BD and HD DVD Disc FAQ’s (Blu Ray and HD DVD Intro)

BD and HD DVD FAQ

 

Today, 95 percent of all households in the U.S. can receive high-definition
TV from at least one network broadcaster; and more than 85 percent can receive
a high-definition TV signal from three or more network broadcasters. As consumers
become accustomed to the best possible television viewing experience, the demand
for high-definition recording and media will follow.

For an examply, Verbatim Ò Corporation
and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Verbatim/MKM) have announced
that retailers in Japan will receive shipments of the industry’s first
15GB /30GB HD DVD-R media in July when the new HD DVD recorders are launched.
Shipments to other parts of the world will begin when hardware products supporting
the recordable format become available. Verbatim/MKM will also be shipping
premium-quality 2X speed Blu-ray write-once (BD-R) and rewriteable (BD-RE)
media when BD hardware products are launched.

While the two formats are not compatible, both utilize blue lasers to achieve higher
densities and can store a full-length high-definition movie with no difference
in picture clarity.

 

 

What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation
optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting
and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts
of data. Blu-ray will come in three different formats, BD-ROM for read-only
discs (similar to DVD-ROM), BD-R for write-once discs (similar to DVD-R) and
BD-RE for rewritable discs (similar to DVD-RW).

What is HD DVD?

HD-DVD (for High-Density DVD ) is a digital optical media format for high-definition
DVD. DVD and HD DVD share the same basic disc structure. As a result, HD DVD
combines advanced capabilities with essential backward compatibility. HD DVD
will come in three different formats, HD DVD-ROM for read-only (similar to
DVD-ROM), HD DVD-R for write-once discs (similar to DVD-R) and HD DVD- RAM
/ RW for rewritable discs (similar to DVD- RAM / RW).

Who promotes Blu-ray?

Blu-ray, comes from a group of companies–the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA),
led by Sony , Dell , Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric
Industrial (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric, Philips Electronics, Pioneer Electronics,
Samsung Electronics, Sharp, TDK, and Thomson Multimedia. Verbatim/MKM is a
member of the BDA.

Who promotes HD DVD?

HD DVD is the next-generation DVD format standardized by the DVD Forum, an
international association of about 240 consumer electronics, IT, entertainment
software, disc manufacturing and other related companies around the world.
HD DVD is promoted by Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, and, most recently, Microsoft, HP,
and Intel. Verbatim/MKM is a member of the DVD Forum and the HD-DVD Promotion
Group.

What are BD and HD -DVD discs used for?

The applications for BD and HD DVD products span the entire storage spectrum–Data,
Audio, Photo and Video storage. They include personal and professional video
production, personal and business storage, backup, archiving, radio and television
broadcast storage, education, healthcare and government applications.  

Why is high-definition better than DVD?

Standard definition (SD), the video most of us are used to seeing on our
TVs today, has up to 480 visible lines of detail, whereas high-definition video
has as many as 1,080. With 5 times the resolution of normal television, high
definition video looks sharper and clearer than regular video . Consumers will
also benefit from other improvements over current DVD technology including
enhanced menu navigation, increased capacity for bonus features and new interactive
capabilities.

What are the fundamental differences between the HD DVD, BD
and DVD formats?

 

	HD DVD	Blu-Ray	DVD
Storage Capacity (per layer)	15GB (single-layer) 30GB (dual-layer)	25GB (single-layer) 50GB (dual-layer)	4.7GB (single-layer) 8.5GB (dual-layer)
Manufacturing Process	Existing	New	Current
Laser Wavelength	405 nanometers (blue-violet)		650 nanometers (red)
Cover Layer	0.6 mm	0.1 mm	0.6 mm
User data transfer rate (data)	36.55Mbps (1x)	36.0Mbps (1x)	11.08Mbps (1x)
Video Resolution	1920 x 1080		720×480/720×576
Video Codecs	VC- 1 , MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264)		MPEG-2
Audio Codecs	Linear PCM Dolby Digital Dolby Digital Plus Dolby TrueHD DTS DTS-HD MPEG Audio		Linear PCM Dolby Digital DTS MPEG Audio
US Launch Date	2nd half 2006 July 2006		Aug. 1997

How does the cost of BD and HD DVD compare?

Blu-ray discs are more expensive, but hold more data. There’s also
a difference in player price. Toshiba’s cheapest model is less than half the
$1,000 that Samsung and Panasonic will charge for a Blu-ray machine it plans
to release in June and October, respectively . Pioneer will charge about $1,800
for its Blu-ray player.

How much video can you fit on a Blu-ray or HD DVD disc?

As shown in the chart below, BD and HD DVD have 3 to 5 times more capacity
than standard DVD. At 24Mbps, over 2 hours of HD Video can be recorded on a
25GB disc.

 

 What movie studios and game companies support each of the
formats?

Movie studios will have to choose a format when it comes to releasing movies
in high-definition format. What this means for consumers is that unless their
high-definition DVD player supports both formats, they will either be limited
in the movies they can buy or they may decide to purchase more than one type
of player. Movie studios that have announced support for the formats include:

Blu-ray	HD DVD
20th Century Fox Buena Vista Home Entertainment Electronic Arts MGM Studios Paramount Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment The Walt Disney Company Vivendi Universal Games Warner Bros.	Buena Vista Home Entertainment New Line Cinema Paramount Pictures Universal Studios Warner Bros..

  How do the high-definition transfer
rates compare with DVD?

With first-generation BD and HD DVD media providing user data transfer rates
of 36 Mbps, which is over three times in DVD transfer terms. Both formats exceed
the 19.3 Mbps transfer rate approved for high-definition TV broadcasts.  

Do Blu-ray and HD DVD discs require a cartridge?

HD-DVD discs are similar to current DVDs in that the recording layer is sandwiched
between two 0.6 millimeter layers of plastic in the middle of the disc. With
the recording layer protected, HD DVD discs do not require a cartridge.

To protect the cartridge-free BD media from scratches, fingerprints and dust
particles which can cause recording and playback errors, Verbatim BD discs
have the added protection of a cover layer and a proprietary hard-coat finish.
Similar to the surface coating technology found in touch panel displays and
the lenses of plastic glasses, the hybrid organic/inorganic coating technology
developed by MKM protects the recording layer without warping the disc.

Will Blu-ray and HD DVD be backwards compatible with DVD?

Players and discs of both formats can be backwards compatible with DVD; however,
it’s really up to each manufacturer to decide if they want to make their products
backwards compatible with DVD. Just as DVD hardware supports both CD and DVD,
most of the new hardware is expected to support DVD and BD or HD DVD. Several
leading consumer electronics companies (including Sony, Panasonic, Philips,
Samsung, Pioneer, Sharp and LG) have already demonstrated products that can
read/write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs using a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical
head. Toshiba, NEC and Microsoft have announced products supporting HD DVD/DVD/CD
read/write capabilities.

---

BurnWorld.net is proud to serve up the latest in Blu Ray and DVD Burning News.  To change this standard text, you have to enter some information about your self in the Dashboard -> Users -> Your Profile box.

---