What is dvd blu ray. Blu-ray facts. How the HD DVD format is evolving

Not so long ago, as children, we listened to old-fashioned gramophone records with our mothers and fathers, and an oversized radio was the latest in fashion. Very little time passed, and audio cassettes appeared, then audio CDs and MP3 discs. Before we had time to really get used to household media players, smart TVs appeared that were capable of broadcasting video from flash drives and the Internet. One of the latest innovations that is quickly gaining popularity is Blu-ray, and what is unique about this technology is what will be discussed in our article.

blue beam

This is exactly how the name of the latest development of the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) - a group of the world's leading developers of communications and electronics - is translated. What is Blu-ray? This is a new, latest generation format that was invented specifically to facilitate the process of playing, recording and dubbing high-resolution video files, as well as for the convenience of storing voluminous information. To make it clearer, let’s use the language of numbers and give some comparisons. To understand what Blu-ray is, imagine a DVD that holds more than five times the usual amount of information. Thanks to the new development, it can now store up to 25 GB (if it is single-layer) or up to 50 GB of data. And this is not to mention the fact that this technology is being improved and there is already support for multilayering of such discs.

The Blu-ray format is based on a new standard, which involves reading data using a blue (violet, to be precise) laser, which is 405 nanometers. This explains the name, which is incomprehensible to many. For reading older CD-ROM discs, a wavelength of 780 nanometers is used, for newer DVDs - 650 nm. This reduction made it possible at one time to increase the capacity from 700 MB to 4.38 GB (twice as much on double-layer ones). Talking about what Blu-ray is, it is worth mentioning that this format allows you to write/read data at a speed of at least 36 Mbit/sec!

History of invention

Work on the new format began back in 2000. One of the first to start doing this was Sony Corporation. Initially, development followed two parallel directions: DVR Blue and UDO (short for Ultra Density Optical). Subsequently, the first technology was renamed “blue ray”, i.e. Blu-ray. In the same year, the first prototypes were released and at the CREATEC exhibition people first learned what Blu-ray is. The official announcement happened in 2002 and after that the BDA association was created, the purpose of which was to promote new format. Toshiba Corporation decided not to join this alliance and, together with NEC, began to develop their own version of a super-capacious disk. Also in 2002, these companies announced Advanced Optical Disk, which was later renamed the HD DVD format.

The victory in this confrontation went to Blu-ray technology, and since then sales of discs of this type have been steadily gaining momentum. Outwardly, they look the same as regular DVDs. But which, thanks to the large capacity, can be recorded on them (especially if it is Blu-ray 3D), is so different from what we saw before that literally everyone who ever sees it, henceforth prefers to watch video only in this excellent format.

We have repeatedly heard mentions of Blu-ray technologies, without having an accurate understanding of the structure and general characteristics this phenomenon. Why has this format become so widely popular, and what exactly makes it so good that it's worth abandoning the usual DVDs? Let's figure it out.

What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray (BR) technology is a type of optical media (disc) format used to store high-definition video and audio files. To fully understand the essence of this technology, you should understand the main nuances:

1. The discs received this name for a reason.

The literal translation of the name “Blu-ray” is blue ray (from the English “Blueray”). This is due to the way such media is read. For CDs and DVDs, red or infrared radiation is used to obtain information from them. But the blue-violet laser has a shorter wavelength, which makes it possible to significantly increase the focus and “examine” those parts of the disk that the red beam was not able to see.

1. All characteristics have improved significantly.

Due to the ability to place more information on a disc of the same size (physical) as a DVD, we were able to achieve Full-HD resolutions. These are films that have impressive clarity, overall quality of the video stream and even sound.

If you have HDTV and good speaker system, it has become possible to take the effect of watching movies to a new level:

• the quality of details on the screen has improved greatly;
• previously blurred background objects have clear outlines;
• the sound became indistinguishable from the real one: interference and low quality gone into the past;
• the number of FPS (frames per second) was increased from 24 to 60.

With such image quality and video smoothness, Blu-ray instantly became a leader and has no analogues. Even satellite television high quality is not able to provide content of this level.

1. The disk capacity has increased.

Due to the ability to read previously inaccessible sections of information, a BR disc can store 5 times more data than a DVD and 8 times more if the disc is double-layered.

