Saturday, February 8, 2014

Blu Ray????

Q. I don't understand what it is, can someone please explain it to me?


Answer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc

let me put it in words u will understand :

-it has 6x the resolution of the dvd
-superior sound up to 7.1 channels
-blu-ray can hold up to 25Gb on one layer and 50Gb double layer
-interactivity like never before ( surf the menu while watching the film )
-blu ray player will play DVD
-it has advance durability

WHAT EXACTLY IS BLU RAY?




Clem


Whenever i see a commercial for a movie coming out on dvd its like "out on dvd and blu ray" and i never new what blu ray was exactly, is it a kind of HD thing?


Answer
Blu-Ray is the newest generation of mainstream home video media, just as DVDs were in the late '90s and early '00s and VHS was in the mid-'80s.

Blu-Ray is an optical media just like DVDs: a round aluminum and polycarbonate disc which is read by a laser. The laser in Blu-Ray players is a violet color (hence the name Blu-Ray) as opposed to the red color used in DVD players. Blu-Ray discs have a much greater storage capacity than DVDs, and the movies are high-definition 1080p resolution (1920x1080) as opposed to enhanced-definition resolution of DVD (720x480) and the standard-definition or low-definition resolution of VHS. So the picture is much more detailed on Blu-Ray discs, but only when displayed on a high-definition TV, monitor, or projector.

Blu-Ray discs also can carry up to 7.1 channel audio, versus 5.1 for DVDs.

Blu-Ray discs cannot be played in DVD players, but DVDs can be played in Blu-Ray players.




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Why isn't my Blu-Ray Player working?




Veronica


I have a Sony Blu-Ray player and my TV is a Samsung. When I plug it in it's fine and when I play a DVD everything is fine. But when I put in a blu-ray disc, there's something like static on the TV screen.


Answer
First thing to try is what is called a firmware update. A unique aspect of Blu Ray players is that they require downloaded updates - which is why they have an Internet connection (older players required you to download data on the computer, burn it to disc, and insert the disc into the player). If yours is an older unit without Internet, this may be what you need to do. If in doubt, check the player owner's manual if you have it, or do a Google search for it using the player model followed by "owners manual".

Other possibility is indeed a failure of the player. Brands are cross compatible, so this is indeed an issue with the player. Do the update first, then replace the player if that does not fix the problem.

Can I use a google tv blu ray player with timewarner cable?




Roger O


I was thinking about getting it. Not sure if it will work with dish only so i thought i'd ask. Does it give you access to the guides and videos without dish? Or is google just a partner with dish for fun


Answer
I believe you can use google tv blue ray player with time warner cable.




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how do i surf internet or watch youtube on my tv?




Veron Pius


i wish to watch HD movies on my TV. But then i heard of XBMC Is it possible for me watch youtube videos on my tv using XBMC? what will b the hardware requirements? i got an old pc with Pentium D processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM. i wish to save few movies on the HDD thats why the hdd. the above PC is Spare so i wish to connect it to my TV for the fun of it. Can anyone tell me how do i do it especially watching youtube video on TV? Please give me complete instructions


Answer
To go on the internet on your TV you need to get a Wii , Media Centre or PS3 they can all browse the internet.
To go on you tube you can use the items above or buy a blu ray player , they play blu ray DVD `s in 1080p the highest definition possible , they also upgrade your normal DVD `s to blu ray so you don't have to buy all new DVD `s , also you can go on you tube by pressing the red button

Home network downloaded movie streaming ..... flawless playback media player roku nas apple tv wd tv live boxe?




NorN


Ok. Heres my issue. I have alot of downloaded movies on a external hard drive. Currently I download movies on my computer, transfer them to my hard drive, then plug the hard drive into my wd tv media player and watch it on my tv. Im about to upgrade my tvs to ones with apps/wifi and buy the new WD Tv live player. Im looking for a easier way to stream movies to multiple tvs in the house. So here are my ideas(please give me any info on how to stream videos without lag):

1. Use my computer to share videos to my new wd tv live player. However I need an external hard drive in order to get the amount of storage i need for my movie collection. (about 1tb and growing) Will adding the external hard drive to my computers shared network slow down the streaming from the computer?

2. Use a hub like the Pogoplug Series 4 or the Akitio MyCloud Mini. I heard streaming videos from these two cloud services isnt lag or jitter free when watching on tvs though.

3. Buy a media player and external hard drive for each tv and watch like that. Honestly I hate this option because I know there has to be an easier way.

4. Buy a cloud service from Google or Microsoft and stream videos from there. (heard there is lag)

Please help. I just want to stream my large movie/tv collection in the easiest way to multiple tvs.

PS I found the Buffalo Technology LinkStation Pro Duo and alot of reviews say the streaming is very nice.



Answer
1.) No, this will not slow down the streaming.
Imagine that at DVD or even Blu-Ray quality you're streaming 1800kbits to 1.2Mbits to each device. Even if there were 10 devices running 10 different Blu-Ray movies at once, you'd only be up to 12Mbits. Even old network equipment (like a 100Mbit hub... not even a switching hub) should be able to handle this amount of throughput. Your problem would end up being hard drive latency as you're asking the drive to read from so many sources at once. But a 1TB drive with a 12ms seek time and a decent 16MB of hard cache would handle this fine.

2.) I know nothing about these and as a super-nerd... if I haven't heard of them I automatically assume they aren't worth using but here I go on a search. Ok I looked. No, if you're going to use a service such as this you'll have to upload each file to the cloud first. That should be fun... you get a 4.8GB movie from giganews, download it to your computer (an hour or less depending on your ISP) then you go to watch it and - no. you now have to upload it first to the cloud (a few hours more) before you can watch it and hope there isn't lag with these services. Better to keep everything local.

3.) You're right. There are better ways. If you were going to do this, you might as well spend half as much and install a nice, dedicated Windows Media Center or XBMC computer in your closet, wire it to each TV and use RF remotes throughout the house to control the streaming for each device.

4.) Same as number 2. These might be better, faster connections (MS uses connexion.net which is ridiculously fast) but they are nowhere near as fast as your local connection and you'll have to upload the videos first. When Google Fiber finally hits all our markets and we have Gigabit upload this will be the preferred solution but it's looking like we are about 5 years away from that scenario.

I think the best methods are:
A.) add a network attached storage drive and then stream from it using an inexpensive set-top for each TV such as a roku player or WD Live, etc. Some Blu-Ray players and game consoles have software for this option so you may not need that many.
B.) Engineer a whole house solution based around a Windows Media center computer or XBMC computer.

If you watch a lot of Anime or foreign films with subtitles you will need to pay special attention to the streaming requirements of these videos and their file format packaging (10bit MKV's don't play on most players and often embedded subs files are ignored.)
When this happens, the videos require initial conversion before you're able to stream them and that's almost as frustrating as having to upload files first.




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Can I use my NETGEAR WG111v3 as a wifi adapter for my sony blu ray player?




Marc


I have a NETGEAR WG111v3 that I used for my old laptop. I don't need it anymore but I need a wifi adapter for my sony blu ray player and I don't feel like spending $70 for one.


Answer
No.

First, you never bothered to tell us if your Sony Blu ray player has a USB port of not. If it doesn't (and I suspect it does not), then the entire question would seem to be pointless, right?

However, even if the blu ray player does have a USB port, it will not provide the same functiuonality a USB port provides on a computer. These things usually come with a CD that you must use to first load device driver software and the device driver software is tightly coupled to the hardware.

You would not be able to load any of that on a USB port that exists on a blu ray player.

looking for good blu ray player?




bssmx


Should be around $20-$50 dollars. I already have a roku so NO WIFI. Thanks in advance. Winner gets points!


Answer
I bought MAGNAVOX NB500MG9I blu-ray player several months ago and I have to say it's the best blu-ray player I've ever owned. It has amazing picture quality. I've tried some other blu-ray players and they either died in a couple months or they had decent picture, but none of them was as good as this player! It's a good looking player too very sleek and stylish. I've very glad I bought this item.

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blu-ray player for 24"?




musicfan12


should i get an Insignia Blu-ray player for my Dynex - 24" Class / 1080p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV?
would i see a difference in picture quality? overall would it be a good idea to get one? i want to get it now because it is cheap at Best Buy for only $100



Answer
If you connect the tv with an hdmi cable, you will get 1080p out of the blu ray and it would be worth the $100.

External blu ray player to pc to tv through hdmi?




Zack


Okay, so I bought an external blu ray writer and am concerned about the quality I will receive after connecting my pc to my tv. Will my computer in any way limit the overall quality my tv will display? I asked this question of amazon, please read the conversation below.




You are now connected to Chadwick from Amazon.com

Me:If I play a blu ray movie through an external blu ray drive connected to my pc connected to my tv through an hdmi cable, will I lose any quality? What I mean is, will the quality be limited to the specs of my computer screen or will the quality be the same provided by a regular blu ray player connected directly to my tv?

Chadwick:Thank you for contacting Amazon, my name is Chadwick.

Me:I ask because I just bought a Samsung SE-506BB/TSBD 6X USB2.0 External Slim Blu-ray Writer

Chadwick:Wow what a question Zachary, being honest I'm not sure. But from experience I basically get the same quality from the actual movie or blu ray. The quality of the computer's screen wouldn't affect the out put through the hdmi. So it should be high definition right though.
I hope I answered that clear enough.

Me:Yeah but when you connect a computer to a tv via hdmi, it's just doubling the computer screen. Wouldnt that limit the specs to that of the computer?

