Blu-ray resolution. – Do I need an Internet connection for Blu-ray? Technologies and standards

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 surround this new optical disc technology.

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, a regular 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. Regular hard A 500 GB disk 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 the usual optical disk from the table to 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 it? 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.

An optical disc must be handled with care to avoid scratches - this is 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.

Firstly, Blu-Ray technology itself has been around 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! 🙂

The era of CDs is gradually fading into oblivion and becoming history. The latest technological breakthroughs of yesteryear have been Blu-ray discs. What it is and how it works will be discussed in this article.

A little history

The technology is based on the use of a new type of laser for reading. It is blue in color, hence the name Blu-ray, translated as “blue ray”. This new laser is capable of not only reading, but also writing data onto denser layers, allowing it to accommodate more information in the same area.

Blu-ray technology was officially introduced in 2002. But not all companies decided to join the new standard. For example, Toshiba and NEC announced the creation of their own format - HD DVD.

Over time, both technologies developed in parallel. However, Blu-ray still won in the end.

Blu-ray Specifications

A single-layer disc can hold up to 25 GB, a double-layer disc can hold up to 50 GB, a triple-layer disc can hold up to 100 GB, and a quad-layer disc can hold up to 128 GB. In 2008, Pioneer announced 20-layer disks that can store up to 500 GB of information.

In everyday life, discs of the BD-R, BD-RE standard with one-time and multiple rewrites are most often used.

Disc coating

Many people probably know that on Blu-ray media the data layer is located very close to the edge. This fact greatly influenced the durability of the disks, since any scratch or crack could damage it. In 2004, a new polymer coating appeared that could reliably protect data on Blu-ray discs.

Technologies and standards

As Blu-ray evolved, many standards and related technologies changed. The old reading and writing standards were replaced with new ones.

BD-LIVE

This technology was developed by Sony. With its help, interactivity was brought to Blu-ray. It is now possible to access certain content - for example, additional materials for a movie or games. To do this you had to go to specific page on the Internet.

LTH-Type

This approach has simplified and reduced the cost of producing Blu-ray discs. The idea is to use the same materials as when creating regular CDs. However, it is worth considering that not all Blu-ray players can play them correctly. But the creators have solved this problem too - you just need to update the firmware of your device.

Despite the fact that this type of disk has significantly simplified and made the technology cheaper, some disadvantages still remain - the recording speed has decreased slightly.

BD DL

One of the important stages in the development of Blu-ray. The technology made it possible to increase the amount of space available for recording to 50 GB.

BDXL

The use of 3- and 4-layer disks made it possible to increase the volume up to 128 GB. It is worth saying that ordinary Blu-ray players of the BD standard cannot read BDXL, while there is backward compatibility.

3D Blu-ray

With the advent of 3D technology, it became necessary to somehow organize this approach in relation to Blu-ray. This is how the Blu-ray 3D standard appeared, which is backward compatible. At the heart of the technology is a method of compressing both video sequences for each eye, which allows efficient use of disk space without loss of quality.

Programs for Blu-ray

There is a large amount of software for playing the Blu-ray standard. They can be viewed without the physical presence of a Blu-ray player, for example on a Windows computer.

Cyberlink PowerDVD 12

This program combines DVD and Blu-ray player, music player, multimedia library storage tool. Available in several different versions depending on possibilities. It has a functional, but at the same time simple and intuitive interface. Able to reproduce data from hard drives computer or directly from media. A bit demanding on system resources.

Corel WinDVD Pro 11

Enough popular program to watch videos in different formats. It has the ability to play Blu-ray 3D, DVD and many other formats known today. The program can convert a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional one. It does not have the most intuitive and user-friendly interface, which takes some getting used to. When purchasing the boxed version of the program, the user will receive 3D glasses as a reward.

TotalMedia Theater 5

Like other programs it is capable of reproducing wide range various video and audio formats. Including Blu-ray with 3D support. Can convert two-dimensional videos and pictures into 3D. The program uses SimHD technology, which can improve the quality of the played video by absorbing noise.

KMPlayer

A good omnivorous multimedia player. Capable of playing a large list of formats. Reads DVDs and Blu-ray. The graphical interface and especially the settings are a bit confusing, so you need to get used to the controls to work properly.

Hardware players

An article about what Blu-ray is would be incomplete without mentioning devices that can play Blu-ray discs directly. Here's a short overview of them.

Samsung BD-J5500

A simple and affordable player for playing Blu-ray discs. Has access to the Internet via Smart TV, has a wide range of supported Blu-ray formats, and is able to read other multimedia files.

The outputs are an HDMI port, as well as a separate coaxial one for audio. There are also USB ports and Ethernet.

As users note in their reviews, the device is very compact, reproduces all declared formats without any problems, and has excellent quality.

Among the negative responses, one can highlight the absence of any indication on the device body. However, some people liked it on the contrary, since nothing shines in the eyes and does not distract from viewing.

LG BP450

Bright representative budget segment Blu-ray players. The output signal resolution can vary from 720 to 1080. HDTV technology is used for scaling. There is Internet access via Smart TV. The device supports all known Blu-ray standard formats. You can control the player using HDMI.

Judging by the reviews left by users, the device is good value price/quality.

Sony BDP-S5500

Inexpensive option from famous brand. Screen resolution up to 1080 is supported and Internet access is available. All known Blu-ray formats can be played on this device. In addition to the standard USB and Ethernet ports, you can use Wi-Fi.

