V receivers or speakers because what sounds good to one person may not to another. I will say that if you are looking for a quality A/V Receiver that can handle these new soundtracks start searching through Onkyo and Denon’s lineup of receivers. Currently, I am using the Onkyo TX-SR605 which supports 7.1 audio, HDMI 1.3, 1080p video pass through, and two HDMI inputs. In case you are wondering, you will need the extra HDMI cable because you will be running one from the Blu-ray Disc Player to the A/V Receiver and the another one from the A/V Receiver into the HDTV set. Here are some Onkyo units for sale at Amazon.


Summation


  I hope some of this information has helped you out in your search for information about this somewhat confusing mess of formats and standards. If you are still confused or in need of more information send me an email and let me know what you need clarification on and I’ll do my best.

--Steven Wilson

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