Chadwick:Let me simplify.
Wow, I'm giving this some thought.
This is a very good question.
I think if your Television has a higher resolution than that of your computer screen then while watching a hd movie while connected to your computer through a hdmi cable. You would see a clearer resolution from the television. You wouldn't be limited to the screen of the computer. But while just surfing the net or doing regular stuff from the computer you would be limited to the quality of the computer monitor.

Me:How could the two activities produce different results?
Chadwick:Let me illustrate for you. Do you own a playstation or xbox?

Me:Yes
I see where you're going with your illustration, but it doesn't seem quite the same. Neither of those provide screen duplication or extension.
Chadwick:Okay if you were to play call of duty which the quality is 1080p (this is the quality the disc contains) then if you play on a regular tv lets say a TV with the resolution of 720p Then that's the maximum out put you would get because that's the limit the TV has while the disc can give you the full 1080p. if you had a TV that can give the full 1080p then you would see the full quality of the disc.

Me:I understand that. However, in your illustration my pc would be a PS3. I'm worried about my graphics card limiting the processing of the resolution. I think the output resolution from my pc to tv will be determined on the quality of my computer, not the quality of my tv. Say the disc I want to play is 1080i, but my tv can only process 720, I dont think it will be able to jump from 1080 to 720 back to 1080.
but my tv can only process 720 - correction - but my *computer* can only process 720

Chadwick:Well I guess in this case it may have to be trial and error. You have a good point also. So if the blu ray writer drive doesn't work out for you then you'll have a month to decide if you want to return for a refund.

Me:I wish there were an easy way to determine quality based on appearances. Being that it will be my first blu ray player I wont have anything to to compare the results against.
Chadwick:I agree, and as far as it goes for blu ray players I use my PS3 so I really don't know how best to advise you in this case. I just think it will be trial and error.

Me:I guess the only way I'll know for sure is hooking it up to my tv and comparing it to my computer screen. If it's the same quality then I'll have to return it.

Chadwick:That won't be a problem, just contact us if you need a return label.
External blu ray player to pc to tv through hdmi

Is there anything else I could assist with?

Me:That should do it, thanks.

Chadwick:You're most welcome Zachary. Have a great night. Pleasure speaking to you.
Thanks for making it amazon.



Answer
- What resolution is your tv? What is your computer model number and/or graphic/video card model number?
= No your computer monitor has nothing to do with what resolution is sent through the video cable to the tv..... = BTW, when your doing dual/clone screen or extended screen your using two separate cables right? If your using a splitter cable or something then please look below at the bottom.
= Your computer's graphics/video card has the abilities of how high of a resolution it can send (depends on the card and what video cable your using). = If your using hdmi, your graphics card should do at least 1920x1080p/24bpp/60hz.
- (If video cable is transferring 1080p, but tv is 720p, tv will downscale it to 720p). (If video cable is transferring 720p, but tv is 1080p, tv will upscale it to 1080p). (= I recommend you choose the same resolution to output on the graphics card to match the same resolution on the tv so there is no scaling). (= 1080p movie/game will look better than a 720p movie/game even if your only transferring 720p over the video cable and receiving 720p on the tv).

= (Video cables: DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI carry digital video). (DVI, VGA, Component, Scart, S-Video, or Composite carry analog video).
- DisplayPort cable (v1.2 four lane link): Up to 4096x2160p/24bpp/60hz or 2560x1600p/48bpp/60hz or 1920x1080p (48bpp/120hz or 24bpp/240hz or 24bpp/120hz for 3D). (DP v1.1a two lane link is similar to high speed HDMI v1.4).
- HDMI cable (v1.4): Standard speed up to 1920x1080i/24bpp/60hz or 1280x720p/24bpp/60hz. High speed up to 4096x2160p/24bpp/24hz or 3840x2160p/24bpp/30hz or 2560x1600p/24bpp/60hz or 1920x1080p (48bpp/60hz or 24bpp/120hz or 24bpp/60hz for 3D). (HDMI v1.0 to v1.2, high speed is similar to DVI-SL, standard speed is similar to component).
- DVI cable: Single-Link up to 1920x1080p/24bpp/60hz. Dual-link up to 2560x1600p/24bpp/60hz.
- VGA cable: Up to 2048Ã1536p/24bpp/85hz.
- Component-video cable: Up to 1920x1080i/24bpp/60hz or 1280x720p/24bpp/60hz.
- Scart > S-Video > Composite-video cables: Up to 720x480i/24bpp/60hz (NTSC countries) or 720x576i/24bpp/50hz (PAL/SECAM countries).

= (Audio cables: DisplayPort, HDMI, S/PDIF Optical, or S/PDIF Coxial carry digital audio). (Red/White or Headphone jack carry analog audio).
- DisplayPort (v1.0 to v1.2) or HDMI (v1.3 to v1.4) cable: Up to 7.1/24bit/96khz or 5.1/24bit/192khz (192khz for PCM). Up to 8 channels (7.1) uncompressed PCM and lossless compression surround sound formats DTS-HD-MA or Dolby TrueHD and lossy compression surround sound formats DTS-HD-HR, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS 96/24, DTS-ES Discrete, DTS, or Dolby Digital.
- S/PDIF Optical or S/PDIF Coxial cable: Up to 5.1/20bit/48khz (96khz for DTS 96/24 and 192khz for PCM) (or 6.1 DTS-ES Discrete) (24bit optional). Up to 2 channels (2.0) uncompressed PCM and lossy compression surround sound formats DTS 96/24, DTS-ES Discrete, DTS, or Dolby Digital.
= Tip: If you have a receiver that does not support DTS-HD-MA, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD-HR, or Dolby Digital Plus bitstreams, you can tell your output device to decode it into PCM and then send it over the hdmi cable to the receiver.

= Other cable options. You need a converter if you want to go from digital to analog (example: hdmi to vga converter) or analog to digital (example vga to hdmi converter).
- DisplayPort male to HDMI or DVI female passive adapter cable or DisplayPort male to VGA female active adapter cable, (all three cables carry video of at least 1920x1080p/24bpp/60hz), (DVI or VGA do not carry audio, HDMI cable have optional audio up to 7.1/24bit/192khz), (all three cables only work from male to female direction).
- DVI-D single-link to HDMI cable or DVI-A single-link to VGA cable, (both cables carry viddeo of at least 1920x1080p/24bpp/60hz), (both cables do not carry audio), (both cables work in either direction).
- 2.5/3.5 (w/e size) headphone to Red/White RCA cable (It's analog stereo/2.0), (no video), (works in either direction).




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Using a Vista PC as a network bridge for Blu-ray player?




T2427537


In my living room a have a PC running Vista Biz. It's connected wirelessly to a linksys router. It also has a unused network card. I also have Blu-ray player. Instead or running a cable to the router or buying a wireless adapter, I would like to connect a cable from the Blu-ray NIC to the PC NIC. Thus using the PC as a bridge. Can this be done and how do I do it? Does the cable need to be a crossover or will a regular Cat-5 cable work


Answer
Performance won't be great compared to a hardware solution but yes, you could turn on Internet connection sharing and do this. I assume a Blu-Ray player would only use the connection infrequently for updates, anyway?

You'd need a crossover cable since you're bypassing any hub/switch router and going direct between the NiCs of the two devices.

how do i hook up a pc to a blu ray player?




Apple.


I want to watch movies from my pc on my tv but i don't have any of the wires. i do however have a blu ray player that is hooked up to the wireless internet. i need instructions on how to connect the pc to the blu ray. please help


Answer
The Blu ray player has limited accessibility and function so you will not be able to do it...You would have to connect the TV to the computer and usually the easiest way is through HDMI cables....if you do not have that it may be more trouble than its worth....




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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Which computer is better?




JagdeepGno


I'm thinking of buying a new desktop computer and i can't decide which one of these two computers should i choose. The first computer is the Alienware Aurora R3 and the second computer is the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-590uk. im looking for power, speed and which one generally better.

Here are the specs for the ALienware Aurora R3 -

CHASSIS COLOURAlienware Aurora Matte Black 875W Chassis

PROCESSOR3.4GHz Intel® Core⢠i7-2600K (8MB Cache) Quad Core Unlocked Processor with overclocked Turbo Boost t

OPERATING SYSTEMEnglish Genuine Windows®7 Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT)

GRAPHICS CARDSingle 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460

MEMORY3072MB (3x1GB) 1333MHz DDR3 Memory

HARD DRIVE1TB - SATA-II, 7,200rpm, 32MB Cache

OPTICAL DRIVEDVD+/-RW (Read/Write) 24x

SOUND CARDIntegrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital Audio

WIRELESS CONNECTIVITYDell 1525 Wireless PCIe Network Card 802.11n

MEDIA READERAlienware 19-in-1 Media card reader

SERVICES AND SUPPORT1Yr Next Day Hardware Support included with your PC

PREMIUM SOUNDDell AY410 Multimedia Desktop Speaker

KEYBOARDAlienware Multimedia Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)

MOUSEAlienware Optical Mouse

Dell System Media KitAlienware Aurora Resource DVD

Shipping DocumentsEnglish - Documentation with UK/Irish Power Cord
Gedis Bundle ReferenceD05ASW01

Order InformationAlienware Aurora (R3) DT Order - UK

Standard Warranty1 year Next Business Day Hardware Support included with your PC

AutoMatic UpdatesAutoMatic Updates : AutoMatic updates - On

Here are the specs for the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-590uk-

Processor Intel® Core⢠i7-2600 Processor
- 3.4 GHz (up to 3.8 GHz with Turbo Boost)
- 5 GT/s DMI
- 8 MB L3 Cache
- Quad-core
- Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (virtual 8-core processing)

Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

RAM - 8GB installed DDR3 RAM
- 4 x DIMM slots (2 available)
- 16GB maximum RAM capacity

Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GT 420
- 2GB dedicated memory

Hard drive 1.5 TB SATA (5400rpm)

Optical disk drive SuperMulti Blu-ray Burner with LightScribe Technology

Memory card reader 15-in-1 memory card reader

USB 8 x USB 2.0

Modem/Ethernet Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN

WiFi Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n

Video interface 1 x HDMI
1 x DVI (VGA via adapter)

Audio interface 6 x analogue audio
1 x digital audio

TV output HDMI

Extension card slot 3 x PCI-Express x1
1 x PCI-Express x16
1 x MiniCard

Keyboard & Mouse Wireless keyboard
Wireless optical mouse

Additional features DVB-T TV tuner (Freeview)
Accessories included Power cord, keyboard, mouse, HP Win7 Media Center Remote Control
Software included Symantec Norton Internet Security 2010 (60 days live update)
Recovery partition (including possibility to recover system, applications and drivers separately)
Optional re-allocation of recovery partition
Recovery CD/DVD creation tool
Windows Media Center
HP Power Assistant
HP MediaSmart Suite
Windows Live Applications
Cyberlink DVDSuite
HP music Station
HP Games Console
Norton Online Backup (30-day trial)
EasyBits Magic Desktop
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Adobe Reader
Adobe Flash Player

The Alienware costs £1,321.38 and the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-590uk costs £949.99.