Users gave the gadget a good reception and noted that the quality is high despite the low price. In particular, many liked the convenient control panel, automatic system noise reduction, clear sound, support for all known video and audio formats.

Panasonic DMP-BDT460

The price for this device can reach up to 10 thousand rubles. But the device’s hardware is also slightly better than its analogues above.

In particular, the player can play video in 4K format. Has Internet access via Smart TV. In addition, it makes it possible to read data from external drives. For connection there are two HDMI output and one for transmitting the audio channel.

To connect external devices There are USB and Ethernet ports, as well as a built-in Wi-Fi module.

Users rated this device in their reviews. They noted high quality playback, 3D support, smooth image in dynamic scenes. However, there were also those who noted a slightly noisy drive, the inability to play some formats from external media, and rare “slowdowns” during operation.

Pioneer BDP-LX88

One of the leading manufacturers of many players has introduced many different functions and technologies into this model.

It's worth starting with high resolution playback - 4K. Inside there are many built-in decoders capable of working with a wide variety of audio and video formats. Therefore, the list of supported files and standards is simply huge - the producers took care of their potential viewers.

The outputs include two HDMI, two stereo audio outputs, one audio optical and one audio coaxial. There are two USB ports for reading from flash drives, and Ethernet for connecting the Internet via cable. DLNA support will allow you to play media files remotely from other devices.

User ratings are mostly positive. The quality of video and sound playback is ideal. There are no slowdowns or freezes. However, the price may seem high for some, and this is not surprising - the cost of the device starts from 55 thousand rubles.

T+A K8

The cost of this model is slightly less than a million rubles - 833,000. This is due to the fact that the device is simply packed with the most modern technologies and plus, it acts as a receiver, and not just a player.

Image scaling occurs using HDTV. Naturally, the device has support for Smart TV. Resolution can reach up to 1080 pixels. The player is “omnivorous”, that is, it is able to read all known media formats and disc standards.

The output options are HDMI, 7.1 type audio output, coaxial audio output and headphone jack. There is also an audio input. Two USB ports allow you to connect external media and play data from them. The DLNA function will help you play data from other devices wirelessly.

Additional features include the presence of FM radio.

As for reviews, there are quite a few of them, apparently, as well as the owners of this model. But those rare ones that are available on the network note the excellent performance of the body and components of the device. All elements are made of high-quality plastic, the controls are intuitive and functional. The sound and video quality is excellent. During playback and operation of the device, no “brakes” or freezes are observed. True, many are confused by the really high price.

Conclusion

The article examined Blu-ray technology in detail: what it is, how it works and what players exist. Despite the fact that at one time it was progressive and breakthrough, now, with the advent of various large-capacity drives on the market, interest in Blu-ray is fading.

Perhaps enthusiasts and collectors in the future will remember Blu-ray and what it is, but people of the new generation will most likely find themselves immediately in the era of solid media and storage drives.

"Blu-ray vs 4K, what's the difference between Blu-Ray And 4K“For people who are not entirely familiar with the field, these two concepts may be confusing. In fact, Blu-ray and 4K are two different aspects. Blu-ray is a type of physical media, 4K is a type of video. In this article, we will focus on this topic and clarify the connection and difference between Blu-ray and 4K, and also provide some effective ways listening to Blu-ray and 4K content.

Guide to watching Blu-ray better

Blu-ray is an optical disc storage format that is the successor to DVD. It is capable of storing several hours of video in Full-High-Definition (1920 × 1080) and Ultra-High-Definition (3840 × 2160) formats. is different, so the storage power is also different.

4K refers to the horizontal screen resolution in pixel order 4,000, which means 4096 * 2160 pixels, and also names DCI 4K DCI: Digital Cinema Initiatives. In the film projection industry, 4096×2160 (DCI 4K) is the dominant 4K standard.

UHD (Ultra-High-Definition) and 4K UHD are the same thing, and they both refer to 3840*2160 pixels. In television and consumer media, 3840×2160 (UHD) is the dominant 4K standard. As a customer, when we buy a 4K TV or 4K Blu-ray disc, we care about what exactly the advertising copy "4K" means, which usually means 4K UHD (3840×2160), not DCI 4K (4096×2160).

In conclusion, DCI 4K and UHD differ in resolution. Although UHD is close to 4K but not true 4K, for marketing tactics TV makers seem to insist on using "4K". So, “4K” has become a word that we hear often in our daily digital lives.

I hope that I have already given a clear enough explanation of these concepts. Blu-ray is a type of optical disc, there are 1080P Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray, and 4K is a resolution. It can be Blu-ray disc format or other video format such as MKV, MP4, etc.

Tips: Next, when we talk about 4K in this article, we also mean 4K UHD.

Knowing the definitions of Blu-ray and 4K, the question arises: is 4K Blu-ray better than regular Blu-ray? So, to get the answer, just go ahead and keep reading.

1080P Blu-ray vs 4K Blu-ray: Comparison of Resolution, Compatibility, Storage and Price

Resolution is the core of the battle between regular Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. But this is not the only factor we want to discuss. So, we will also talk about the difference in resolution, compatibility, storage and price in detail.