With all these indicators, the full picture opens up: Blu-ray technology allows you to get the highest quality image and sound in all existing parameters. However, the use of BR technology does not always lead to exclusively benefits.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Any thing in our world has its pros and cons, and Blu-ray is no exception. To the list of doubts advantages includes:

• accessibility to posting a large amount of information (up to 4 hours of high-definition video);
• amazing quality of video and audio streams;
• more reliable and accurate reading of information;
• additional interactive features;
• backward compatibility(for Blu-ray players);
• usage modern algorithms coding (increases not only the quality, but also the speed of access to information);
• picture-in-picture function.

These and other advantages of the technology in question are described in this video.

However, there are also some cons related to this format:

1. Price.

The key disadvantage of Blu-ray technology is its cost in the market. The discs themselves do not differ much in price (compared to HD-DVDs), but BR players are completely the opposite. Due to the fact that you can’t watch Blu-Ray discs on a regular DVD player, manufacturers put very serious price tags on BR players.

1. Number of films.

This technology appeared relatively recently, so although many films are created in Blu-ray quality, their number is still significantly less than in the usual HD-DVD format.

1. Loading time.

Depending on the type of menu (the more complex, the longer), loading a BR disk can take up to 90 seconds. Movies with a simple menu load on average in 20 seconds. But this is still a significant minus and the need to dutifully wait for the allotted time in order to switch to the required time period in the film.

1. Lack of backward compatibility.

Blu-ray players can play movies recorded on DVDs and CDs without any problems. But you will never be able to watch a movie in Blu-ray quality on a standard DVD player. The way such a player reads information is simply not suitable for this format.

Therefore, it is not enough to buy a disc - you also need a BR player, and the prices for it, let’s not forget, are quite significant.

Features of Blu-ray technology

Despite the identical external components of BR and DVD discs, they have quite a big difference in their characteristics.

How do they differ:

1. Blu– ray discs are much more reliable.

They are made of more durable plastic, increasing scratch resistance several times.

1. Large capacity.

Thanks to the use of a blue beam for reading information instead of red, the volume of disks has increased. A single-layer BR disk can accommodate 25 GB of data, a double-layer one – 50 GB, then 100 GB and 128 GB, respectively.

In 2008, Pioneer announced 20-layer Blu-ray media. According to the staff, this is equivalent to 500 GB of free recording space, which is an impressive value.

1. KVK function.

The key innovation of Blu-ray discs is the ability to view video in picture-in-picture format. Moreover, it is possible to record a High Definition Television (HDTV) program in real time while viewing the contents of the disc itself. And if the BR player has access to the Internet, you can download subtitles, additional audio tracks and perform other actions without interrupting the movie.

1. Total quality.

Since there are no analogues to Blu-ray recording, the highest resolution video from other sources will be recorded onto the disc without any loss of quality.

1. Editing entries.

BR technology allows you to change, edit and rearrange information recorded on disk in real time. DVDs can only dream of this. This feature also allows you to create separate playlists.

1. 3D-technology.

Movies in Blu-ray quality may have a 3D effect. This was made possible due to the large amount of space for data recording. Of course, this does not compare to the cinema, but this is the first “real” home 3D, and not a game with red-green filters (3D Anaglyph).

These features of BR discs are not available for DVD media. This is what makes Blu-ray technology so valuable and opens up many avenues for future changes and improvements. Even taking into account the disadvantages associated with the cost of players, etc., this technology has received worldwide recognition and continues to develop rapidly.

Which raised a lot of questions and debates.

As part of this material, I want to provide answers to the most popular questions, or rather, the myths that shroud this new technology optical disks.

I hope this material will help everyone who wants to clarify the situation for themselves and decide whether to use Blu-Ray now or wait.

So let's begin!

Myth 1: “Blu-Ray is expensive!”

The most common belief.

Yes, it is understandable that, for example, an ordinary DVD-R disc costs a couple of tens of rubles, and a BD-R disc costs a hundred.

But let's start from the price per gigabyte!

It would be fair, wouldn't it?

One DVD-R disc holds 4.7GB of information (to be exact, 4.481GB) and costs an average of 17-20 rubles.

I mean now - only QUALITY discs. It is clear that you can find a blank DVD-R for a price of 5 rubles, but these are “non-name” products that we are not even talking about. But let's get back to the calculations...

One BD-R disc holds 25 GB of information, which is exactly 5 times more than a simple DVD-R can hold.