Which one is better? Help



Answer
>You forgot to put the HP specs here, but here it is on the net:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ie/en/ho/WF06b/12454-12454-3329740-64546-64546-5035344-5049796.html

My advice is not to buy the Alienware because it is a lot more expensive and the difference is just in the namebrand. The HP looks very similar and I would go with the HP instead. You can always upgrade the HP with better or different parts IF you order the computer from them on line and speak to an HP sales rep. You can do this on line with HP and chat with them on their chat site directly. HP also has good return and repair policies and a quick turn around time in case you need to RMA it for repair.

One other thing, the HP model has 8 gigs of RAM while the ALienware only has 3??? What the heck is that all about?




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HDMI cables: is there really a difference between the $40 at KMart and the $300 Monster?




Justin H


I realize in side by side tests with the best of the best there might be a noticeable difference between an expensive Monster cable and a cheaper cable. But for the average home installation, is there really a need to pay that much more?

For what it's worth, I have a 32" Samsung LCD (720p, 7000:1 contrast ratio) . I don't currently have any equipment that used an HDMI cable, but I ordered a Samsung Upconvert DVD player which can use HDMI or Component.
Thanks for your answers. They pretty much tell me what I expected. I'm not sure who to pick at this point, but the first three answers were very good.



Answer
Here is what you need to know.

The need for high quality HDMI will depend largely on the application.
If you are connecting an upconverting DVD player to the TV directly the low grade cable is fine. This is likely to be a short run (HDMI looses signal strength faster that other cables) you are only transmitting a 720p image at best (this is the native resolution of the TV so no need to go higher.)

As you start adding Distance, Connections or signal you will need to get better cables. Here is what I mean.

If you are transmitting a 1080P image instead of a 720P you need greater data transfer speed because the bitrate is faster.
If you add uncompressed audio like Dolby TrueHD or dts-HD you need even more speed.
Throw in other things like X.V. Color, Bonus View on Blu-Ray, 120Hz refresh rates (yes I know that it happens in the TVs but that may change) and now you need a pretty darn good cable.
Put a receiver in the signal path (Blu-Ray to Receiver to TV) and the quality of the cables becomes more important.
Stick the cable in the wall to a flat panel TV and you had better have a good HDMI cable.
Cable over 10', 15', 25' 50'? You will need progressively better cables.
All of these things add up.
So, no you don't need a high quality cable for what you are using it for right now. But if you trade up or add components you may.

Have any of you been black Friday shopping?




Forever


I just went Black Friday shopping because Walmart and Kmart began their Black Friday deals at 8:00 tonight. It was the first time we ever went Black Friday shopping and, allow me to just say, I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!! People were getting pushed, shoved, hit and knocked over. One girl was threatened that if she took the last one of a certain toy she would be killed. It was absolutely crazy. My husband told me that people die over this kind of thing but I laughed it off, I truly thought he was messing around. And moving through the stores was like trying to drive a semi through rush hour traffic in Chicago. You couldn't get anywhere!

So, do any of you plan on venturing out into the world of Black Friday demons, psycho's and general crazies?



Answer
A man who looked like Al Roker strongly shoved my friend at Walmart (they make lines down the aisles now to get TVs and big electronics) sending her face into one of the poles as he screamed "move b*tches" to ensure he got that Blu Ray player. He broke her jaw and she got trampled. Bad thing was she was 15 weeks pregnant. Other women said move and kicked at her to get a chance at that blu ray player. Walmart mgmt and the cops saw it and grinned and even told us we couldn't have the info about the guy when we saw he wrote a check at the checkout lane when we were at customer service filing a claim against the store and the mgr saying its not our fault because he connoted assault but we can't give out his info because of privacy laws.

I went tonight and walmart says you can't unopen the shrinkwrap pallets with the special items before 8:00 but people were doing it at 6pm but the real chaos broke out at 7:30. People realized the ratio was 100 customers to 1 clerk so they were like let's do this and by 8:00 all the special stuff was cleaned out. I got a beauty rest mattress pad for my new bed and was sly enough to get in there and get out. However, I had one lady try to punch my crotch and another lady try to punch me crying "this is bullshit!!!" As she wanted the item after I got out of the crowd. She was probably 8 rows of people back when the chaos broke out and didn't get a mattress pad at all.

Overall I try to avoid them (I will not do the electronics and stay away from best buy and target where nutcases line up for 72 hrs before) because of the crap. I bought some stuff over the past week when target had basically the same deals overall except you didn't get a free giftcard with it like you would tonight but I felt that it really wasn't worth it to risk the psychos for a $40 gift card. I got an ipad 4, otter box for it, an ottoman bench, and a clock on amazing deals and didn't have to fight as I took my time and had fun. Also I'm 29 and have my PHD so I don't try to do Walmart because honestly they get the lowest class people there (sorry it's elitest yet true) and best buy has too many 18-25 yr old stoner Taco Bell employee types that will assault you in a heartbeat to get an Xbox




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Blu Ray players with s-video and HDMI?




letmepicyo


Hey guys, I'm wondering if all you folks in the know about such things could list for me all the blu ray players you know that have S-Video and HDMI connections BOTH, must be 1080p of course. My old 35" isn't dead yet, but I do have a 27" 1080p LED LCD computer monitor I'd love to hook a blu ray to until my old analog tv finally croaks. Any help would be much appreciated.
I understand S-video does not support high definition, that wasn't what I asked.
I know you lose quality with s-video vs a digital signal such as HDMI, what befuddles me is most of them have Composite out, which is a lower signal quality than S-Video, as well as Component out, which is just 1 step beyond S-video in the analog connection world. I know there are older blu ray models which featured HDMI and S-Video, because I've seen just that feature on on older Sony I saw 2 days ago in a pawn shop. What I'm hoping is there there is some model somewhere currently produced that features S-video and HDMI.



Answer
Most Blu ray players will only have hdmi and sometimes composite or component connection, Blu ray players main selling point is better picture quality and resolution, which you lose with S-video connection. you are more likely to find blu ray players with composite or component output, then you can use composite or component to s-video cable. there is also hdmi to s-video converters you can buy off amazon or ebay if you have too.

Goodluck
C+W team,

Can anyone recommend a Blu Ray Player?




ekawaguchi


I need one that can play regular DVD's as well as Blu Ray / HD and one that has 1080 output. And preferably under $300. Any suggestions?


Answer
Google "best Blu-ray player" and you will find several comparative reviews (the 3rd link below is to one of the better ones).

But I want to focus on the results of my search for a player. While only recommended for those who value excellent video and audio performance over loading speed and "the latest" features, the best deal right now is, arguably, the Pioneer BDP51FD from 6th Avenue Electronics. This is the $600 MSRP model that is in all important ways is almost the same as the $800 MSRP Pioneer Elite BPD-05FD ... but is on sale for $284. (link 1). Most professional reviews were on players with early firmware. Since V1.17 (Current V1.25a) this player has really come into it's own.

The main pros are: excellent build quality and components; exemplary DVD scaling, CD audio quality (Audiophiles rate it as one of the best CD players available), and BD video quality; multichannel analog audio with built in support for Dolby TrueHD (and DTS HD master to follow via a firmware update); excellent "tweekability".

The main cons are: it is Profile 1.1 (and can't be updated to 2.0 ... which means no internet connectivity for updates or on-line extras ... but relative to audio and video quality this is relatively unimportant); relatively slow DVD layer change on some disks, limited bass management over analog audio outs, some reports of sensitivity to scratches on disks.

The second link is to an owners thread ... and many posts point out that this is one of the best Blu-ray players out there in terms of performance and quality. Overpriced at $600, but a steal at $284. Most of what you need to know is in the first few posts at the second link (e.g. #7).

Again .. this is a player for the videophile/audiophile ... not for those looking for glitz.

Other choices are summarized at the 3rd link.




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What`s so great about blu ray players?




Blondies a


Oh and another question, How big is a 19inch TV? Is that really small?


Answer
Blu-Ray is 1920x1080 resolution, so it's much more detailed than the 720x480 resolution of DVDs and the standard-definition or even low-definition signal stored on VHS tapes. Blu-Ray also support up to 7.1 channel audio, as opposed to DVD's 5.1.