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Price or cost

As per the previous point, having a full set of 4K equipment is not that easy. 4K Blu-ray disc, 4K TV/monitor, 4K player are more expensive than usual. The price of a 4K TV can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Review of the differences between 1080P Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray

Learn more about 4K video

The first time I watched a 4K video on a 4K monitor was incredibly shocking, and I've loved it ever since. Currently, most of the video sharing services like YouTube, Vimeo and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, etc. support watching 4K videos online. If you have a 4K monitor, the computer configuration is sufficient, and the network speed is fast enough, you can easily watch 4K videos online. To enjoy 4K videos offline, there is another great solution from popular video sites.

Tips: The streaming service will use a fairly complex compression system to compress 4K video, so there's definitely a quality gap between a 4K video stream and a 4K Blu-ray disc.

There are actually many different aspects between Blu-ray and 4K. It is difficult for us to make a comprehensive comparison. So if you still have problems with Blu-ray vs 4K, leave it below and we can discuss together.

Translation from HDTV Solutions.com

Cost of Blu-ray players in lately decreased significantly, transferring them from the category of elite products to the sector of mass demand. Today you can find models with a varied set of additional features at an affordable price for every buyer. This guide will help the buyer decide when choosing a Blu-ray player.

A little bit of history
For those who are not familiar with the history of Blu-ray players, a little information may be useful. historical excursion. The information received will really help in the process of choosing the player you need.

Blu-ray players are essentially the same DVD players, adapted to play larger discs and equipped with additional features. And the main feature of Blu-ray discs is the ability to record high-definition video on them.

Let's go back to the recent past, when TVs were thin and not flat, and their screen resolution was 480 lines, which is now called standard (SD). To watch films on such TVs, video studios recorded them on DVD discs in a resolution of 480 lines. This format suited everyone until the HDTV TVs that took over the market today appeared.

As an interim solution, manufacturers have equipped traditional DVD players with technology to upscale standard 480p video with the ability to display a video signal in 1080p resolution on the TV screen.

The presence of upscaling technology in traditional DVD players is considered by many to be the reason why many people do not buy Blu-ray players. (Although, I guess the main reason is their high cost).

I'm amazed at how well players can upscale 480p source material to high definition, allowing you to enjoy old collections on DVD. However, when performing upscaling, the player has a limited amount of video information, and calculates the missing information by filling the gaps in the image increased in quality and trying to create a picture as similar as possible to the original, but in high resolution.

But even the latest powerful video processors in best players have limited opportunities to improve images from DVD discs. DVD resolution is not enough to create high-quality, high-definition images. To provide full high-definition images on an HDTV screen, disks capable of storing more data and players capable of reproducing them are required.

A single-sided DVD can hold up to 4.7 gigabytes (GB) of data, which is enough for standard-definition movies but not enough for 1080p high-definition features.

To increase the capacity of an optical disk, technology using a blue laser was developed. We managed to fit 25 GB of information onto a single-layer Blu-ray disc. Since that time, film studios began recording their films on Blu-ray discs in super resolution 1080p. High-definition video captures more detail, sharper images and better color reproduction, allowing your HDTV to show off its full potential. Naturally, the image provided by Blu-ray discs is much better than that achieved by upscaling a standard DVD.

Blu-ray players appeared in 2006. And for some time there was a so-called war of formats. Toshiba and a number of other companies have developed and began producing HD DVD players that are incompatible with the regular DVD format. (Neither Blu-ray players nor DVDs could read HD DVDs.)

Toshiba capitulated in early 2008 and stopped developing HD DVD players. The end of the format war was the introduction of the first Blu-ray player Toshiba BDX2000.

Blu-ray specification
The stages of improvement in Blu-ray players in recent years are reflected in three specifications called profiles - Profile 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0.

Profile 1.0 provides Blu-ray disc playback and basic interactive functionality. Profile 1.1, also called BonusView, allows picture-in-picture display and secondary audio tracks from BonusView discs. All Blu-ray players manufactured after October 31, 2007 met at least profile 1.1. Several models of profile 1.1 are still being produced.

A little later, BD-Live or Profile 2.0 appeared, requiring players to have a port to connect to the Internet, from where content available for players with BD-Live technology can be downloaded. Let's figure out how BD-Live players work. Built-in hardware and software components allow them to access the Internet directly, without a computer. If available in your home wired internet, you can connect an Ethernet cable from the player to the router. (Some players have a wireless interface for connection).

If you then load a BD-Live compatible disc into the player, a menu containing a BD-Live option will appear on the TV screen. If you open it, the player will connect to the film studio's website and offer you additional materials. For example, for the first disc of Transformers, you can download video clips of interviews with the director and film troupe, and experiment with robots.

Not all Blu-ray Disc movies support BD-Live technology, but those that do offer a variety of extras. Many films especially from the Disney studio allow you to connect with social networks, so you can chat with friends who are also watching the movie at the same time.

Some viewers aren't interested in BD-Live extras. If you just want to watch a movie without any extras, like on an old DVD player, do not connect your player to the Internet or even choose a player model that supports profile 1.1 (BonusView). Such players are also generally cheaper than models that support BD-Live. Thus, if you are not interested in BD-Live or do not have the ability to connect to the Internet, you can save a little by purchasing a player only with BonusView support.

When meeting various models players, you may come across the term “BD-Live Ready”. Typically, such models belong to profile 1.1, but have an Ethernet port and after replacing the firmware, the player can become compatible with BD-Live.

You should also know that in order to load BD-Live materials, the player must have at least 1 GB of memory. Some models have built-in memory, others like the Sharp BD-HP22U include 2GB of external memory as part of the purchase package. Other players have neither internal nor external memory and leave the solution to this problem to you.