Now let's multiply the cost of one DVD-R by 5: 20*5=100. 100 rubles (give or take) costs 5 high-quality DVD-R discs.

But that’s exactly how much a BD-R disc costs on average! Maybe a couple of tens of rubles more expensive, but this is rare. This is understandable; price increases may be observed in some stores.

Well, even if you buy a BD-R disc for 130-140 rubles, you can consider that you paid extra for nice bonus: You don't have to split your files into 4.7 GB chunks (like DVDs) and just throw them onto one disc.

This can be an invaluable advantage, for example, when it comes to recording a home photo archive to disk, right?

Myth busted: Blu-Ray discs are no more expensive than regular DVDs!

You can check it yourself. Look at the cost of disks in online stores, look for the price ranges that I indicated.

I, in turn, will provide a couple of links to prove the above price calculations.

Myth 2: “Why Blu-Ray if you have USB hard drives?”

Of course, it would be very incorrect to compare these two completely different classes of information storage devices, but you and I, so be it, will do it.

Arguments in favor of HDD:

- “Beneficial: high capacity and low price"

- “Data storage reliability”

- “Ability to overwrite”

Now let's look at them all in turn.

"Profitable." Again, let's look at our cost per gigabyte. Ordinary hard drive for 500 GB it costs on average 2800-3000 rubles.

A rewritable BD-RE disc costs about 120 rubles: http://meg.ru/shop/UID_4379.html.

We multiply 120 rubles by 20 disks (20 BD-REs of 25GB each is 500GB) and we get 2400 rubles.

It turns out even cheaper! 😉

"Reliable." This is absolutely not true. Take and throw a regular optical disc from the table onto the floor. After that, take and insert this optical disc into your computer. You can guarantee 1001% that it will be read perfectly.

What happens if you drop a hard drive?

And this fact cannot be ignored: no one has yet canceled accidents. And this accident can cost all the data, which is also important if we are talking about storing valuable data.

Now I am not trying to take several facts out of context and veiledly mix them up. I just want to show that EACH of these devices has its disadvantages.

WITH optical disk You need to handle it carefully so as not to scratch it - that's true. But you need to be no less careful with the HDD so as not to “knock” it accidentally, not to overheat, connect/disconnect it correctly, etc.

The list of pros/cons goes on. And in principle, they all equalize each other.

"Possibility of overwriting." A BD-RE disc can be rewritten almost 1000 times.

I once conducted an experiment with DVDs (their number of permissible rewrite cycles is the same). I bought it for myself new disk DVD-RW and "vowed" to use only it until it stopped being overwritten.

The disk has been used very intensively, countless gigabytes have gone through it, but it still writes and reads perfectly well!

Conclusion: 1000 cycles is a lot. Really a lot.

Myth 3: “Blu-Ray is still a new technology, and BD discs are not yet high quality”

Oddly enough, this myth also has no basis.

First of all, the most Blu-ray technology among the masses for more than 5 years.

Secondly, this has nothing to do with the quality of the discs.

High-quality BD discs are produced such well-known companies, like: TDK, Verbatim, SONY, Panasonic, PHILIPS.

Myth 4: “You need a special program to burn Blu-Ray discs”

This is absolutely not true. BD discs can be burned with the same programs that are designed to work with DVDs: Nero, Ashampoo, etc. Many of them are completely free.

I recommend wonderful multifunctional program with the widest possible capabilities, and also absolutely free: Ashampoo Burning Studio Free.

Myth 5: “You need to carefully select discs for your Blu-Ray drive due to compatibility issues”

Also a statement that has no basis. Yes, sometimes there are cases of incompatibility with certain blanks (mostly with “non-branded” blanks).

Guaranteed protection from this is simple: always buy only branded discs. Always remember that when you buy an unknown, cheapest disk, you are buying LOW-QUALITY media for your valuable information.

Myth 6: “Blu-Ray will soon disappear from the market”

Absolutely untrue.

Yes, not so long ago there was a time when we could all watch the confrontation between two standards: HD DVD and Blu-Ray. However, after a short “battle” it became clear that Blu-Ray is a more promising, convenient, simple and relatively cheap technology.

We can safely say that the era of war is long behind us. Today we have an absolute winner - Blu-Ray, which for the next couple of decades, at least, will not leave the market.

Myth 7: “Blu-Ray today is cheap consumer goods”

The fact that prices for Blu-Ray drives and discs have dropped significantly today does not mean that they are of low quality.