A 19" TV is pretty small. A 19" 4:3 (non-widescreen) TV used to be fairly common in bedrooms and what not, and 19" used to be a common size on CRT computer monitors from the mid-'90s on, but now with the advent of widescreen (16:9 and 16:10), a 19" TV is pretty small (a 19" widescreen TV has a smaller screen area than a 19" fullscreen TV). Suitable for a bedroom or kitchen, but certainly way too small for a living room or anything. About the size of a typical modern computer monitor.

Why does my blu-ray player keep showing no signal?




A.


I have a 2 year old Vizio Blu-ray player (model VBR200W) connected via HDMI to my Vizio TV (eco model). Last night I tried a Blu-ray movie from Redbox, which said it required a firmware update. According to Vizio, there are no updates available. (Please note this is the second time I had this problem with a Redbox movie). Then I tried another movie (this time from Netflix) and a few minutes into the movie, the picture flashed to a green screen and then froze. The third movie I had didn't play at all, just flashed to the green screen again. Ever since that green screen, the player shows as no signal on the TV. I am able to power it on, but it doesn't respond to anything else. I don't know if it a cable issue or an issue with the player itself. I've never had this problem before; 2 years old and had always working just fine. I've tried doing what Vizio calls a, "Power Cycle," and also what I read as a, "Hard Reset," but still nothing works. Is there something that I am missing?

Oh and please note it also says the same thing when I try to connect using a composite connection.



Answer
Your player probably needs more memory if your player has a usb port sometimes inserting a blank pin drive will do the trick some players have two usb ports one on the back of the unit and one on the front in that case the one on the back is for adding memory...if there is no provision for adding mermory flash cards usb etc... then you may not be able to get it to work with those disks....




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Can you watch Blu-Ray Movies on a MacBook?




Person





Answer
The only way you can get your bluray movies to play on your macbook is by using a Pc to rip your bluray disc to file... Then move the file to your mbp... Then install latest version of VLC-player and then voilà! Should look really good!

Is there a way to play Blu-Ray discs on my MacBook Pro?

Q. I just got The Social Network (IMO one of the best movies ever, JS) and it's Blu-Ray and the only way I know of is playing it on my Blu-Ray player but I want to play it on my MacBook Pro. I tried it earlier but it rejected the disk... can I download some sort of (SAFE, NON-VIRUS GIVING) software to play it?


Answer
Nope. Blu-Ray discs may look similar to DVDs but they are different at the microscopic level. No regular DVD player can play them, even if there was software to do that.

Plus, no Apple products have Blu-Ray drives, only DVD drives.




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Wednesday, February 5, 2014

How do I set up a Blu Ray player with WiFi?




Tagg R


I connected the WiFi Blu Ray player to my TV with an HDMI cable, and to a surround sound speaker receiver with the two basic red and white jacks. When I turn the Blu Ray player on, it starts up with a Sony Blu Rey screen on the TV, says NO DISK on the panel display, then switches to a blue and black screen for a few seconds, then disengages itself from the TV completely, and says SETUP on the panel display. Nothing comes on the TV, and the player eventually turns itself off after about 2 minutes. I think I did everything in the directions correctly... Is there something I'm missing or do I have a flawed product?

The HDMI is the only thing connected to the TV, so I know that's working (for about 10 seconds). I haven't heard any sound but I also haven't expect any from what I've tried to do with it.



Answer
I would think that your blu-ray is set to output 1080 and your TV is only 720. Check your manual on changing the resolution. This done via "set up"

If I buy a blu ray player can I use it on my tv even though it doesn't have a HDMI port? ?




Joey J


My tv is HD ready though so what way can I connect it without having to buy a Ps3 and run it through vga?
What blu ray players work with other cables? All i've seen are ones that come with hdmi output..



Answer
>What blu ray players work with other cables? All i've seen are ones that come with hdmi output<

There are simply too many possibilities out there to answer this question. You are simply going to have to figure out what sort of inputs your TV has and then check what sort of outputs any blu-ray player you are looking at has. I have NEVER seen one yet with ONLY HDMI outputs. Take, for example the Sony BDPS350. Follow this link then select the Specifications tab. http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665368427

It says:
Inputs and Outputs
Analog Audio Output(s) : 2 Channel: 1 (Rear)

Coaxial Audio Digital Output(s) : 1 (Rear)

Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Output(s) : (Y/Pb/Pr) OUtput(s): 1 (Rear)

Composite Video Output(s) : 1 (Rear)

HDMI⢠Connection Output(s) : 1 (Rear)

Optical Audio Output(s) : 1 (Rear)

S-Video Output(s) : 1 (Rear)


So you have a lot of choices...




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Why isn't my Blu-Ray Player working?




Veronica


I have a Sony Blu-Ray player and my TV is a Samsung. When I plug it in it's fine and when I play a DVD everything is fine. But when I put in a blu-ray disc, there's something like static on the TV screen.


Answer
First thing to try is what is called a firmware update. A unique aspect of Blu Ray players is that they require downloaded updates - which is why they have an Internet connection (older players required you to download data on the computer, burn it to disc, and insert the disc into the player). If yours is an older unit without Internet, this may be what you need to do. If in doubt, check the player owner's manual if you have it, or do a Google search for it using the player model followed by "owners manual".

Other possibility is indeed a failure of the player. Brands are cross compatible, so this is indeed an issue with the player. Do the update first, then replace the player if that does not fix the problem.

Can I use a google tv blu ray player with timewarner cable?




Roger O


I was thinking about getting it. Not sure if it will work with dish only so i thought i'd ask. Does it give you access to the guides and videos without dish? Or is google just a partner with dish for fun


Answer
I believe you can use google tv blue ray player with time warner cable.




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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Does the new Xbox 360 Slim come with a Blu-Ray Player?

Q.


Answer
hahahahahahahaha

also ive been trying to check my email with my xbox is there some kind of internet browser to which i can do this? thanks

Should I get a PS3 Slim or a standalone Blu-Ray player?




xN7 SNiiPe


I already have an Xbox 360 with Xbox Live and I was just wondering how the Blu-Ray player is on the PS3. I want to start watching in Blu-Ray now and the PS3 seems like the best for what it does. I can buy exclusive games for the PS3 and play them and play Blu-Rays on it as well. Along with future firmware updates it seems like the PS3 is the best to get? Is there really a quality different between the PS3 and a regular Blu-Ray player?
I want sound quality as well. I have a good 7.1 system in my room with a good Onkyo receiver. Does the PS3 support the good audio specs or should I go for a standalone for those?
I already have 3 HDMI cables that I do not use but I keep when needed. I originally had planned on getting a ps3 but if the quality is significantly different then I will not get it. So the PS3 overall is the best choice? I can get the 250gb slim on ebay brand new for $265...



Answer
Get the PS3. It has all the required features to enjoy the latest 7.1 Surround, it can be updated with newer Blu-Ray features via firmware, and the Cell Processor processes sound better than most of the available stand alone players. All with a retail price of less than $400 (for current models).




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why are there no univeral remote codes available for blu ray players?




Stovitch


I have a Samsung BP-1500 blu ray and I can't find a remote code that will control it on my all in one remote.


Answer
I just checked the database and the BP-1500 is supported by the The Logitech/Harmony remotes. This includes anything from the 510 series up. NOTE: Blu-Ray players are currently listed in the DVD Player section in the Harmony database, so have a look there.

You can find a complete list at the hyperlink below:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/&cl=us,en

Logitech/Harmony maintains an on-line database of over 5000 devices and is updated weekly. The remotes comes with bundled software that allows you to connect to the Internet, download new IR codes and transfer them into the remote over an included USB cable.

I picked up the Logitech 550 a few months ago and only wish I would have bought it sooner. I even found codes for my Comcast DVR and a rather obsecure component switcher device. I can power everything on with a single touch and I can setup unlimted macros.

What is the remote code for a Dynex Blu-Ray player?




Valentine


I'm trying to set up my 1056B01 remote from Time Warner to work with a DX- WBRDVD1 Dynex Blu-Ray player but I can;t seem to find any code that works. I've been on the Dynex website and couldn't find it there. Any of you guys know the code or how to set it up?
Thanks



Answer
Try Insignia codes as well.




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Can a wifi enabled Blu Ray player with applications access them without a smart TV?




Daniel Sta


I have recently decided to purchase a home theater system/Blu Ray combo that is wifi enabled and has Netflix/Pandora/Youtube applications on it. I am also going to get a new TV but i don't really want a smart TV seeing as how they're a lot more expensive than regular LCD 1080p TV's.

I'm just wondering whether i need a smart TV in order to access the applications online, or if i can just connect to my wifi and the Blu Ray player will be able to use all of the applications by itself.

Also, i don't need full internet access on my TV, i was just hoping to use the applications that were already on the Blu Ray player like Youtube.

Thanks!



Answer
Just connect the blu-ray player to the TV, The blu-ray will do everything. The TV doesn't have to be Internet capable at all.

Does Slacker Radio have applications on blu-ray players?




Brian R


I'm thinking about getting a blu-ray for my HDTV and i need to know if any blu-ray player has this, i'm not the biggest Pandora radio fan so please help :)


Answer
Yes.

http://www.slacker.com/everywhere/home_services/sony/bluray.jsp




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playstation 3 vs. xbox 360?




Vova


which one is better.
tell me the features, what else you can do except playing games? is there a way to install games on ps3 or xbox360 hard drive and play games from hard drive?
can i buy my friends ps3 or xbox 360 games and play online? or the online won't work?
which has better graphics? TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!!