Many people already have flash drives at home and can use them together with the player. In any case, if you plan to use the BD-Live function, make sure that the player has built-in memory; if not, check that the flash drive is included in the purchase.

Compatibility
As I already noted, most players sold today are equipped with a wide range of functionality and belongs to profile 2.0. But let's start looking at players with profile 1.1. The main parameter of the player is compatibility. Almost all Blu-ray players can play DVDs and audio discs. As well as a variety of format options such as BD-R/RE, CD (CD-DA), CD-R/RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW.

If you don't have any idea about the need to support any of these formats, you probably don't need to worry, because commercial movie and music discs typically don't use them. And if you have similar discs, you should check the player’s specifications for compatibility with this recording format.

USB port and SD card slot
Many manufacturers build a USB port or SD card slot into the player, which allows you to receive content from USB drives or SD cards.

The most frequently used function is playback of photos from flash drives. Some players only allow you to read photos in .jpeg format, others can play music and movies. If you are a fan of the DIVX video format, you may want to look for a player that supports this format. To do this, you will have to study the specifications of the players to find out what files they support. I can imagine the need to view photos and videos from flash drives, but I don’t see the point in listening to music through the TV, for two reasons. First, not all TVs have a function to turn off the screen when listening to music. This will cause your TV to consume additional electricity. And perhaps more importantly, the audio quality of most TVs is not good enough.

However, if you pass the sound from the player through an audio/video receiver to a separate sound system- it will be much best solution. Which is akin to another opportunity that is near and dear to many audiophiles who love their analog audio/video receivers.

Analog 7.1 audio outputs
Most inexpensive Blu-ray players only have analog stereo audio output. Therefore, most users take a digital audio signal from the player or through HDMI cable, or from the SPDIF digital output. And this is a perfect solution.

But there are analog audio purists who choose a Blu-ray player with 7.1 audio outputs, which are found on some high-end players like the Pioneer BDP-320. Usually you pay extra price for this feature. And if there is no need for it, you can find similar less expensive models with only a stereo output.

Network connection
If, having purchased a profile 2.0 player, you want to use the BD-Live functions, you will have to connect it to the network, which will require certain skills.

If you, like me, have a router with access to the network, but located in another room, then you will have to install a special one from there network cable and connect it to your Blu-ray player.

Another option could be a wireless connection. Players such as the Sony BDP-560 have a built-in wireless interface. Others, such as the Samsung BD-P3600, may use a separate wireless adapter, included in the kit. Other users will have to find and buy a compatible wireless adapter.

The next step will require you to perform a software connection procedure to the network, which can vary significantly depending on the equipment used and the method of accessing the network.

Streaming Content
All the previous steps can be an ordeal, but after connecting the player to your home network, all efforts will be rewarded by the variety of materials now available for reproduction. One of the invaluable advantages is the ability to directly play files from your computer or media server that are now received via your home network. But not all players support this feature. In the reference literature for players, you need to look at the ability to connect with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) devices.

I don't like much of the BD-Live footage I've seen, but I can appreciate how many movie fans would like to see more behind-the-scenes clips and experiment with the interactive features.

I'm more interested in Internet content providers. For example, the LG BD370 player supports connection to Netflix, CinemaNow and YouTube from the main menu. When the player is connected to the Internet, you can use it to watch movies and videos received in streaming format on your TV screen.

I love watching movies, and I'm intoxicated by the ability to instantly download over 17,000 movies from Netflix. If you're a monthly Netflix subscriber, this streaming service is free for you. Other player manufacturers partner with providers like Amazon Video on Demand, whose service is different from Netflix. On Amazon, you either buy the material or pay for the display. For an additional fee, Amazon offers a selection of more than 40,000 items.

With any of these providers, you could watch movies and videos from the comfort of your home, all day long.

Recently, streaming video from the Internet and devices offering access to it have been developing like an avalanche. The number of TV models that have the ability to directly connect to the Internet is increasing. A variety of devices and set-top boxes are appearing that provide streaming content from the Internet.

If you plan to stream video from the Internet to good quality you need a fairly fast and stable connection to your Internet provider, ideally about 10 megabits per second. I know some sites offer a low speed stream of around 2.5 megabits per second. But if someone in your home watches movies on this connection at the same time as you, the quality of the movie may deteriorate. At least try to have 5 megabits per second. To summarize, I want to say that you will be even more satisfied with a super high-speed connection.

Design

As for the color range of the cases, you can find matte black, glossy black and gray, sometimes with a silver finish. I know designers who struggle with every curve and detail they're not sure about, but most Blu-ray players look the same. And after they began to be often hidden on shelves, their appearance probably does not matter. of great importance when choosing a purchase.

Fine adjustment controls

I'm guessing that if you feel the need to make adjustments, you turn to the TV first, not the player. If you are a fan of player settings, then, as I have seen, the OPPO BDP-83 has one of the most advanced sets of controls.

Energy consumption
You might think that you shouldn't worry about the power consumption of a device as small as a Blu-ray player. And you are wrong, many have a habit of sucking extra electricity.

For example, I recently dealt with Sony player BDP-S560. Measured disc playback power consumption ranged between 17.3 and 17.5 watts, which is average for such players. 17 watts is a small energy consumption, especially if you use the player three to four times a week.