Be careful when choosing a drive: today it is quite possible to buy an excellent drive (the same Pioneer or ASUS) for $100, and it will burn discs excellently.

Epilogue

Well, we have looked at the most pressing and pressing questions about Blu-Ray that users can encounter.

I hope this material was useful to you and helped you clarify a lot of new things for yourself.

If not, ask questions in the comments! 🙂

Blu-Ray- this is the view optical media. It is used to store videos and computer games, and is distinguished by high definition.

What you need to watch movies in excellent quality(Blu-Ray)? In order to get a clear answer to this question, let's first figure out what Blu-Ray is.

So, Blu-Ray is an optical media format that is used for transferring and playing relatively large volumes information. Such, for example, are modern high-definition films. The format itself appeared in 2006, but even today it is not very popular.

In order to read information from a Blu-Ray disc, users need a player of the same format. We advise you to choose a model that supports reading DVDs as well. Since almost everyone has a large DVD library and you don't want to lose it either. And since most models of Blu-Ray players are sold without the DVD playback function, pay attention to this indicator when choosing a product.

Let's take a closer look at the features of choosing a Blu-Ray player. Many player models have many different options and functions, among them the most popular are: scaling, screensaver, updatable firmware, quick launch, Russian menu, picture in picture, and child protection. Make sure there are as many audio and video formats as possible. The following formats must be present: Mp3, audio CD, DVD±RW and BD-R/RE, and also CD±RW and BD-Rom.

We looked at the features of the BDP-S370 model. Additional features this model are:
– very fast operating speed;
– more high-quality transmission images that are achieved as a result of the use of DeepColour technology;
– watching movies in Full HD 1080 format;
– the use of PhotoTV HD technology when viewing various digital images;
– surround sound of sufficiently high definition (7.1-channel technology);
– ability to update firmware via .

And it costs only 4,000 rubles.

But if you already have a Blu-Ray player and have a regular, simple old TV, then there is no point in Blu-Ray. Because to watch modern films you need to have a good HD TV. Because discs characterized by the Blu-Ray format provide a unique opportunity to watch films in HD format. And this is a high definition format. I advise you to choose an LCD TV.

What is an LCD display? An LCD display is a flat panel display that creates images using liquid crystals. Without realizing it, we use LCD displays very often - this is a computer display, advertising screens, etc.

The leading companies that have established the production of high-quality models of LCD TVs are Philips, Samsung, Sony, LG. Each manufacturer has certain pros and cons. For example, LG has more low price, Philips and Sony will offer you higher image quality, and Samsung will offer more functionality.

How are LCD TV displays different?

First is the resolution. Resolution is the size of the display, measured in pixels. The higher the resolution, the clearer the picture you will get.

Secondly, the size of the point. The smaller the screen dot of your device, the better quality images. But, accordingly, the smaller the screen will be.

It is quite important to look at the proportional format. This indicator is defined as the ratio of width to height. Our TV broadcasting is carried out in 4:3 format. But it’s better not to choose such a TV, since all films today are shot primarily in 16:9 format. And very soon Russian TV will switch to widescreen broadcasting.

One of the important indicators is the diagonal. most often measured in inches. Let us remind you: 1 inch corresponds to 2.5 cm.

Also important indicators are (that is, the brightness ratio, which is taken from the brightest point to the darkest), brightness, and viewing angle. The last indicator for a TV is quite important, since watching TV rarely occurs from one point. The higher the viewing angle, the better.

TV capabilities

Let's now look at the possibilities modern TV. So, if a few years ago you could only watch television on TV, now this has changed.

Each TV has the ability to connect to it DVD player or Blu-ray. You can connect a USB storage device (flash drive, etc.) to many TVs and not only watch movies or just listen to your favorite music, but also read text documents. You can also connect a computer to many TVs and use the TV as a display.

If you have chosen a TV, bought a Blu-Ray player and the corresponding disc, you need to connect the player to the TV. Detailed information You can find information about connecting the player in the instructions. Blu-Ray players are connected not like DVD and VHS devices, but into special ports.

Now you have everything you need to watch the most interesting films in high quality on Blu-Ray.

For several years now, the Blu-ray format has been the main media for multimedia, so the choice of Blu-ray players is quite wide. Let's look at all the nuances so that you can choose a decent BD player.