Answer
Overall the 2 are pretty equal. The PS3 has its blu-ray player but if you don't care about blu-ray movies, it doesn't do anything for the actual games themselves. Both can play DVD movies, but if you're like me, you already have 4 or 5 other devices that can play DVDs... The 360, meanwhile, has the better online service even though it does cost you $60/year to play online. It is well worth the money, however. Live is more stable, offers better integration with games, and has a much larger active subscriber base than PSN for the PS3. PS3 and 360 owners cannot play against each other online. They use totally separate networks and separate servers.

Graphics-wise, they're essentially equal. Even in side-by-side comparisons of the same game you'd be hard pressed to discern any real difference between them. The exclusives look incredible on both but that's to be expected.

Both offer media-center functionality allowing them to stream videos, pictures and music from your PC. Both offer Netflix connectivity if you have an existing Netflix account. Both offer connectivity with Twitter, Facebook, and Hulu Plus. The PS3 has a slight edge here because the 360 requires the paid online subscription to access the Netflix feature - don't ask me why.

Both can install games to the hard drive...but both still require you to have the game disc in the console to play the game. Some PS3 games require they be installed to the hard drive, while others have this as an option to speed up loadtimes. Most PS3 games don't have this option at all. All 360 games can be copied to the hard drive but you don't want to always do this. Halo3, for instance, actually plays WORSE from the hard drive, so don't bother. Again, like the PS3, you still need to have the game disc in your 360's drive to start the game up. After that, the game plays from the hard drive.

Take a look at the exclusives on each console, and the one with the longer list of exclusives you want to play is probably the console you should buy. After all, you are buying a GAME console, so GAMEs should be the primary reason for choosing a GAME console.

Xbox 360 vs PlayStation 3?????? 10points!!!!!!!?




Rappin Spo


Ms Xbox 360 vs sony PlayStation 3?????? 10points!!!!!!!?
MS Xbox 360 vs Sony PlayStation 3?????? 10points!!!!!!!!!!!!?
whta is better i am willing to pay for live and i already have bluray player. I am also going to get assassins creed 4 and cod mw3 for the console you reccommend
PLS dont be a fuking fanboy
please give me ups and down of both console
and i am also going to be getting medal of honor
can you alsoo give me reviews of the three games.



Answer
PS3 :
Pros: , FREE Wi-Fi, FREE online gaming, FREE internet browser, contains a built in Blu-Ray player, FREE USB to charge your controller. Most PS1 games will work.
Cons: A little bit more expensive than Xbox, Not all PS3 are backwards compatible, meaning they can't play PS2 games. Sometimes FREEZES or a problem occurs Most online games get hacked such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Xbox 360 :
Pros : Slight improvement in graphics, Cheaper, Advanced security that makes it difficult to hack.
Cons: Pay for online play, may receive the Red Ring Of Death, causing Damage to your Xbox.

If your going to purchase a video game system, then get what your friends have so you can play with them.

On Xbox, you will less likely encounter hackers.

ON PS3, you will encounter some hackers.




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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Standard DVD vs Blu-ray/HD?




hec830


Not sure if this questions been asked before... What exactly is the difference between a regular dvd and a blu-ray/hd. To me, standard is fine, but is upgrading worth it?


Answer
Blu-Ray and HD DVD are competing (and incompatible) high definition (1080p) video formats. They both have identical video and audio quality and, despite claims about space/storage differences, both work for all current movies .... i.e. there IS NO DIFFERENCE.

Under the right conditions they can give stunning video and sound (some people upgrade more for the sound than the video), but depending on your equipment there may be no benefit to upgrading.

Unless you have a 40" or larger 1080p HDTV you will see little difference from HD DVD or Blu-Ray compared to a normal DVD on a good upscaling DVD player. Sound may be better if you have a good sound system and an amp/receiver capable of processing the high bitrate sound tracks.

Personally, I have a 720p/1080i front projector and a 110" screen. HD DVD has a very slight edge over normal DVD's on my Oppo DVD player ... but not enough for me to buy more HD DVD disks or retire my DVD collection. I admit sound is a bit better too, but Dolby Digital or DTS is plenty good enough.

Since pictures say a lot. See the link (caution: big images) for a visual comparison of DVD and HD DVD scenes from LOTR.

I, personally, don't find the difference compelling enough to pay $$$ to upgrade.

Hope this helps.

Should I buy a PS3 or other top of the line Blu Ray player?




E. Nigma


I'm getting ready to buy a Blu Ray player for my Sony LCD and everyone says to get a PS3. I don't play games (I guess I might a little bit if I actually had a console but I stay pretty busy without one) so should I just get a Samsung or Sony for about $30-$50 less or just say the hell with it and spend the extra dough? I want to utilize the Netflix streaming and what not...


Answer
The PS3. Best Blu ray player on the market for a bargain in comparison to others of comparable quality. Plus you get the top of the line playstation.




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how can i play an avi movie or divx movie on my sony blu ray player?




Mike Jimen


it only recognizes it as data so it wont play how or what way can i get this movie to play on sony blu ray player


Answer
Sony blu ray player can be used to play blu-ray video dvd and standard video dvd, burn blu ray video DVD, you must have a blu ray burner drive and a blu ray disc on your computer, but the blu ray burner drive and blu ray disc are so expensive, so I think the better choice is that you can convert and burn your avi movies to a standard video DVD which can can be played well on sony blu ray player too, so you can try RZ DVD Creator, it can convert any videos to standard video DVD and burn to any DVD disc(DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, etc), such as covnert and burn any avi movies to standard video DVD which can be played well on sony blu ray player and regular dvd player. You can yahoo or google search RZ DVD Creator and download it, easy to use, hope it can help you.

blu ray burner/recorder?




Jake


i'm getting a PS3, and it has a built in blu ray player. i have a macbook and it has a superdrive (it can burn CDs and DVDs), but what i wanted to do is make blu ray discs because they'd be better than the DVDs. is there anyway i could do either of the following:

1. get an external blu ray burner/recorder that would work with my macbook?
2. burn the DVDs from my macbook and then convert them into blu ray discs with a blu ray burner/recorder?

thanks.



Answer
I don't believe that there is a blu-ray burner that will work with any apple products yet.




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is there a blu-ray player recorder?

Q. did they make a blu ray player that can also record tv programs onto a blu-ray disc and then play it back in 1080p HD yet


Answer
I'm sure there is a device somewhere in the world that can do this, but at this point it would be really expensive. With stand alone blu-ray players just barely getting below the $300 mark, a recorder would be double or triple that price at minimum.

Closest I could come up with would be a Computer with a HD tuner card in it and a Blu-Ray burner. But no stand alone unit I know of does this.


WAIT... I was wrong.. Sony has a few out. Starting at $1,000 I might add... http://gizmodo.com/5044710/sony-has-blu+ray-recorder-frenzy-six-new-models-with-hdd-recording-too

blu ray burner/recorder?




Jake


i'm getting a PS3, and it has a built in blu ray player. i have a macbook and it has a superdrive (it can burn CDs and DVDs), but what i wanted to do is make blu ray discs because they'd be better than the DVDs. is there anyway i could do either of the following:

1. get an external blu ray burner/recorder that would work with my macbook?
2. burn the DVDs from my macbook and then convert them into blu ray discs with a blu ray burner/recorder?

thanks.



Answer
I don't believe that there is a blu-ray burner that will work with any apple products yet.




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Blu-Ray Player?




anthpack


Is there any development of in-car video/audio systems that can play blu-ray discs? I could put all of my music on 1 25GB disc and if it had a touch-screen interface like those of ipod interfaces it would be really cool. Just wondering. Also, you could watch HD movies in the car! They just have to develop a HD screen 7". Then it could have a HD tuner, to watch tv in HD. There are systems like these that can tune 4, 6, 8, 10,etc. A system like this would be very expensive, but I would buy one.
But the price of players will decrease, because the PS3 will play BD's and they're going to be $500-$600. It would be expensive, but it would be cool. Maybe you could install a tailgating machine in the back of an SUV with a big screen HDTV.



Answer
Overview

The name Blu-ray is derived from the blue-green laser it uses to read and write to the chalcogenide disc. A Blu-ray Disc can store substantially more data than a DVD, because of the shorter wavelength (405 nm) of the blue-violet laser (DVDs use a 650-nm-wavelength red laser and CDs an infrared 780 nm laser), which allows more information to be stored digitally in the same amount of space. In comparison to HD DVD, which also uses a blue laser, Blu-ray has more information capacity per layer (starting from 25GB with test media currently at 100 gigabytes instead of 15). Sony has released 50 gigabyte recordable BD's and will soon be releasing 50 gigabyte BD media discs[1]. In August 2006, TDK developed a Blu-ray disk with a 200 gigabytes capacity. [2]
[edit]

History

The Blue-ray standard was jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), spearheaded by Sony. It is currently competing with the HD DVD format for wide adoption as the preferred next generation optical standard, similar to the videotape format war between VHS and Sony's Betamax. As of 2006, neither format has succeeded in supplanting the present home video standard, the DVD.

The Blu-ray Disc Association unveiled their plans for a May 23, 2006 release date at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2006. Since then, Blu-ray was delayed, but eventually shipped in the U.S. on June 20, 2006.[1]

Currently, a Blu-ray disc can hold a maximum of 50 gigabytes.
[edit]

Specifications

* About 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video can be stored on a 50 GB disc.
* About 23 hours of standard-definition (SD) video can be stored on a 50 GB disc.