But there is one trap here. The BDP-S560 has a Quick Start mode that reduces boot time when the player is turned on. And it increases electricity consumption. If you enable the Quick Start mode, then when the player is switched to standby mode, the measured power readings do not fall below 7.8 - 8 watts. What if it's on the menu system settings disable Quick Start mode, then when the player is turned off, the power consumption drops to almost zero. Do you need the player to run the electric meter for 160 hours a week?

This is one of the reasons why I don't pay attention to how quickly the player loads the disc. For me, the minor time savings with Quick Start enabled does not matter given the constant power consumption.

Reliability
Of course, you should expect your player to handle any content from purchased discs flawlessly. (I will not dwell on the expectations of good playback of the disc that Uncle Vasya burned on his computer). You have to understand that if you save $25 on a new movie release, you can't expect a perfect showing.

It is a reality that some Blu-ray players high class“stumble” on certain content. To be fair, usually the problem areas are associated with special shooting modes and these are where many players tend to stumble. I still think that half of this problem is a flaw in the software part.

The Blu-ray format is still going through growing pains. Manufacturers are exploring new technologies and algorithms for processing and presenting content. Occasionally problems arise. Fortunately, most manufacturers responsibly release firmware updates for their players. And I always repeat, the first time you set up your player, make sure you use latest version software.

I don't want to discourage you from buying a Blu-ray player and enjoying high-definition video and high-quality sound. I just want to make you aware of possible disadvantages. I recommend that when purchasing a player, whether it's $500 or less than $100, you give it a good test run with a few of your favorite movies in both standard and high definition.

Characteristics
I left the discussion of characteristics near the end of this guide, but I realized that this is too hot a topic to unceremoniously skip over. But it is also too large and varied to be adequately covered in a few paragraphs.

Let me start with a general statement. When playing discs, the quality of audio and video output from the player will be excellent, even if the image is obtained by upscaling standard definition video.

If you're a critical videophile, I couldn't be more clear about the differences in player performance here. And I believe we will quickly reach a common understanding that the quality of your HDTV and audio system are more important factors in getting good picture and sound.

Price
And finally the guide about the cost of purchase. I've already heard about $80 Blu-ray players coming out. In this regard, I can say that “you will get what you paid for” and I am not ready to discuss the benefits of such a purchase.

I know that when the first Blu-ray players appeared, manufacturers could inflate the cost by $300 - $400. Now Blu-ray players are quickly becoming common consumer goods, as are standard definition models - DVD players. This does not mean that all models are the same. You definitely have a choice in features and price. And I assure you, you can find excellent quality models for under $200 and even under $150 during the New Year sales.

Security questions
As a summary of the manual, the following are given: test questions, which are worth considering before purchasing a player.

• You want the player to play rare DVD or CD formats such as BD-R/RE, CD (CD-DA), CD-R/RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW. Then check the player specification and make sure it supports the required formats.
• Do you need to play photos, music and video files via a USB port or from SD cards? Many players have such capabilities. However, some allow you to play only photos, without music and videos.
• You need 7.1 analog audio outputs. If you are going to buy such a player, know that not everyone uses this sound reproduction option, because players with support for this function are usually more expensive.
• Are you planning to connect your Blu-ray player to the Internet and home network? If not, you can get by with a player that only supports the 1.1 profile if you see one at an attractive price.
• Are you planning to connect to the Internet via a wired or wireless interface? Wireless is more convenient and enjoyable, but players with wireless interface support are usually more expensive.
• Do you want to have Internet access to providers such as Netflix or YouTube? Not all Profile 2.0 players provide the required connection; the list of available providers varies from model to model.

HD DVD (High Definition Digital Versatile Disc) – new format, capable of storing large amounts of information and reproducing high-quality images and videos. Using advanced technology, HD DVD is built with denser layers and reads with a thinner laser than conventional DVDs, allowing it to store five times more data than a standard DVD - 15GB single-layer/30GB dual-layer.

Why is HD DVD better than standard DVD?

High definition (HD) images are brighter, incredibly clear, and look very realistic. This stunning level of detail cannot be reproduced on standard digital video disc, which has a resolution of 480p (or 480 lines). HD DVD can store the amount of data needed for high-quality video in 720p (720 lines) / 1080i (1080 interlaced lines) resolution, allowing you to watch video programs with greater vibrancy and higher quality than ever before.
Plus, when you buy a movie on DVD, you usually get not only the movie, but also additional features such as a commentary track by the director, actors, or documentary cameramen (depending on the disc, of course). On HD DVD there is an opportunity for previously unrealized special features: Imagine, for example, interactive content - where a director explains a shooting scene on screen while the movie continues to play in the background. With enhanced quality and additional audio and video capabilities, HD DVD is a huge step forward in DVD format technology

What is Blu Ray?

Blu Ray is a new format capable of storing large amounts of information and reproducing high-quality images and videos. Using advanced technology, Blue Ray is built with denser layers and reads with a thinner laser than conventional DVDs, allowing it to store five times more data than a standard DVD - 25GB single layer/50GB dual layer.

What is the difference between HD-DVD and Blu Ray?

Although Blu-ray and HD DVD are both high-definition formats based on blue laser technology, there are several important differences between them.
The first is size. The Blu-ray player uses a laser with a shorter wavelength than HD DVD. Therefore, more data fits per unit surface. As a result, a single-layer disc can contain 25 GB of data (HD DVD - 15 GB), a double-layer disc - 50 GB (HD DVD - 30 GB)
The second difference is content. Several major studios have stated that they will only support one media format. For example, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (including MGM and Tri-Star), Twentieth Century Fox and Disney will release films only on Blu-ray, while Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and HBO will only release films on HD DVD, Paramount announced the release of films in both formats.
Although the formats are incompatible with each other, they share high quality video and audio tracks, new additions to films, and intuitive and more interactive disc management compared to standard DVD.