Blu-ray players have, in a very short period of time, become a staple home theater component that can stream images from high resolution and uncompressed multi-channel audio. The benefits of Blu-ray Disc players reveal functionality home system entertainment and get maximum pleasure from watching your favorite films in Full HD and .

Why is a Blu-Ray disc better than a downloaded file from the Internet?

• a simple and familiar way to watch movies on disc;
• there is no need for a wide Internet channel to download a movie in HD or Ultra HD;
• Always best quality video and menu support that are only available on expensive media players;
• collector's value of the medium in beautiful packaging.

Currently, the Blu-ray format allows you to watch high-definition videos with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 and 3840 × 2160, and you can also have eight-channel Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio in studio quality, not to mention subtitles, audio tracks and bonus content from the Internet using BD Live.

Supports 4K or UtraHD resolution

Many people today purchase premium ones, but do not have an Ultra HD player that would provide them with materials in 4K resolution. Samsung, Sony, LG and Panasonic are launching Blu-ray players that support the UHD format in 2016; we just have to wait for the right discs.

To watch videos on such BD players, you will need a 4K TV that supports the interface. Resolution of films on UHD Blu-ray - up to 3840 × 2160 pixels with a wider color gamut, support for extended dynamic range And high frequency frames. Double-layer disks will hold up to 66 GB, three-layer - up to 100 GB. By the way, 4K players will support regular Blu-ray discs. Plus, they are developing the ability to broadcast the contents of disks to several devices in home network.

Do not confuse Blu-ray player models with the ability to upscale images to 4K resolution with devices that have full UltraHD support and are just appearing on European markets.

In addition to playing Blu-ray discs, BD players can:

• convert standard definition (480i) DVD format in resolution (1080p);
• support sound standards: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby True HD 7.1, DTS-HR and DTS-Master Audio 7.1, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, DTS 5.1 and DTS-HD 5.1;
• scale content in Full HD (1080p) to Ultra HD (2160p) resolution;
• play audio in CD-DA, DVD-Audio, MP3, WMA, Ogg and WAV formats;
• play video files MOV, AVCHD, DivX, DivX-HD, AVI, MPEG4, H264/MKV, H265/MKV, WMV9, VC1;
• be equipped with a set of connectors: HDMI, analog, optical and coaxial outputs, Ethernet and USB ports;
• support connecting external drives via USB with support file system NTFS.

Not every player supports all of these high-quality formats. For example, DTS, Dolby Digital and PCM are basic, while the rest are optional. If high-quality sound is very important to you, then you should take this into account when choosing a BD player.

Networking capabilities

Many BD players are equipped with wired (LAN port) and wireless (Wi-Fi) interfaces for accessing the network and are capable of playing multimedia files from a home network, from a PC or. If your player is equipped with such technology, you can watch movies in real time over the network from another device without downloading files. It is worth noting that BD players of quite different prices and functionality can support DLNA technology, but be careful with the type of supported files. No less interesting are these networking opportunities Blu-Ray players, such as support for various types of Internet services, up to full functionality.

The LAN port in selected models allows you not only to view Internet content for Blu-ray discs, but also to perform IP control for third-party device controllers, firmware updates and web browser support.

“Smart” TVs, media players and set-top boxes are trying to replace BD players, but true movie connoisseurs prefer to collect film collections not on home servers, but on Blu-ray discs, which is probably why this equipment is still in demand. Blu-ray players are capable of fulfilling the role network device, a professional decoder, and is also one of the most important components.

Playing sound

In addition to the main Dolby Digital and DTS formats, Blu-ray discs also support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which allow you to listen to 8-channel uncompressed audio. Some Blu-ray players can decode both of these formats, or send them digitally to an external A/V receiver for decoding.

Of course, BD players are devices for direct video playback, but players from the brands Cambridge Audio, Denon, Marantz, HarmanKardon, Yamaha, Aleks, Onkyo and Philips can be used with Hi-Fi speakers. For example, Blu-Ray players from Pioneer and Panasonic use special protocols that minimize the sound jitter that occurs when digital data is transferred from the player to the receiver via HDMI cable. Thus, a fairly inexpensive combination of a BD player and receiver can provide high-quality Hi-Fi sound, comparable to a CD + amplifier set.

3D technology

3D technology is also present in many BD players, since the HDMI v1.4 interface required for this is widely used, while 3D players are backward compatible and cope well with regular 2D content. Don't forget that the TV must also have 3D support and you will also need 3D glasses.