TDK recently announced that they have created a working experimental Blu-ray disc capable of holding 200 GB of data on a single side (six 33 GB data layers).[2]
Physical size Single layer capacity Dual layer capacity Sextuple layer capacity
12 cm, single sided 25 GB (23.3 GiB) 50 GB (46.6 GiB) 200 GB (33.3 GB/layer) TDK
12 cm, double sided 50 GB (46.6 GiB) 100 GB (93.2 GiB)
8 cm, single sided 7.8 GB (7.3 GiB) 15.6 GB (14.5 GiB)
8 cm, double sided 15.6 GB (14.5 GiB) 31.2 GB (29 GiB)
[edit]

Laser and optics

Blu-ray systems use a blue-green laser operating at a wavelength of 405 nm, similar to the one used for HD DVD, to read and write data. Conventional DVDs and CDs use red and infrared lasers at 650 nm and 780 nm respectively.
[edit]

Hard-coating technology
TDK 100-gigabyte four-layer Blu-ray Disc.
Enlarge
TDK 100-gigabyte four-layer Blu-ray Disc.

Because the Blu-ray standard places the data recording layer so close to the surface of the disc, early discs were susceptible to contamination and scratches and had to be enclosed in plastic caddies for protection. The consortium worried that such an inconvenience would hurt Blu-ray's market adoption in the face of the rival HD DVD standard, as HD DVDs place the data layer farther away from the surface, rather like DVDs. Blu-ray discs now use a purpose developed layer of protective material over the reflective data backing (ie, on the label side).

Both Sony and Panasonic replication methods include proprietary hard-coat technologies. Sony's rewriteable media are sprayed with a scratch-resistant and antistatic coating. [3]

TDK also announced a way to remedy the problem in January 2004 with the introduction of a clear polymer coating that gives Blu-ray Discs substantial scratch resistance. The coating was developed by TDK Corporation and is called "Durabis". It allows BDs to be cleaned safely with only a tissue. The coating is said to successfully resist "wire-wool scrubbing" according to Samsung Optical technical manager Chas Kalsi. It is not clear, however, whether discs will use the Durabis coating or if the use of the coating will prove too expensive.

Verbatim announced in July 2006 that their Blu-ray Recordable and Rewriteable discs would incorporate their hard-coat ScratchGuard technology which protects against scratches, abrasion, fingerprints and traces of grease. [4][5]
[edit]

Software standards
[edit]

Codecs

Codecs are compression schemes that can be used to store audio and video information on a disc. For video, all standalone BD-ROM players must be able to decode three codec formats: MPEG-2 (the video codec also used for DVDs), H.264/AVC (a newer codec developed jointly by ISO/IEC's MPEG and ITU-T's VCEG), and VC-1 (a codec based on Microsoft's Windows Media 9 and standardized by SMPTE).

Initial versions of Sony's Blu-ray authoring software only included support for MPEG-2 video, so the initial Blu-ray discs were forced to use MPEG-2 rather than the newer codecs, VC-1 and H.264. An upgrade was subsequently released supporting the newer compression methods so the second wave of Blu-ray titles were able to make use of this. The choice of codecs affects disc cost (due to related licensing/royalty payments) as well as program capacity. The two more advanced video codecs can typically achieve twice the video runtime of MPEG-2. When using MPEG-2, quality considerations would limit the publisher to around two hours of high-definition content on a single-layer (25 GB) BD-ROM.

For audio, BD-ROM players are required to support Dolby Digital and DTS, and linear PCM (up to 7.1 channels.) The standard has optional support for Dolby Digital Plus and the lossless formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD. The linear PCM 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 formats are mandatory, meaning that one of them may be used as the sole soundtrack on a disc, because every player will have a decoder that can process any of these three bitstreams.[6] For lossless audio in movies in the PCM, Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD formats, Blu-ray discs support encoding in up to 24-bit/192 kHz for up to six channels, or up to eight channels of up to 24-bit/96 kHz encoding.[7] For reference, even new big-budget Hollywood films are mastered in only 24-bit/48 kHz, with 16-bit/48 kHz being common for ordinary films.

For users recording digital television broadcasts, the Blu-ray's baseline datarate of 36 Mbit/s is more than adequate to record high-definition broadcasts. Support for new codecs will evolve as they are encapsulated by broadcasters into their MPEG-2 transport streams, and consumer set-top boxes capable of decoding them are rolled out.
[edit]

Java software support

At the 2005 JavaOne trade show, it was announced that Sun Microsystems' Java cross-platform software environment would be included in all Blu-ray players as a mandatory part of the standard. Java will be used to implement interactive menus on Blu-ray discs, as opposed to the method used on DVD video discs, which uses pre-rendered MPEG segments and selectable subtitle pictures, which is considerably more primitive and less seamless. Java creator James Gosling, at the conference, suggested that the inclusion of a Java virtual machine as well as network connectivity in BD devices will allow updates to Blu-ray discs via the Internet, adding content such as additional subtitle languages and promotional features that are not included on the disc at pressing time. This Java Version will be called BD-J and will be a subset of the Globally Executable MHP (GEM) standard. GEM is the world-wide version of the Multimedia Home Platform standard.

There is some concern about the cost of implementing and licensing the Multimedia Home Platform standard. The first generation Blu-ray players are only required to implement a subset of the Java layer, and are not required to support certain features such as Picture-in-Picture, persistent storage, or network connections.
[edit]

Region codes

The Blu-ray movie region codes are different from the DVD region codes.[8] The following are the region codes for Blu-ray discs:[9]
Region code Area
A/1 North America, South America, East Asia except for China
B/2 Europe, Africa and Oceania
C/3 China, Middle East, Russia, and South Asia.
[edit]

Digital rights management

Blu-ray has an experimental digital rights management (DRM) feature called BD+ which allows for dynamically-changing keys for the cryptographic protections involved. Should the keys currently in use be 'cracked' or leaked, manufacturers can update them and build them into all subsequent disks, preventing a single key discovery from permanently breaking the entire scheme. Blu-ray also mandates the Mandatory Managed Copy system, which allows users to copy content a limited number of times, but requiring registration with the content provider to acquire the keys needed; this feature was originally requested by HP [10] . The lack of a dynamic encryption model is what has made DeCSS a disaster from the industry's perspective: once CSS was cracked, all DVDs from then on were open to unauthorized decryption (commonly known as "ripping"). However this new technology, together with Self-Protecting Digital Content (SPDC), can allow players judged 'bad' to be effectively disabled [11], preventing their use by their purchaser or subsequent owners.[12] See Advanced Access Content System (AACS).

The Blu-ray Disc Association also agreed to add a form of digital watermarking technology to the discs. Under the name "ROM-Mark", this technology will be built into all ROM-producing devices, and requires a specially licensed piece of hardware to insert the ROM-mark into the media during replication. All Blu-ray playback devices must check for the mark. Through licensing of the special hardware element, the BDA believes that it can eliminate the possibility of mass producing BD-ROMs without authorization.

In addition, Blu-ray players must follow AACS guidelines pertaining to outputs over non-encrypted interfaces. This is set by a flag called the Image Constraint Token (ICT), which restricts the output-resolution without HDCP to 960Ã540. The decision to set the flag to restrict output ("down-convert") is left up to the content provider. According to CED Magazine, Sony/MGM and Disney currently have no plans to down-convert, and Fox is opposed to it as well. Warner Pictures is a proponent of the ICT, and it is expected that Paramount will also implement it [13]. Other studios releasing Blu-ray content have not yet commented on whether or not they will use down-conversion. AACS guidelines require that any title that implements the ICT must clearly state so on the packaging.
[edit]

Applications
[edit]

Compatibility

While it is not compulsory for manufacturers, the Blu-ray Disc Association recommends that Blu-ray drives should be capable of reading DVDs for backward compatibility. For instance, Samsung's first Blu-ray drive (now available) can read and write CD, DVD, and Blu-ray discs.

JVC has developed a three layer technology that allows putting both standard-definition DVD data and HD data on a BD/DVD combo disc. If successfully commercialized, this would enable the consumer to purchase a disc which could be played on current DVD players, and reveal its HD version when played on a new BD player.[14] This form of hybrid disc does not appear to be ready for production, however, and no titles have been announced that utilize this disc structure.
[edit]

Stand-alone recorders and game consoles

The first Blu-ray recorder was unveiled by Sony on March 3, 2003, and was introduced to the Japanese market in April that year. On September 1, 2003, JVC and Samsung Electronics announced Blu-ray based products at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Both indicated that their products would be on the market in 2005.

In June 2004 Panasonic became the second manufacturer to launch a Blu-ray recorder to the Japanese market. Launching in July the DMR-E700BD was one of the first few units to support writing to existing DVD formats, and to single-side dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes. The launch price of the recorder was $2780 USD, with 50 GB disc costing around $69 USD and the 25 GB disc costing around $32 USD. [15][16]

Sony has announced that the PlayStation 3 will be shipped with a 2x Blu-ray drive, likely read-only as is the case with most game console optical drives. According to Sony's press releases, it will support DVD(8x), CD(24x) and SACD (2x) formats in addition to BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE. The Japanese release date for PS3 is on November 11, 2006. The release date of the PS3 in North America has been announced for November 17, 2006, and everywhere else in March, 2007. Sony also announced in March 2006 their first consumer Blu-ray disc player the BDP-S1, would be available in stores by July 2006. [17]

On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Samsung and Philips announced their first Blu-ray consumer products to the US market. Samsung launched the first Blu-ray player for the US market, the BD-P1000, retailing for $1000 USD and sporting HDMI output with backwards support for most of today's standard DVD formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD RW, and DVD R), while Philips launched the BDP-9000 player. Both players were expected to arrive in stores sometime in 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2006. [18][19] [20]

On April 13 2006, Panasonic announced their first Blu-ray player for the US market, the DMP-BD10 would be shipping together in late 2006 along with their first commercially available plasma 1080p HDTVs. [21]
[edit]

PC data storage
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Please discuss this issue on the talk page, and/or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available.
This section has been tagged since August 2006.