HD DVD

The HD format appeals to those consumers who require an increased level of detail and quality in movies, games and other digital media. Increased scanning lines, increased video resolution and superior audio quality are the qualities that differentiate high-definition content from standard-format content. Here are some of the distinguishing characteristics
materials in HD standard:

• Compared to 525 scan lines per image
• standard definition, image frame
• with high definition contains from 720 to 1,080 lines
• scans.
• Support for advanced video formats,
• including MPEG-2 SD/HD, H.264, VC-1.
• Support for formats that provide high
• sound quality, including PCM (Pulse Code
• Modulation, pulse code modulation),
• Dolby TrueHD (MLP), Dolby Digital+, DTS HD.

The result is an immersive viewing experience when viewing HD content. The image appears to extend beyond the screen and looks surprisingly vibrant. Until recently, movies and other content in HD format were not available to consumers. The reason for this is simple: storing highly detailed images requires more storage space than a typical DVD disc can handle. The HD DVD format is one of the DVD standards new generation; This type of media is designed to increase storage capacity, allowing you to store a complete HD movie along with special HD features on a single HD DVD disc.

CAPACITY: DVD VS HD DVD

The capacity of a standard single-layer DVD is only 4.7 GB, or up to 2 hours of a typical movie. Dual-layer DVD with a storage capacity of up to 8.5 GB allows regular movie playback of up to 4 hours (240 minutes) without changing discs. Compared to these values, HD DVD disc capacity is significantly larger. An HD DVD disc can have up to three layers. Each layer holds 15 GB of high-definition content, giving a maximum capacity of up to 45 GB. A single triple-layer HD DVD disc can store up to 12 hours of HD recording. For HD movie lovers, this means there's still room on the disc for special functions HD. Of the HD DVD features, the support for iHD, an interactive HD format, is especially interesting. One example of the interactivity this feature provides is when a video is superimposed on a movie that is playing. Regular DVDs often include commentary by the director, actors, producer, and others. technical specialists. An HD DVD can play video commentary, allowing the viewer to experience full information about the process of making the film. Clearly, HD DVD is an excellent medium for high-definition content.

HOW IS AN HD DVD DISC STRUCTURED?

In general terms, an HD DVD disc is structured in the same way as a DVD disc and consists of two back-to-back
substrates with a diameter of 120 mm and a thickness of 0.6 mm. Like DVD technology, an HD DVD disc stores information as a series of microscopic notches arranged in a long spiral across the disc. Data is recorded on a layer spaced 0.6 mm from the surface. This means that HD DVD discs can be produced using methods that are currently used in DVD technology. Therefore, HD DVDs are compatible with DVDs, which means that the HD DVD drive can also read DVDs. So what's the difference between HD DVDs and DVDs? The answer is simple. Unlike DVD technology, which uses red lasers, HD DVD technology uses blue lasers to increase storage capacity. Due to the shorter wavelength of the blue laser (405 nm instead of 650 nm in DVD), its use allows more information to be stored on an HD DVD disc. Shortening the wavelength is important because it reduces diffraction, allowing for more precise focusing on the read-write surface. Difference
about the same as between writing with a thick felt-tip pen and a ballpoint pen. Here, HD DVD technology presents fine, precise and clear ballpoint pen writing. As a result, blue laser technology can record and store more data on a disc of the same diameter than a conventional DVD.

How is the HD DVD format evolving?

HD DVD ROM players are now commercially available, allowing fans to view and play HD content. This is good news for players and movie lovers. Next step There will be the introduction of the ability to record discs in HD DVD format. This innovation will allow users to burn materials to discs. For those who want to create their own HD content, personal HD content collections, or simply take advantage of increased storage capacity to create backup copies, these future developments will be major breakthroughs. As the distribution of HDTV and HD recordings over broadband connections continues to gain popularity, access to HD content for recording and playback will increase. Users will be able to create their entertainment in HD format.
Microsoft has stopped supporting the HD DVD format, reports techPowerUp. Corporation representatives reported that HD DVD drives for game console Xbox 360 has been discontinued.
Toshiba announced that after reviewing its overall financial strategy, management has made the final decision to discontinue production of HD DVD players and recorders. “We had no chance to win this fight. If we continued to persist, our consumers would be affected,” said Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida.
But the film company Universal Pictures, one of the few film studios that supported HD DVD, almost immediately after Toshiba’s official announcement, also announced the decision taken discontinuation of HD DVD and transition to Blu-ray. Most likely, Paramount will follow the example of Universal Pictures. As for studios such as Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and MGM, they initially only supported the Blu-ray format.

Blu-Ray

Variations and sizes

A single-layer Blu-ray disc (BD) can store 23.3, 25, or 27 GB - enough capacity to record approximately four hours of high-definition video with audio. The dual-layer disc can hold 46.6, 50, or 54 GB - enough to record approximately eight hours of HD video. Also in development are disks with a capacity of 100 GB and 200 GB using four and eight layers, respectively. TDK Corporation has already announced a prototype of a four-layer disk with a capacity of 100 GB. The BD-RE (BD Re-Writable) standard will be available along with BD-R (Recordable) and BD-ROM formats. Almost all manufacturers optical media announced their readiness to release rewritable and recordable discs simultaneously with the release of the BD-ROM format onto the market.
In addition to standard disks 12 cm in size, 8 cm disk variants will be released for use in digital photo and video cameras, it is planned that their volume will be 15 GB for a dual-layer version.