Main article: Blu-ray Disc recordable

Originally, blu-ray drives in production could only transfer approximately 36 Mbit/s (54 Mbit/s required for BD-ROM), but 2x speed drives with a 72 Mbit/s transfer rate are now available. Rates of 8x (288 Mbit/s) or more are planned for the future.
North American Pioneer BDR-101A drive
Enlarge
North American Pioneer BDR-101A drive

Hewlett Packard has announced plans to sell Blu-ray-equipped desktop PCs and laptops. In December 2005, HP announced that they would also be supporting the rival HD DVD technology. [22] Philips was scheduled to debut a Blu-ray computer drive in the second half of 2005, but it was also delayed. [23] [24] On March 10, 2005 Apple Computer joined the Blu-ray Disc Association.

In July 2005, information was leaked about an upcoming Pioneer Blu-ray drive; the OEM BDR 101A. [25] On December 27, 2005, Pioneer formally announced the drive which was released in the late second quarter of 2006. The drive writes at 2x on BD-R and BD-RE, 8x on DVD+R and DVD-R, and 4x on DVD-RW and DVD+RW. [26] [27]

Optical heads allowing the reading of CD/DVD/Blu-ray discs have already been developed and are expected to be included after first release of DVD/Blu-ray only drives. [28]

The Panasonic Blu-ray SW-5582 is the first drive to support all 3 formats. [29]

On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Philips announced its SPD7000 Triplewriter Blu-ray internal drive for the PC and Blu-ray BD-R/B-RE/BD-RE media discs would be available in 2nd quarter of 2006. [30]

In March 2006 Sony announced a Blu-ray disc player, a VAIO desktop PC with a Blu-Ray recorder, and a Blu-ray internal PC drive would be released in the summer of 2006. [31]

In April 2006 Panasonic said it would be releasing a Blu-ray internal PC drive in the summer, the LF-MB121JD, priced at $850 USD. The new drive would be able to comprehensively read and/or write 13 BD / DVD / CD formats, which includes both BD-R/RE formats. It will read both 25 GB and 50 GB dual layer discs and write to them at 2x speeds. [32]

As of June 2006 Sony sold the first commercially available VAIO AR laptop and RC desktop PCs with a built in Blu-Ray recorder. [33][34]

In June 2006 LiteOn announced their first internal Blu-ray drive LH-2B1S would be released August 2006 for the UK market. [35] Also in June Plextor announced their first internal 2x Blu-ray drive PX-B900A would be released in 3rd quarter of 2006. [36]

In July 2006 BenQ announced they will be selling a Blu-ray device for the Europe, China and Taiwan markets. [37]

Sony's first after-market Blu-ray drive is announced in July 2006 with shipment due in August. [38]

In August 2006 LiteOn announced their first triple laser internal Blu-ray drive for the US market would be available in 3rd quarter of 2006. [39]
[edit]

Corporate support

* On June 30, 2004 Panasonic, part of Matsushita Electric, a founder member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, became the second manufacturer after Sony to launch a Blu-ray consumer product into the Japanese market. The DMR-E700BD recorder supported writing to existing DVD formats, and became one of the first units to read and write to dual-layer Blu-ray Discs with a maximum capacity of 50 gigabytes. The launch price of the recorder was $2780 USD. [40][41]
* On October 3, 2004 20th Century Fox announced that it was joining the BDA, and on July 29, 2005 the studio officially announced its support for Blu-ray.
* On December 8, 2004 The Walt Disney Company (and its home video division, Buena Vista Home Entertainment) announced its non-exclusive support for Blu-ray.
* On January 7, 2005 Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) and Electronic Arts (EA Games) announced their support for the Blu-ray Disc format.
* On March 10, 2005 Apple Computer announced its support for Blu-ray and joined the BDA.
* On July 28, 2005 Verbatim Corporation, part of Mitsubishi Chemical Media, announced its support for Blu-ray and HD DVD storage format development. [42]
* On August 17, 2005 Lions Gate Home Entertainment announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format.
* On September 7, 2005 Samsung confirmed their next-generation of optical drives will support Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs.
* On October 2, 2005 Paramount announced they would endorse Blu-ray, while still supplying content on the rival HD DVD -- in order to give consumers a choice.
* On October 20, 2005 Warner Bros. announced they would release titles on the Blu-ray format, in addition to HD DVD Video. [43] [44] Of the six largest Hollywood studios, this leaves only Universal Studios supporting HD DVD exclusively.
* On November 9, 2005 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced it would support Blu-ray Disc, and plans to have titles available when Blu-ray Disc is launched. [45]
* On November 19, 2005, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they finished editing the first Blu-ray Disc, a full-length movie, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. The disc uses MPEG-2 compression at a resolution of 1920x1080 (it was not announced whether it will be 1080p or 1080i) and claims to use a menu interface that would succeed current DVD-Video interfaces. [46]
* On January 4, 2006, at the Consumer Electronics Show Samsung and Philips announced their first Blu-ray players for the US market. Samsung announced the BD-P1000, retailing for $1000 USD and sporting HDMI output with backwards support for DVD formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD RW, and DVD R), while Philips announced the BDP-9000. Philips also announced their all-in-one PC TripleWriter Blu-ray drive and range of Blu-ray medias would arrive in 2nd quarter of 2006. [47][48]
* On January 5, 2006, the Consumer Electronics Show displayed Blu-ray movie titles with the 1080p logo on the case.[49]
* On January 12, 2006 Digital Playground, a prominent pornographic movie studio, announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format. [50]
* On March 7, 2006 Sony announced it would be shipping rewriteable single-layer 25 GB 2x speed Blu-ray discs to Europe, with dual-layer discs arriving later in the year. [51]
* On March 16, 2006 Sony announced a Blu-ray disc player, the first VAIO desktop PC with a Blu-Ray recorder, and a Blu-ray internal PC drive would be released in the summer of 2006. The VAIO PC would be shipped with a free 25 GB Blank BD-RE (rewritable) Blu-ray disc worth $25 USD. [52]
* On April 3, 2006 Blueray, an Italian videoproduction company, announced it would release its content using the Blu-ray disc format. [53]
* On April 10, 2006 TDK announced in a press release that it began shipping 25 GB BD-R and BD-RE media (at prices of $19.99 USD and $24.99 USD respectively). TDK also announced that it would be releasing 50 GB BD-R and BD-RE media later this year (at prices of $47.99 USD and $59.99 respectively). [54]
* On May 16, 2006 Sony announced its first VAIO notebook computer that will include a built-in Blu-ray burner with a 17" WUXGA display capable of displaying 1080p (at a price of $3499.99 USD). The VAIO shipped in June including software to play Blu-ray movies and an HDMI-A input for other HD devices. [55]
* On May 17, 2006 Pioneer shipped BDR-101A, a PC-based Blu-ray burner drive.[56]
* On June 15, 2006, Samsung announced the industry's first BD-P1000 player had begun shipping to US retail stores for availability on June 25 2006. [57]
* On June 29, 2006, Plextor announced their first internal Blu-ray drive PX-B900A would be released in 3rd quarter of 2006. [58]
* On July 11, 2006 Human Computing announced that it is shipping the first Blu-ray PC software.[59]
* On July 18, 2006 Verbatim Corporation announced that it was shipping its ScratchGuard coated BD-R and BD-RE Blu-ray recordable and rewriteable discs to stores in Europe, with discs priced between £20 and £24 (GBP). [60]
* On August 16, 2006 Sony announced shipment of 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray recordable disks with a suggested retail price of $48.[61]
* On August 31, 2006 Sun Microsystems joined the BDA

The BDA has over 170 members. Its Board of Directors consists of representatives from Apple Computer Corp.; Dell, Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company; Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; Sun Microsystems; TDK Corporation; Thomson; Twentieth Century Fox; Walt Disney Pictures and Television; Warner Bros. Entertainment.
[edit]

Alternatives

The primary rival to Blu-ray is HD DVD, championed by Toshiba, NEC Corporation, Microsoft, and Intel. HD DVD has lower disc capacity (30 GB vs 50 GB), but currently (as of 2006) benefits from correspondingly lower manufacturing costs for both pre-recorded (ROM) and recordable media. In addition, since no Blu-ray movie titles have shipped on 50 GB dual-layer discs, HD DVD currently features more real-world capacity (30 GB vs. 25 GB). Blu-ray detractors believe that the 50 GB disc is unlikely to ever be cost effective, while Blu-Ray proponents expect BD media manufacturing costs to approach those of HD DVD, once production volume has ramped. All Blu-ray movies currently released (as of 2006) have been on single-layer 25 GB discs. Sony's goal is to reach the standard of 50 GB dual-layer discs capable of storing four hours of high-definition MPEG-2 video content, but up to this point in time the cost of mass producing dual-layer Blu-ray discs has been too high. Alternatively, studios releasing movies on Blu-ray may choose to switch to VC-1 or H.264/AVC in the future, allowing four hours of high-definition content to fit on a single layer BD disc.

In terms of audio/video compression, Blu-ray and HD DVD are similar on the surface: both support MPEG-2, VC-1, and H.264 for video compression, and Dolby Digital (AC-3), PCM, and DTS for audio compression. The first generation of Blu-ray movies released used MPEG-2 (the standard currently used in DVDs), while initial HD DVDs releases used the more efficient VC-1 codec. Blu-ray proponents point out that Blu-ray permits a higher maximum video-bitrate, as well as potentially higher average bitrates (due to greater total disc-capacity.) In terms of audio, there are greater differences. Blu-ray allows conventional AC-3 audiotracks at 640 kbit/s, which is higher than DVD/HD DVD's maximum, 448 kbit/s. On the other hand, Dolby Digital Plus support is mandatory for standalone HD DVD players at a maximum of 3 Mbit/s, while only optional for BD players and capped at 1.7 Mbit/s.

On November 29, 2004 four Hollywood studios (New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros.) announced non-exclusive agreements to support HD DVD. Since that time, Paramount and Warner have chosen to release titles in both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Blu-ray is a very similar format to PDD, another optical disc format developed by Sony (and has been available since 2004) but offering higher data transfer speeds. PDD is not intended for home video use and is aimed at business data archiving and backup. The UDO format is also aimed for similar purposes.

Other competitors:

* Digital Multilayer Disk â the successor technology to Fluorescent Multilayer Disc
* Forward Versatile Disc â Taiwanese backed red laser format
* Holographic Versatile Disc - standards with 200 and 300 GB storage are under development and prototypes expected in 2008
* Versatile Multilayer Disc

[edit]

Released titles

Main article: List of Blu-ray releases

Some Blu-ray Disc movie cases
Enlarge
Some Blu-ray Disc movie cases

The first Blu-ray titles released on June 20, 2006 were Hitch, The Fifth Element, House of Flying Daggers, Underworld: Evolution, 50 First Dates, XXX by Sony; and The Terminator by MGM.

To date, 44 titles have been released and a further 63 have been given release dates for 2006. All titles currently released are on 25 GB single-layer Blu-ray discs. Apart from 3 VC-1 and 2 AVC encoded titles all current releases use MPEG-2 video compression.

On September 5, 2006 Warner released the first 3 titles using VC-1 encoding, Blazing Saddles, Firewall and Lethal Weapon.A further 6 VC-1 encoded titles , Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Swordfish, Space Cowboys, The Fugitive, Lethal Weapon 2 and House of Wax, will be released on September 26.[3] On November 28, 2006 Warner will release their first 50 GB title, Superman Returns

On September 19, 2006 Disney released the first two titles to be encoded using AVC, namely Eight Below and

On November 14, 2006 Fox will be releasing the first 50 GB dual-layer Blu-ray title, Kingdom of Heaven. Other titles, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Fantastic Four and the recent remake of The Omen will be released on the same day and will be using AVC encoding and DTS HD Lossless Master Audio.[4]
[edit]

See also

* List of Blu-ray releases
* HD DVD
* Professional Disc for DATA (PDD or ProDATA)
* Format war
* Holographic Versatile Disc

[edit]

References

1. ^ Blu-ray disc coming June 20. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
2. ^ TDK develops 200 GB recordable Blu-Ray disc with six layers (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
3. ^ Sony to ship blank Blue-ray Discs this month (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
4. ^ Verbatim introduces Blu ray in Q3 (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
5. ^ Verbatim to release BD-R, BD-RE media (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
6. ^ Dolby Audio Coding for Future Entertainment Formats (PDF)
7. ^ (March 2005). "White Paper Blu-ray Disc Format". Retrieved on 2006-06-27.
8. ^ æ¥æ¬ã§ã¯HDã¢ãã­ã°åºåå¶éãç¡å¹ã«ââAACSã®ã³ã³ãã³ãéç¨è¦å®ãæ±ºå® (in Japanese) (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
9. ^ The Authoritative Blu-ray Disc (BD) FAQ: What is Regional Playback Control? (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-29.
10. ^ The High Definition DVD FAQ (2006-02-05). Retrieved on 2006-05-30.
11. ^ HP to Support HD-DVD High-definition DVD Format and Join HD-DVD Promotions Group (2005-12-16). Retrieved on 2006-05-28.
12. ^ The DVD War Against Consumers (2006-05-30). Retrieved on 2006-05-31.
13. ^ Sweeting, Paul (2006). High-def âdown-convertingâ forced. Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
14. ^ Blu-ray/ DVD Combo ROM Disc Technology (2006). Retrieved on 2006-05-30.
15. ^ Matsushita unveils DVD recorder adopting Blu-ray Disc format+ (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
16. ^ Panasonic Unveils Blu-ray Recorder (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
17. ^ Sony unveils Blu-ray player, Vaio PC (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
18. ^ Samsung's BD-P1000: first U.S. Blu-Ray player (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
19. ^ SAMSUNG Launches Industry's First Blu-ray Disc Player To The U.S. Market (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
20. ^ Philips introduces new Blu-ray Disc⢠products and media â the ultimate consumer storage platform for high definition entertainment (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
21. ^ Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
22. ^ HP to Support HD-DVD High-definition DVD Format and Join HD-DVD Promotions Group (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
23. ^ Philips Demonstrates its Blu-ray Disc PC drive capable of reading and writing on CD, DVD and Blu-ray Discs (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
24. ^ Philips All-in-One OPU81 Blu-ray Disc Drive (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
25. ^ BluRay DVD burner for PC? (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
26. ^ Pioneer Launches One of Industry's First PC-Based Blu-ray Disc Drives (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
27. ^ Pioneer Launches Its First Internal Blu-Ray Disc Writer (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
28. ^ Development of Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD compatible, 3 wavelength recording/playback Optical Head (2004). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
29. ^ Panasonic Blu-ray SW-5582 (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
30. ^ Philips introduces new Blu-ray Disc⢠products and media â the ultimate consumer storage platform for high definition entertainment (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
31. ^ Sony unveils Blu-ray player, Vaio PC (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
32. ^ Panasonic LF-MB121JD Blu-ray drive ships June 10th for $850 (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
33. ^ Sony VAIO VGC-RC204 (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
34. ^ Sony's Blu-ray notebook arriving next week (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
35. ^ Lite-On promises UK Blu-ray burner in August (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
36. ^ Plextor's Blu-ray burner, the PX-B900A (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
37. ^ BenQ to launch Blu-ray Disc writer in August (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
38. ^ Sony unveils its first after-market Blu-ray Disc burner. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
39. ^ LiteOn Introduces New Blu-Ray Disc Triple Writer (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
40. ^ Matsushita unveils DVD recorder adopting Blu-ray Disc format+ (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
41. ^ Panasonic Unveils Blu-ray Recorder (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
42. ^ Verbatim Announces Development Plans for both BluRay and HD-DVD (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
43. ^ Arnold, Thomas K. (2005). Another Victory for Blu-ray Camp. Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
44. ^ Warner joins Blu-ray cabal, Toshiba reacts (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
45. ^ MGM to Support Blu-ray Disc Format (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
46. ^ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Completes First Full-Length Blu-ray Disc (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
47. ^ Samsung's BD-P1000: first U.S. Blu-Ray player (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
48. ^ Philips introduces new Blu-ray Disc⢠products and media â the ultimate consumer storage platform for high definition entertainment (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
49. ^ Shimpi, Anand Lal; Wasson, Manveer (2006). CES 2006 - Day 2: Blu-ray/HD-DVD, PureVideo H.264, Viiv, Centrino Duo and a lot more. Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
50. ^ Kahn, Kat (2006). Digital Playground Chooses Blu-ray Format. Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
51. ^ Sony to ship blank Blu-ray Discs this month (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
52. ^ Sony unveils Blu-ray player, Vaio PC (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
53. ^ Blueray (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-03.
54. ^ TDK Begins Shipping Its Highly Anticipated Blu-ray Disc 25 GB Recordable And Rewritable Media; Exclusive Material Formulations and Manufacturing Processes Deliver Bit-Perfect Recording and Playback (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
55. ^ Sony announces first VAIO notebook computer to include built-in blu-ray burner. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
56. ^ Pioneer Ships PC-Based Blu-ray Disc Drives (2006). Retrieved on 2006-05-25.
57. ^ SAMSUNG Launches Industry's First Blu-ray Disc Player To The U.S. Market (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
58. ^ Plextor's Blu-ray burner, the PX-B900A (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
59. ^ Blu-ray ships on PC. (2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
60. ^ Verbatim to release BD-R, BD-RE media (2006). Retrieved on 2006-08-24.
61. ^ SONY NOW SHIPPING 50 GB DUAL LAYER BLU-RAY DISC MEDIA IN THE U.S.. Sony. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.

[edit]

External links
Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Blu-ray Disc

* The Authoritative Blu-ray Disc (BD) FAQ by Hugh Bennett
* Blu-ray Disc Association - BDA web site
* BBC: Next-generation DVD battle begins
* How Stuff Works on Blu-ray - Includes pictures and a comparison of HD-DVD and Blu-ray.
* CDfreaks Article On HD DVD vs Blu-ray - Comparison of HD DVD and Blu-ray
* TDK Blu-ray Disc Protypes - 200 GB BD-RE with 6 Layers
* JVC Announcement of BD/DVD combo disks - JVC Develops World's First Blu-ray/ DVD Combo ROM Disc Technology
* The High Definition DVD FAQ - FAQ for Blu-ray, HD DVD, EVD, FVD...
* High Def Digest's Release Dates for Blu-ray Discs - An up-to-date list containing all movies announced for Blu-ray with release dates

Blu-ray.....?




You


I have two questions about it:

1. What exactly is it?
2. Should I watch DVDs on a DvD player or on the PS3...



Answer
Hi there. Blu-ray is a high definition DVD format that uses a shorter wavelength blue-violet laser technology.Normal DVD uses a longer wavelength red laser technology.The Blu-ray disc can store much more information of data on a single-sided single layer disc compared to the traditional DVD.It can store approximately 12 hours of standard video and /or more than 2 hours of high definition video. It is up to you how you watch it.




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