Technical details

Laser and optics

Blu-ray technology uses a blue-violet laser with a wavelength of 405 nm to read and write. Conventional DVDs and CDs use red and infrared lasers with wavelengths of 650 nm and 780 nm, respectively.
This reduction made it possible to narrow the track by half compared to a conventional DVD disc - to 0.32 microns - and increase the data recording density.
The shorter wavelength of the blue-violet laser allows more information to be stored on 12 cm discs of the same size as a CD/DVD.

Comparison of effective “spot size”.

The effective "spot size" on which a laser can focus is limited by diffraction and depends on the wavelength of the light and the numerical aperture of the lens used to focus it. Reducing the wavelength, using a larger numerical aperture (0.85, compared to 0.6 for DVD), a high-quality two-lens system, and reducing the thickness of the protective layer by a factor of six (0.1 mm instead of 0.6 mm) made it possible to carry out better and more correct flow of read/write operations. This made it possible to write information to smaller points on the disk, which means storing more information in the physical area of ​​the disk, and also increase the read speed to 36 Mbit/s. In addition to optical improvements, Blu-ray Discs also feature improved data encoding technology, allowing you to store larger volume information.

Hard surface technology

Due to the fact that the data on Blu-Ray discs is located too close to the surface, the first versions of the discs were extremely sensitive to scratches and other external factors. mechanical stress due to which they were enclosed in plastic cartridges. This shortcoming raised serious doubts about whether the Blu-ray format could withstand the HD DVD standard, its main competitor. HD DVD, in addition to being lower in cost, can function well without cartridges, just like the CD and DVD formats, making it more understandable to consumers as well as more interesting to manufacturers and distributors who may be concerned about the added costs of cartridges.

The solution to this problem appeared in January 2004, with the introduction of a new polymer coating that gave the discs incredible protection against scratches and dust. This coating, developed by TDK Corporation, called "Durabis", allows the BD to be cleaned with paper towels - which can damage CDs and DVDs. The HD DVD format has the same disadvantages, since these discs are based on old optical media. According to press reports, “naked” BDs with this coating remain functional even when scratched with a screwdriver.

Codecs

The codec is used to convert video and audio streams and determines the size that the video will occupy on disk. Some or most of the video discs that appear early on will use the MPEG-2 codec.
Currently, the BD-ROM format specification includes support for three codecs: MPEG-2, which is also standard for DVDs; MPEG-4 H.264/AVC codec and VC-1 - a new rapidly developing codec based on Microsoft Windows Media 9. When using the first codec, it is possible to record about two hours of high-definition video on one layer; the other two more modern codecs allow you to record up to four hours of video on one layer.
For audio, the BD-ROM supports linear (uncompressed) PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS-HD and Dolby Lossless (a lossless data compression format also known as Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP).

Compatibility

While the Blu-ray Disc Association does not oblige player manufacturers, it does strongly encourage them to enable Blu-ray devices to play DVD format discs to ensure backward compatibility.
Moreover, JVC has developed a three-layer technology that allows both the DVD and BD physical areas to be applied to a single disc, thus creating a combined BD/DVD disc. Prototypes of the discs were shown at the international consumer electronics show (CES), which took place in January 2006. If it can be introduced into commercial use, it is possible that buyers will have the opportunity to buy a disc that can be played like in modern DVDs. players, and in future BD players, obtaining pictures of different quality.

Region codes

Blu-ray video movies will have different region codes than DVDs. According to the latest press reports, they will be as follows:
Code———Region
1 or A North America, South America, Japan and East Asia (excluding China)
2 or B Europe (except Russia) and Africa
3 or C India, China, Russia, and all other countries.

Copyright protection systems

The Blu-ray format uses an experimental security element called BD+, which allows the encryption scheme to be dynamically changed. Once the encryption is broken, manufacturers can update the encryption scheme, and all subsequent copies will be protected by the new scheme. Thus, a single cracking of the cipher will not allow the entire specification to be compromised for the entire period of its life. Mandatory Managed Copy technology will also be used, which allows users to make legal copies of video information in a secure format; this technology was developed by HP and requested its inclusion in the format. It was the lack of the ability to dynamically change the encryption scheme that made it possible to create the DeCSS program, which became a real curse of the film industry: once the Content-Scrambling System (CSS) was cracked, all subsequent DVDs were cracked without any problems.
The next level of protection that discs have is a digital watermark technology called ROM-Mark. This technology will be hard-coded into the drives' ROM during production, preventing the player from playing without a special hidden tag, which the Association claims will be impossible to counterfeit. Thus, through strict regulation and licensing of factories, disk manufacturers will be selected, to whom special equipment will be supplied.
In addition to this, all Blu-ray players will be able to produce a full video signal only through an encrypted interface. This means that most early HDTVs that were sold without HDCP-capable interfaces (HDMI or DVI with HDCP support) will not be able to play high-definition video from Blu-ray discs.

FAQ

– What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is known as Blu-ray Disc with the abbreviation BD - a new generation optical disc.
This format was developed for recording, dubbing and playing back high-definition (HD) video, which of course takes up a lot of data on the disk. Blu-ray has more than 5 times the storage density of regular DVD5 and can store more than 25 GB on a single-layer disc and 50 GB on a double-layer disc for movies in blu format ray.

– Why Blu-ray?

The name Blu-ray was taken from technologies that rely on blue-violet lasers to write and read data. The format name is the result of a combination of the words Blue (blue, blue-violet laser) and Ray (ray, optical ray). The Blu-ray Disc Association urges you to ignore the missing letter “e” in the format name, as this was one of the conditions for registering Blu-ray as a trademark.
Correct abbreviations and format name spellings:
Blu-ray Disc, but not Blu-rayu Disk
Blu-ray, but not Blu-Ray
BD, but not BR or BRD.

– Who developed Blu-ray?

The Blu-ray format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of leaders in the consumer electronics industry, personal computers and multimedia production,
Which has more than 180 representative companies around the world. The current Board of Directors has representation in the following companies:
Apple Computer, Inc.
Dell Inc.
Hewlett Packard Company
Hitachi, Ltd.
LG Electronics Inc.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
Royal Philips Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Sharp Corporation
Sony Corporation
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
TDK Corporation
Thomson Multimedia
Twentieth Century Fox
Walt Disney Pictures
Warner Bros. Entertainment

– Price for Blu-ray products.

Yandex will help you with the current price difference.

– What Blu-ray disc formats are planned for release?

Based on the needs of the existence of CDs and DVDs in various formats, Blu-ray plans wide circle formats, including ROM/R/RW. These formats will be specific to Blu-ray:
BD-ROM is a read-only format; this format will distribute high-definition movies, games, software, etc.
BD-R is a format that is intended for recording on empty disk high-resolution video and any other data.
BD-RE (RW) is a format that can be subject to erasing data on the disc and recording new ones.
There are also plans to release a BD\DVD-compatible format that could make DVDs and Blu-ray Discs playable on Blu-ray players and DVD players.

– How much data can be recorded on Blu-ray?

Single-layer disks can store 25 GB of data.
Double-layer disks store 50 GB of data.
To make sure that Blu-ray has a very flexible layer structure, which can lead to the highest data storage density, in the future it is planned to release multi-layer discs with sizes from 100 to 200 GB (25 GB per layer) by adding layers.

– How many videos can you fit on Blu-ray?

A dual-layer Blu-ray disc can hold about 9 hours of high-definition video and about 23 hours in regular DVD5 quality.

– How quickly can you read/write information to Blu-ray?

Given the Blu-ray specification, 1x speed has throughput at 36Mbps. Since BD-ROM movies require a minimum bandwidth of 54Mbps, the minimum speed will be 2x (72Mbps). Since Blu-ray has enormous potential to high speeds, correspondingly to a larger numerical aperture (dispersion), adapted to Blu-ray. Consequently, a larger numerical aperture means that a Blu-ray disc requires less writing power and less drive spin-up than DVD and HD-DVD require to achieve the same data transfer speed. If previously recording media files was limited by the recording speed, now it’s the other way around - the limiting factor for Blu-ray is the performance of your computer. This is why BDA already has plans to increase speeds to 8x (288Mbps) and more in the future.

– What video codecs does Blu-ray support?

MPEG-2 – more suitable for high-definition video, also used for playing DVD and HDTV recordings.
MPEG-4 AVC – part of the MPEG-4 standard, also known as H.264 (Low and High Profile)
SMPTE VC-1 is a standard based on Windows Media Video (WMV) technology.

– What audio codecs does Blu-ray support?

Linear PCM (LPCM) – up to eight-channel uncompressed audio. (Required)
Dolby Digital (DD) – using DVD, five-channel immersive audio (Required)
Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) – extension of Dolby Digital, seven-channel sound with an immersive effect. (Optional)
Dolby TrueHD – Lossless audio up to 8 channels.. (optional)
DTS Digital Surround – uses DVD, five-channel audio with an immersive effect. (mandatory)
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio is an extension of DTS, seven-channel audio with an immersive effect. (optional)
DTS-HD Master Audio – Lossless audio up to 8 channels. (optional)
Please note that Blu-ray players will have support for the above audio and video codecs, but everything will depend on the decision of the film studios - which of these three codecs is better to use.

– Do you need a box for Blu-ray?

No, development new technology hard surface can help you forget about the need for disc boxes. The new coating makes the surface of the disc more durable and protected from scratches and finger contact compared to DVDs. New system Error correction makes Blu-ray more durable and reliable than a regular one-shot DVD.

– Do I need an Internet connection for Blu-ray?

No, you don't need an internet connection to play Blu-ray movies normally. The Internet may only be needed if you want to add some features by downloading new add-ons, download movie trailers, etc.
Also, the Internet may be required for authorized copying of Blu-ray movies to a PC.

– Do you need an analog signal converter for Blu-ray?

No, Blu-ray players do not require a converter analog signal, if the video will not contain the Image Constraint Token (ICT) feature. This feature is not part of Blu-ray, but is part of the AACS copy protection system that is also present in HD DVD.
Film studios will choose on their own whether to include this feature in the release or not.
The good news for now is that Sony, Disney, Fox, Paramount, MGM and Universal will not use ICT.
As for other studios, they will most likely use this option in their releases. If so, then on the boxes with films there will be an indication whether this copy is protected or not.

– Is data backup supported from Blu-ray?

Yes, backup data is part of the Blu-ray format.
This function will be available to owners of disks to make legal copies from them and, if desired, distribute them within the boundaries of their home network.

Differences between Blu-ray and DVD (table).